2024 D3 Men's Soccer National Perspective

[Hopkins92]

That was a baller move.

(And the big BIG difference is that guy went all sneak attack. The issue I had with the Hop PK takers is that they spent way too much time over the ball. Got in their own heads.)

[Kuiper]

Former Dickinson GK Andrew Kempe signs a pro contract in Ireland

https://www.instagram.com/p/DG0_0OlPtjv/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

He originally signed with Rhode Island, transferred to Dickinson and played two years and 27 games and then did a grad year at Temple

[Kuiper]

Former Conn College goalkeeper AJ Marcucci has another D3 to the Pros moment as he starts his first game for the New York Red Bulls in a win yesterday!

https://www.amny.com/sports/aj-marcucci-red-bulls-debut-exc-3-19-25/

AJ Marcucci has been forced to ride the bus, as most professional athletes must do, a little longer than most in his journey to the top flight of American soccer. After five years of waiting, his trip finally comes to an end this Saturday when he will man the goal at Sports Illustrated Stadium for his MLS debut as his New York Red Bulls host Toronto FC.

"It's hard to wait as long as I have," Marcucci told amNewYork on Wednesday.

The 25-year-old goalkeeper has developed into a stalwart within New York's system. The No. 67 overall selection of the 2021 MLS SuperDraft out of Connecticut College had made 54 appearances with Red Bulls II — the club's reserve team — recorded 11 clean sheets, and his 185 saves rank second in franchise history.

[Kuiper]

St. Francis moving from D1 to D3 and joining the PAC

https://sfuathletics.com/news/2025/3/25/inside-athletics-saint-francis-university-announces-move-from-ncaa-division-i-athletics-to-division-iii-athletics.aspx

Today, Saint Francis University announced a decision by its Board of Trustees that directs the president and the leadership team to pursue a reclassification of its NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletics program to Division III. The shift in athletics offerings for men's and women's athletic competition would occur concurrent with the 2026-2027 academic year and fall 2026 athletic competition, with the Red Flash participating in the Presidents' Athletic Conference.

The university's athletics teams will continue to participate in Division I intercollegiate athletics as part of the Northeast Conference through summer 2026 competition. The university will file the necessary paperwork with the NCAA and has accepted an invitation from the Presidents' Athletic Conference.

"This was not an easy nor a quick decision for the Board of Trustees," stated Chairman and the Very Rev. Joseph Lehman, T.O.R., Ph.D. "The governance associated with intercollegiate athletics has always been complicated and is only growing in complexity based on realities like the transfer portal, pay-for-play, and other shifts that move athletics away from love of the game. For that reason, as a Board, we aim to best provide resources and support to our student-athletes in this changing environment that aligns with our mission, Catholic institution, and our community's expectations."

The Board of Trustees participated in an extensive discussion and review of their options for the future of the university's athletics program and determined that this decision helps Saint Francis to achieve the institution's mission and strategic plan.

Lehman continued, "All of the university's offerings that are a core part of the Saint Francis identity and student experience are reviewed by the Board on an ongoing basis, including intercollegiate athletics. Based on the changes in athletics nationally, it would be a disservice to our student-athletes and athletic department staff not to review and assess how we can best provide the resources necessary for them to be competitive."

President and the Very Rev. Malachi Van Tassell, T.O.R., Ph.D., added, "The Board and I have been concerned about the student-athlete experience for many years. The geography of our conference is huge. Our students travel either to Chicago or to Boston or to points in between. That's a lot of time not spent on campus, developing friendships or in the classroom. This change allows our students to be present on campus and lets their friends attend more of their home and away games. This decision is about creating and maintaining community and allowing our student-athletes to thrive in the classroom and their chosen sport."

Van Tassell stressed, "I want to be clear—we are very proud of our Division I history and success, and our student-athletes. We know this transition may be stressful. We will do everything possible to support our student-athletes, their families, our coaches, and our staff and do right by you."

Saint Francis has established a website with additional information, including a chart that outlines what this decision means for current student-athletes, coaches, and athletic department staff. In addition, anticipated questions are answered online and other questions can be submitted to athletics@francis.edu.

[Hopkins92]

Whoa. My boxed in brain hadn't really considered this, but I wonder how many more schools are going to follow suit.

And as someone that attended one of the last schools allowed to have just one program as D1 and the rest D3, I wonder if the NCAA is going to revisit that rule change.

[Ejay]

At least their men's basketball players will have the memory of their March Madness participation this season.

[Kuiper]

Here's perspective from a men's soccer player at St. Francis about the move:

https://x.com/imcollegesoccer/status/1904728782336123096?s=46&t=uXiupHZfR0TxrRyWF9BmRg

DM: I am a current freshman at SFU and I can provide some insight on the schools decision today. We were notified less than a hour after our coaches were told, we were pulled from class for team meetings when the news was broken. It is definitely something very difficult to digest and I feel like we are the beginning of a lot of smaller division one schools that will make the transition to lower levels of play. My opinion is that we cannot financially afford to compete with the bigger division one schools because of the NIL lawsuit. It sucks because our school is such a high athletic population that enrollment will for sure decline.

[Kuiper]

Another loss for the America East conference

Bryn Athyn to End Athletics Program

After a comprehensive review of our financial position, we have made difficult —but essential
—changes to protect our core academic offerings and position the College for sustainable
growth. We have taken strong and necessary action to ensure the long-term sustainability of our
mission: to provide a distinctive higher-education offering grounded in the Heavenly Doctrine.
This is a turning point —not an ending.

...

We are restructuring Student Life and discontinuing all 11 NCAA Division III athletic
programs, our club hockey team, and associated athletic staff and trainers. These
programs will remain active through the end of the academic year, and all affected
students will receive full support. A new model —robust, inclusive, and financially
sustainable —will rise in the form of Club Sports. This change accounts for a net
reduction of 11 FTEs.

The review of athletics costs revealed an untenable financial reality. According to benchmarking
data from 69 DIII institutions without men's football, athletic expenses should comprise roughly
3% of an institution's budget. Ours, conservatively, stand at 12% and climb as high as 21% when
accounting for overhead. That places us at 400–700% of the national benchmark. This level of
financial expenditure is unsustainable. And the choice, due to NCAA requirements, is binary:
maintain ten teams or none. (NCAA, Trends in Division III Athletics Finances, November 2021,
p. 17)

I had hoped to preserve club hockey, given its storied legacy. But even stripped of overhead, its
cost remains too high. I share the grief this will bring especially considering the magnitude of
hockey's history in the college and in Bryn Athyn.