WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. - For the third time in the last four years, the No. 15-ranked Williams College men's soccer team earned an at-large bid into the NCAA Division III Tournament, as the Ephs will compete against La Roche (10-4-4, 5-1-2 Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference) Saturday at 1 p.m. during the first round at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania.
The Ephs (8-4-4, 5-3-2 NESCAC), who hold the highest national ranking at the regional, went all way to the national championship game in 2022, and last year, the unit reached the Sweet 16 after winning first and second-round action at Cole Field. The other first-round matchup played Saturday features host and No. 17 Scranton (12-0-6, 7-0-2 Landmark Conference) and St. Joseph's University of Long Island (13-4-1, 8-2-1 Skyline Conference) at 3:30 p.m. The winners will meet in second-round action Sunday at 3 p.m.
The 2025 Ephs outlasted No. 15 Tufts, 3-1, on Sept. 6 in Medford, Massachusetts, as the unit defeated the Jumbos for the first time since Oct. 19, 2013, and it was Williams' first victory at Tufts since Oct. 23, 2010. Williams also outlasted No. 13 Bates, 1-0, on Oct. 4 in Lewiston, Maine.
First-year
JJ Ruehlemann leads the Ephs in goals (8), points (16) and game-winning tallies (3), while also being named NESCAC Player of the Week on Sept. 8. Williams has also see strong point production by sophomore
Alex Bethencourt (4 goals, 3 assists), sophomore
Lorcan Mitchell (5 goals), senior
Henry Kirkman (3 goals, 3 assists) and sophomore
Ben Brown (3 goals, 2 assists). The Ephs have utilized their depth with 18 student-athletes recording at least one point.
La Roche arrives on the national stage with the automatic qualifier, as the Redhawks earned their first AMCC Championship. Junior captain Malvin Madzimbamuto has led the charge with nine goals and three assists.
Scranton earned an at-large bid, as the Royals have been led by Tyler Colton (5 goals, 2 assists), Alex Kozdron (4 goals, 4 assists) and James Mayo (5 goals, 2 assists). St. Joseph's earned the automatic qualifier by winning the Skyline title, as Jack Pulisic has recorded a phenomenal year for the Golden Eagles with 14 goals and three assists.
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