Cover photo belongs to Kris Wright
It's that wonderful time of year again where we all get to speculate on the potential for every school and their respective players alike. While the seniors are only five months away from draft day, the underclassmen are still fighting to prove they're the number one goalkeeper. It's an incredibly short season jam packed with games so don't expect these lists to stay the exact same come December. Here are the top ten goalkeepers in men's college soccer, sorted by class. Be sure to scroll to the bottom to look back at past rankings.
Seniors
1. Jeff Caldwell (Virginia) - 21
2. Ben Lundgaard (Virginia Tech) - 21
3. Paul Christensen (Portland) - 21
4. Andrew Shepherd (Western Michigan) - 22
5. Michael Nelson (SMU) - 22
6. Kyle Dal Santo (SIUE) - 22
7. Eric Dick (Butler) - 22
8. Sascha Otte (Germany, Saint Louis) - 22
9. Collin Partee (Loyola Marymount) - 22
10. Nils Leifhelm (Germany, Rhode Island) - 23
Bill says: The seniors heading into the 2018 MLS SuperDraft are a strong core. U20 USYNT goalkeeper Jeff Caldwell leads the pack but 2017 PDL goalkeeper of the year, Ben Lundgaard, is one to keep an eye on as well. (Make sure to circle September 15th on the calendar when Virginia and Virginia Tech square off.) Paul Christensen has homegrown ties to the Sounders while SIUE penalty hero Kyle Dal Santo looks to build off of last year’s cinderella run. Foreigners face an added hurdle when trying to make the jump to MLS due to roster restrictions, but there's plenty of room for Sascha Otte and Nils Leifhelm in the USL and NASL.
Juniors
1. JT Marcinkowski (Georgetown) - 20
2. Bobby Edwards (Monmouth) - 22
3. Todd Morton (Delaware) - 21
4. Jimmy Hague (Michigan State) - 22
5. Ximo Miralles (Spain, Clemson) - 21
6. Ryan Cretens (UNC Wilmington) - 21
7. Austin Aviza (Connecticut) - 20
8. Sawyer Jackman (UIC) - 20
9. Luis Barraza (Marquette) - 20
10. Nick Gardner (Denver) - 22
Bill says: If there’s one goalkeeper that everyone is expecting big things from, it’s Georgetown’s JT Marcinkowski, who is generally viewed as the most complete goalkeeper in the college game. Bobby Edwards (6'6") and Todd Morton (6'4") possess the large frame modern teams are looking for and should make the transition to the professional game with relative ease when the time comes. Austin Aviza looks for a new beginning - and more playing time - after leaving Syracuse for Connecticut this offseason. UNC Wilmington’s Ryan Cretens’ playing style is akin to Nick Rimando’s, standing only 5’11” but covering the goal better than most collegiate goalkeepers in the college game.
Sophomores
1. Kevin Silva (UCLA) - 19
2. Parker Siegfried (Ohio State) - 20
3. Elliot Panicco (Charlotte) - 20
4. Arie Ammann (Penn State) - 20
5. Aron Runarsson (Iceland, Vermont) - 21
6. Jimmy Slayton (Hartford) - 19
7. Andrew Verdi (Michigan) - 19
8. Remi Prieur (St. Mary's) - 20
9. Andreu Cases Mundet (Spain, Wake Forest) - 20
10. Jared Brown (Canada, Florida Gulf Coast) - 19
Bill says: Kevin Silva keeps him number one spot from last season, but not without pressure from his peers. Columbus Crew product, Parker Siegfried, anchored the helm at Ohio State without much of a hiccup and Charlotte’s Elliot Panicco had a wonderful season, after being named to the Conference USA’s All-Freshmen Team as well as earning the John McCarthy look-a-like award. Philadelphia Union academy player Andrew Verdi adds more USYNT flare to the list and while Remi Prieur only has eight games to his college career so far, the San Jose product shouldn't have a tough time taking over the number one role for St. Mary's
Freshmen
1. Will Pulisic (Duke) - 19
2. Andrew Romig (North Carolina) - 19
3. Ben Hale (Furman) - 19
4. Joe Wheelwright (Utah Valley) - 21
5. Andrew Pannenberg / Dominic Peters (Wake Forest) - 18 / 17
6. Matt Freese (Harvard) - 18
7. Jake Gelnovatch (Louisville) - 20
8. Noah Lawrence (Cincinnati) - 18
9. David Abonce / Xavier Kennedy (Ohio State) - 18
10. Jack Butterfield (Appalachian State) - 18
Bill says: Predicting success of freshmen goalkeepers before they’ve even played a minute is always tricky (aka impossible). Will Pulisic returns from his time with Dortmund, after a previously successful run with the US’s U20s. While Andrew Romig and Ben Hale might not see playing time this fall, keep an eye on them in 2018 to transition into the starting position. Both Wake Forest and Ohio State have talented freshmen goalkeepers on their rosters, although both schools are starting sophomores in goal so we may not hear of these freshmen for some time.
Past Collegiate Goalkeeper Rankings
2014 (final)
2015 (preseason and final)
2016 (preseason and final)