Author’s note: Derrek Chan was originally listed as the sixth-ranked senior but Chan signed with New York Red Bulls’ second team earlier in the year, forgoing another year in college. Matt Frank has since then been added to the list as a replacement goalkeeper.
Seniors
1. Jassem Koleilat (New Hampshire, Canada)
2. Oliver Semmle (Marshall, Germany)
3. Dominic Peters (San Diego)
4. Kris Shakes (Penn State)
5. Michael Collodi (Columbia)
6. Ethan Koehler (Georgetown)
7. Ryan Troutman (Louisville)
8. Matt Zambetti (UMass)
9. Holden Trent (High Point)
10. Matt Frank (Stanford)
One to watch: The top American goalkeeper. It’s rare to enter a season without a consensus on the top American goalkeeper. Kris Shakes finished his junior year with an unrepeatable 8-2 loss to Hofstra in the national tournament while others (Peters, Troutman, Zambetti) have looked to the transfer portal after not having a stronger commitment from their previous school. In the past, MLS teams have been reluctant to pick up foreign goalkeepers but this year may prove to be an exception with Semmle returning for one more year and Koleilat making a name for himself with a top 25 program.
Juniors
1. Edu Rodriguez (Campbell, Spain)
2. Jacob Castro (San Diego State)
3. Sam Fowler (Washington)
4. Holden Brown (Virginia)
5. JT Harms (Indiana)
6. Bryan Dowd (Notre Dame)
7. James Lowell (Maryland)
8. Kashope Oladapo (St. Mary's)
9. Alex Flowers (Western Illinois)
10. Josue Hangi (Georgia State)
One to watch: JT Harms. The Hoosiers are looking to replace MLS drafted-goalkeeper Roman Celentano with one of Duke’s promising goalkeepers. Harms got stuck behind senior goalkeeper Eliot Hamill last fall, only seeing 180 minutes over the 20 matches the Blue Devils played. It’s a rare transfer amongst two top programs but Harms isn’t heading to Bloomington simply to compete. The Columbus Crew prospect is aiming to lock down the number one spot for the next two years, as well revitalize his aspiring pro career. Although undersized, Harms is looking to prove the doubters wrong with his mobility and quickness in goal and lead the Hoosiers back to another national championship match.
Sophomores
1. Nathanael Sallah (Omaha, Germany)
2. Ben Martino (Virginia Tech)
3. Luca Ulrich (Georgetown)
4. Blake Franzen (Liberty, South Africa)
5. Eoin Gawronski (Temple)
6. Alex Lopez (Tulsa, Spain)
7. Trace Alphin (Wake Forest)
8. Hayden Evans (Michigan)
9. Aurie Briscoe (Rutgers, Puerto Rico)
10. Alex Bobocea (Loyola Maryland)
One to watch: Luca Ulrich. With five goalkeepers on the roster, Ulrich will certainly have to battle for playing time in the nation’s capital. Georgetown isn’t against splitting minutes (see: 2019 national champions) but Ulrich will have to usurp senior goalkeeper Ethan Koehler enough to gain footing on the field. Ulrich has trained with professional clubs in both the US (Loudon United) and Germany (1.FC Koln, Union Berlin) but only saw 90 minutes this last season. If Ulrich can make his way onto the pitch with the Hoyas this fall, look for him to be a circled name on MLS teams’ clipboards moving forward.
Freshmen
1. Seth Wilson (Akron)
2. Cabral Carter (Pittsburgh)
3. Rowan Schnebly (Stanford)
4. KyMani Dade (Loyola Marymount)
5. Cole Kulhanek (Grand Canyon)
6. Patrick Schott (Belmont, Germany)
7. Sebastian Cutler (Charlotte)
8. Jay Hibbert (Connecticut)
9. Mitchell Budler (Akron)
10. Gavin Roberts (St. Louis)
One to watch: Seth Wilson. It’s been a long road to Akron for the north Texas native. Wilson quietly spent time in Portugal before returning to the states earlier this year. The former USYNT goalkeeper trained with Dallas this spring and summer and is now looking to get Akron back to their first double-digit win season since 2018. Wilson is joined by three other freshmen goalkeepers at Akron, including Philadelphia Union product Mitchell Budler. As to how the Zips will balance their core is hard to say but from resumes alone, it seems like it’s Wilson’s job to lose at this point.
Past Collegiate Goalkeeper Rankings
2021: Final
2020: Preseason and Final
2019: Preseason and Final
2018: Preseason and Final
2017: Preseason and Final
2016: Preseason and Final
2015: Preseason and Final
2014: Final