Owen Culver is returning as a graduate student after leading the Bears with 7 goals. (Maddix Cradlebaugh | Student Life)

Despite a challenging 2023 season that ended with a 7-8-1 standing, the Washington University men’s soccer team is ready to seize the upcoming season in their fall 2024 campaign. Though the team enters the season unranked in the national top 25, they will look to a combination of new faces and an experienced squad to boost their conference and national standing.

This upcoming season will serve as a testament to their new coach’s determination. After long-time head coach Joe Clarke announced his retirement last November, Andrew Bordelon stepped into the role. Clarke had served as the program’s head for nearly three decades, leading the squad to 275 wins, 11 NCAA tournament appearances, and four University Athletic Association (UAA) titles — most recently in 2021. Though Clarke’s last season with the squad was not as successful as previous ones, he was a pillar of the soccer community at WashU and the larger area of St. Louis. 

Bordelon comes to WashU’s program with high expectations from the soccer community. His experiences in a variety of NCAA teams and divisions, most recently as an assistant coach at the Division I University of Wisconsin–Madison, bring hope and new energy to the team. 

“My plan is to continue to build on what [Clarke] has built here, and hopefully then take it to new heights as well. It will be tough replacing a legend and a gentleman who I have so much respect for, but at the same time, you know, I have to be myself and introduce philosophies and expectations that I believe in,” Bordelon said in March. 

Key Players

An important task for Bordelon will be replacing the seven seniors who have graduated since last season. Fortunately for the Bears, midfielder Owen Culver will be returning as a graduate student after a season where he led the team with 7 goals and was named to the All-UAA first team. 

The Bears also bring in three graduate students who excelled at the Division I and Division III levels. Midfielder Gordon Bernlohr and forward Jesus Tadeo join the team from Division III rivals Catholic University and Rhodes College, respectively, and defender Cole Hutson makes the move to WashU after playing at Division I Lindenwood University.

In addition to the newcomers, the Bears will look to some returners to step up this fall. Junior forward Zach Susee and senior forward Joseph Hipskind both scored four goals last season, the highest tallies behind Culver, and will be important pieces of the attack. Senior midfielders Landon Green and Eugene Heger and sophomore defender Quentin Gomez, who was named the UAA Rookie of the Year in 2023, will be other players to watch this fall.

Fans should also keep an eye on what Bordelon will do with the team’s three goalies — junior Adam Mallalieu and sophomores Cal L’Hommedieu and Owen Ross — all of whom split time last season. 

Key Matchups

The team’s season will start Aug. 30 with a matchup at home against Millikin University, and they’ll face an early test in their final non-conference game of the season against No. 15 Ohio Northern University on Sep. 28. 

Some of their most exciting games are part of the UAA schedule, including matchups against national powerhouses like No. 7 University of Chicago and No. 20 Emory University, both of whom they play on the road. Home matches against Carnegie Mellon University and No. 22 Case Western Reserve University on Oct. 25 and 27 will also be enticing fixtures.

WashU ended last season third from the bottom in the eight-team UAA and will hope to improve and climb the rankings this upcoming season. With a refreshed coaching staff, a returning core, and the addition of an exciting recruiting class, the Bears are assembling the pieces for a strong 2024 season.

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Starting Line before the team’s rosters and schedule were available online. The article was updated on Aug. 16, 2024 to include information about Owen Culver’s return as a graduate student, the additions of Gordon Bernlohr, Jesus Tadeo, and Cole Hutson, and the team’s rankings and schedule.