Ivy League season preview
Does Penn have what it takes to repeat as Ivy League champions?
August 12, 2024 I Jack Latterman I Ivy League
The Ivy League has 3 teams who I think can fight for the title. I see the table being extremely tight towards the top, with Penn, Brown, and Cornell all having a shot at it. There are quite a few goalscorers who will be extremely fun to watch in this conference as well.
I would like to preface all of this by saying that this is an opinion piece. I have watched all these teams play last season and done heavy research to create this preview, but that doesn’t mean it is going to be correct… and that is what makes sports so great! My intention is not to make anyone angry with a preseason poll, as they are rarely accurate anyways. This is what I think might happen and I would love to hear if you agree or disagree.
The Ivy League came down to the wire in 2023 and I expect the same to happen again this year. There is a gap between the top of the table and the struggling teams, but that means the first 3-4 will be even closer come the final week. I expect multiple teams to compete and think any of those few could win the league, as well as the tournament. I am having a really hard time picking the order of the top 3.
Penn
Penn had a great year in 2023, winning 7 matches and taking home the Ivy League regular season title. Their season came to an abrupt end when they fell to Brown in the first round of the conference tournament, knocking them out and eliminating them from NCAA Tournament contention.
Michael Hewes is a huge loss for this side in the midfield. His 8 goals along with his leadership in the middle of the park will be missed. Mattias Hanchard is the other big loss to this squad, but the remainder of the backline will stay intact. Goalkeeper Nick Christoffersen also graduated, creating another hole for the Quakers.
Star striker Stas Korzeniowski returns after a 20 point season. Ben Do will be a leader in defense along with Leo Burney.
I expect Stas to have another great season upfront and the Quakers to fight for the title once again.
Yale
The Bulldogs started slow in 2023, but came on strong at the end to win the Ivy League Tournament and upset Bryant, taking them to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. They finished the year with 11 wins, but 6 losses.
2023 top scorer Eric Lagos graduated and Max Rogers transferred to Maryland, leaving Yale without their two best attacking weapons. Sam Harshe and Jake Schafferis are both no longer at Yale, leaving holes on the defense as well.
The attacking responsibilities will fall heavily on #10 Quanah Brayboy, while TJ Presthus and Jamie Orson return to lead the backline. Alex Umana will likely play a bigger role upfront for the Bulldogs as well.
There are quite a few big pieces missing on both sides of the ball, creating quite a bit of unknowns for Yale. I expect them to be ok, but fall just outside the top few teams.
Harvard
The Crimson were alright in 2023, finishing with 5 wins and 3 of those coming in the Ivy League.
It is unclear whether
Jan Riecke returns to the defense and will have some comfort behind him in goalie Lucian Wood.
I think Harvard will struggle a bit compared to last season. They lost a number of key attackers, as well as some defensive weapons.
Brown
Brown struggled a but throughout 2023, finishing with just 5 wins, but they did not lose a match in Ivy League play. They finished with 11 points after drawing 6 games, which was enough to finish 4th.
The Bears will be without top scorer Kojo Dadzie, after the forward transferred to Penn State.
Charlie Adams is back in the playmaking #10 role, joined by Senior Tanner Barry in the midfield. Taha Kina, Jack Cloherty, and Greyson Mitchell are all back as well. They also brought in tranfer Mads Stistrup Petersen from SLU.
Brown returns essentially everyone, except Dadzie. I think they will have a fantastic season and compete for the title in 2024.
Cornell
Cornell had a decent season in 2023, finishing with 8 wins. They struggled though in conference play, winning only twice. Wins over Syracuse and UNH proved that this team did have what it took to not only compete with, but beat top squads.
#10 Matthew Goncalves and starting centerback Connor Drought both moved on from the program. Defender Wilson Eisner is also gone after getting picked up by the San Jose Earthquakes.
Striker Alex Harris returns after a fantastic first season with the Big Red. His 12 goals led the conference, not to mention that he was only a Freshman. Kisa Kiingi is back for his fifth-year to lead the defense and Connor Miller is back in the midfield for his Sophomore campaign.
Although they will be without 3-4 key players, Cornell returns Harris and a number of other starters who will step up. I see Cornell finishing top 3.
Dartmouth
Dartmouth had a bit of a rough season, winning just 4 matches and going winless in their last 7.
The Big Green will be without just one starter from last year in Tom Collins, but every single other big name is back.
Vasilis Moiras and Trenton Blake both return after strong Freshman years. Kristian Feed is back in the midfield and the entire backline and goalkeeper are returning.
I like Dartmouth to be much improved after another offseason together. They will be nearly the same team as last year and will be considerably better than they were in 2023.
Princeton
The Tigers had a tough season in 2023, winning 4 games and just 1 in Ivy League play. They did have wins over Rutgers and St. Johns in big matches though.
The backline will be without Whit Gamblin. Ryan Winkler also graduated, but they bring back everyone else.
Columbia
Columbia had a rough year in 2023, winning just 2 matches and finishing bottom of the Ivy League table with 0 wins.
Top scorer Will DeNight graduated, and so too did David Walley. Goalkeeper Michael Collodi is also no longer with the Lions.
Joao Lima is back in the midfield, along side Alessandro Franciosa. Jackson ten Oever will look to solidify the heavily new backline.
Columbia struggled last season and they lost many of the big pieces of that squad. I have a hard time seeing them be significantly improved from 2023.
2023 Final Standings
2024 Predictions
- Cornell
- Penn
- Brown
- Dartmouth
- Yale
- Harvard
- Princeton
- Columbia
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