Photography by Marissa Moschella. Illustration by Raessler Guthrie.
Editor’s note: Senior Writer Flynn Hynes is an intern at the Office of Athletics Communication. This story was written before he accepted the internship and all interviews were conducted before the acceptance as well.
With a 37-man roster, the Ithaca College men’s soccer team is entering the season more stacked than ever, marking the largest squad since online rosters records began in 2004 and setting the stage for fierce competition.
On Nov. 5, 2024, the Ithaca College men’s soccer team fell to Skidmore College in penalty kicks in the first round of the Liberty League Championship Tournament, ending the Bombers’ postseason run and hopes of an NCAA tournament win streak.
“We were definitely disappointed, I think with the season as a whole,” senior midfielder Drew Warren said. “I think we had the right guys to kind of make a run and we thought we could have went further than we did.”
However, with new and familiar faces, junior forward Jack Carney says the team is hungry and eager to win a Liberty League championship — something the Bombers have never done.
“[My] number one [team goal] is definitely a Liberty League championship, we’re just trying to rewrite history,” Carney said. “We say that every year, but we really got to buy in and act like we want it. Because sometimes I feel like we think it’s going to come to us, when in reality we have to go get it.”
Last season, the team finished with a 7-7-4 record, just a step below their 2023 record which was 8-6-4. This year’s roster remains largely intact, with only three seniors graduating from the 2024 team and 14 new first-year students joining. The bigger changes come on the sidelines because the Bombers have a completely new coaching staff. Gabe Kuhn is the new head coach, replacing Garret Eldridge, who spent four years as head coach and two years as an assistant. Dylan Kilpatrick is stepping in as assistant coach, succeeding Nick Calo, who held the role for two seasons.
Kuhn comes to the helm after spending five seasons with the Alfred State Pioneers. During his time with the Pioneers, he transformed their record from 1-15 in 2019 to 17-4-1 in 2023, the most wins in program history. Kuhn said he wants to establish a culture built around consistency, respect and hard work whether the team is on the pitch or off it.
“At the end of the day, it’s really just making these guys better people and preparing them for the real world and using soccer as that platform for beyond in their career,” Kuhn said.
Kilpatrick joins the program after serving as an assistant coach for the SUNY Cortland Red Dragons during the 2024 season. At Cortland, Kilpatrick specialized in goalkeeper development and helped guide the Red Dragons to a 15-3-6 record and a place in the NCAA Division III tournament in 2024. Goalkeeper development certainly would not hurt the Bombers, a team that played three different goalkeepers in the 2024 season.
“We despise Cortland so it’s kind of good to have someone from the other side join the bomb-squad,” Carney said.
Kuhn said the massive roster — which includes new players and 12 returners who appeared in at least 15 games last season — has created heightened competition.
“Competition’s key and to not get complacent,” Kuhn said. “I know in years past they’ve been battling a ton of injuries, so it’s kind of a next man up mentality. And if someone doesn’t do their job, we have someone else ready to rock and roll and fight for that opportunity.”
For Warren, the size of the roster means practice levels have risen, even if it creates tough roster decisions.
“We have four or five guys at every position which makes practice competitive,” Warren said. “Everyone has their own kind of special ability, so it will be interesting to see with this many numbers, the different guys we play in different positions.”
The influx of talent has also reshaped leadership dynamics. While Warren has been a team captain the last two years, he said Kuhn has reset the leadership structure. Players must re-earn captaincy in preseason, providing Warren an opportunity to fight for it back.
In the 2024 season, the team scored 29 goals in 18 games and allowed 21, finishing with an 8 goal differential. goal differential of plus-8, tied for 150th out of 407 teams. The Bombers’ offensive production was contributed by multiple players, with 12 players scoring and 11 players contributing at least one assist.
Carney returns as the Bombers’ leading scorer, tied with senior forward Jared Krasnove, after netting five goals in 2024. He said that improving their attack is essential to reaching a higher level.
As the Bombers look for improvement, their schedule will prove to be a test. Vassar College won the Liberty League championship last year and are ranked No. 23 going into this season. Skidmore college, which eliminated IC from the Liberty League playoffs, remains a threat. Hobart College has shown it has the potential to beat the Bombers, outscoring them 8-2 in the previous two matchups, while Cortland — an out-of-conference rival — has dominated the series in recent years. Warren said he is looking forward to these matchups.
“The Liberty League games are always big ones,” Warren said. “Out of conference is Cortland, we’ve come close the last couple of years. They’ve always beaten us, so it would be great to get one against them.
Kuhn is not hesitating in setting the bar and has preached the chance to achieve what no IC team has before — a Liberty League championship.
“I think we have the guys to do it,” Kuhn said. “We have been preaching making history and doing something that’s never been done before. So I think that’s what we’re going after.”