POTSDAM -- With 21 returning players along with a class of 10 newcomers, the Clarkson University Men's Soccer team will push to make the postseason for the first time under third-year head coach Chris Taylor.

After a 7-10-1 record and a Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year award in Taylor's debut season, Clarkson took a slight step back in 2015, finishing with a 5-10-2 record. However, young players gained massive amounts of experience, including a seven player rookie class that appeared in a combined 88 games, starting 69 of them.

Not returning for Clarkson is Zachary Godin, who had his most productive offensive season in his senior year. Godin finished with eight goals and two assists for 18 points. However, Clarkson does return Tucker Wilcox, who also had his best season, scoring seven goals and notching two assists. Kevin Calnan is the other returning player with multiple goals in 2015, as Calnan scored two goals and led the team with four assists in his sophomore campaign.

Jon Jones, Drew Lewis, and Brian Kroetz all recorded multiple points in 2015. In their debut seasons, Jones and Lewis had four and three points respectively, with Jones scoring one goal to go with two assists and Lewis recording three assists. Kroetz added a game-winning goal and an assist in his junior season.

In the back, Kevin Chrisey, James Homan, Zach Golden, and Riley McDonald all return after playing extensive minutes in their freshman seasons. McDonald made 10 appearances in goal, starting nine of them. He led the team with a 1.59 goals against average, and made 45 saves giving him a .750 save percentage. He will again compete with senior Michael King who appeared in nine games, starting eight of them. King had a 2.19 goals against average and made 36 saves. McDonald completed two shutouts and had a 3-5-1 record while King had one clean sheet and earned a 2-5-1 mark. Joining the competition this season is Ian Roeloffs who will try to earn minutes in goal as a freshman.

Chrisey, Homan, and Golden combined to start 41 games for the Clarkson defense last season. Also returning on the back line is senior Andrew Akiki and Justin Packard. Newcomers include freshmen Chris Jupin and Matt Craw as well as transfers Josh Eidem and Ryan Stinson. Up front, Aidan Subra, Stephen Kilmek, Erick Naula, and Henry Gomez will try to make an impact in their rookie campaigns.

Only two other Clarkson coaches have won more games in their first two seasons than Coach Taylor. With the first victory of the season, he will move into sixth place on the all-time wins list at Clarkson. For the second straight season, Taylor will be assisted by Carter Lincoln.

The Golden Knights will scrimmage the University of Ottawa on Hantz Turf Field on Saturday, August 27th at 6:00 pm. The Green and Gold will officially open their season on Friday, September 2nd when Ithaca College comes to town for a 2:00 pm game in the North Country Classic.