ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The RIT men's soccer team opens the 2026 campaign on Tuesday (Sept. 1) against Brockport. Here are the top six things you need to know about the Tigers heading into the season.
MEET THE CAPTAINS
Seniors
Mauricio Gonzalez Calderon and
Gabriel Zaninetti and sophomore
Constantine Santacrose will serve as co-captains in 2026.
"Mauricio, Gabriel and Constantine complement each other as leaders on the field and have helped set the competitive standard for the team," said RIT head coach
Bill Garno. "They are positive role models for our young players and exceptional student-athletes. With 14 new players joining the squad, they play an important role in the development of our team cohesion, both on and off the pitch."
FORWARDS
Senior forward
Idriss Diallo led RIT with 15 points on five goals and five assists in 2025. Senior
Gavin Culley played in 16 games last season and was third on the team with seven points on two goals and three assists. Junior
Adrian Sobczak will join the attack after starting on defense the last two seasons. Sobczak played in 16 games and finished tied for third on the team in scoring with six points on a goal and four assists.
MIDFIELD
Zaninetti and seniors
Tate Pottle and
Daniel Sucato return. Santacrose and classmates
Barry Duffy and
Callum Harvey all return to the midfield in 2026. Pottle played in six games last season, Sucato had an assist in 11 games played. Zaninetti started all 16 games and finished with five points on a goal and three assists. Santacrose started all 16 games his first season in 2025, handing out an assist.
THE DEFENDERS & GOALIES
Gonzalez returns for his senior season in 2026. He is joined by sophomore outside back
Tony Shin. Gonzalez Calderon started 14 games last season, scoring a goal. Shin played in 16 games and was fourth on the team in minutes played. Junior
Alejandro Ortega returns after an injury cut his 2025 season short, along with sophomore
Sebastien Mott who made big strides in the offseason.
Junior
Kristian Dobbek returns after posting six wins last season and 0.93 goals-against average and a .800 save percentage. He was tied for second in the Liberty League with six shutouts, fifth in goals-against average and fifth in save percentage. Junior
Owen Hallagan played in two games last season while first-year
Sebastian Wraga will compete for time.
2026 NEWCOMERS
Garno welcomes 14 newcomers to the 2026 squad, including nine first years and five transfers. First-years
Anthony Ayodele,
Jalen Bertrand,
Zach Brook,
Sean Irvin,
Axel Jackson,
Keyaan Mangalji,
Jackson Money,
Milan Mossing and
Sebastian Wraga and transfers
Micah Cornfield,
Jackson Costello, Robin Geising,
Matthew Maldini and
Joseph Milner.
2026 SCHEDULE
The Tigers will play 16 regular-season games, including nine games against Liberty League foes and one team that competed in the 2025 NCAA Division III Tournament (Hobart).
The Tigers begin their 2026 campaign on Sept. 1 against Brockport for the Doug May Memorial Game. The Tigers host Fredonia on Sept. 4, followed by a road game against St. John Fisher (Sept. 9).
RIT begins Liberty League play at Clarkson on Sept. 12 followed by a pair of non-conference matches versus Buffalo State (Sept. 16) and on the road at Alfred State (Sept. 19). The Tigers host the defending Liberty League Champions Hobart (Sept. 23) followed by a game at RPI (Sept. 26) and close out September with a home game against Penn State Behrend (Sept. 30).
RIT begins October against Vassar (Oct. 3) and hosts Rochester (Oct. 7) for the Rochester Derby. RIT heads down I-90 to play at Union (Oct. 10) before hosting St. Lawrence the following weekend (Oct. 17).
RIT hits the road for two straight games at Ithaca (Oct. 21) and Bard (Oct. 24) and wraps up the regular season at home versus Skidmore (Nov. 31).
The Liberty League Tournament begins on Tuesday, November 3 with first round games. The semifinals are Nov. 6, and the championship is Nov. 8 at the highest remaining seed.
