NCAA Women's Goalkeeper Rankings (Fall 2022)

cover photo belongs to Duke Athletics

Seniors

1. Ruthie Jones (Duke)
2. Angelina Anderson (California)
3. Megan Plaschko (Minnesota)
4. Marz Josephson (North Carolina)
5. Kayza Massey (West Virginia, Canada)
6. Madeline Smith (Maryland)
7. Lauren Brzykcy (UCLA)
8. Meagan McClelland (Rutgers)
9. Lyza Bosselmann (Gonzaga)
10. McKinley Crone (Alabama)

11. Jordan Silkowitz (Iowa State)
12. Mackenzie Wood (Notre Dame)
13. Lauren Kozal (Michigan State)
14. Katherine Asman (Penn State)
15. Monica Wilhelm (Iowa)
16. Heather Hinz (South Carolina)
17. Olivia Sekany (Washington)
18. Charlotte Cyr (Dartmouth)
19. Lindsey Romig (Tennessee)
20. Ashley Orkus (Mississippi)

One to Watch: Marz Josephson. Josephson’s time at UNC was quite the tumultuous one. Earning only 1161 minutes (equivalent to 13 games) in four years, Josephson is currently sitting on two more years of eligibility due to the infamous “covid year” that every player, parent, and coach has heard about over and over. As for Josephson’s path forward, it can go in several directions. For a player whose collegiate career was so stop-and-go within a highly competitive environment and sought-after minutes, it’s quite common to see a player finish out their eligibility with stability and less stress by finding a university that will commit to giving her the bulk of the minutes. However, if Josephson is eyeing the pros, don’t be surprised to see her keep her foot on the gas and re-enter a highly competitive environment to best prepare her for the next level, whether at another university or with a professional side. Whichever path she chooses, it’s certain Jospheson has plenty of “gas left in the tank” to make some noise for next fall, if she chooses that route.

Juniors

1. Maria Echezarreta (NC State, Spain)
2. Macy Enneking (Iowa)
3. Cristina Roque (Florida State, Puerto Rico)
4. Lauren Traywick (Baylor)
5. Leah Freeman (Oregon)
6. Ryan Campbell (Stanford)
7. Hailey Coll (Oregon State)
8. Anna Karpenko (Harvard, Canada)
9. Halle Mackiewicz (Clemson)
10. Maddy Anderson (Mississippi State)

One to Watch: Maria Echezarreta. If there’s one takeaway from goalkeepers over the 2022 season, it’s that we need more variety in the NCAA. Echezarreta brings a breath of fresh air to the position by taking on a level of responsibility that we rarely see for division I programs. The Spanish YNT goalkeeper focuses on preventing the opposition’s ability to create goal chances through distribution and organization, whereas American goalkeepers are typically more focused on putting all their eggs in the shot-stopping basket. I don’t think many are doubting Echezarreta’s ability to play at the next level, although there is a gray question of “where?” Does an NWSL team get ready to pounce? Does one of the top Spanish clubs attempt to continue her development or will a midtable team put her in goal immediately? Or does a non-Spanish side with high aspirations in the Champions League look to make an attractive offer? There are several directions forward, one that hopefully leaves a pathway for more Spanish goalkeepers in the college ranks.

Sophomores

1. Mia Justus (Florida State)
2. Liz Beardsley (Georgia)
3. Wiebke Willebrandt (Boston College, Germany)
4. Tyler McCamey (Princeton)
5. Savanna Mason (BYU)
6. Maya Bellomo (Yale)
7. Trinity Corcoran (Northern Arizona)
8. Shu Ohba (East Tennessee State, Japan)
9. Haley Craig (Stanford)
10. Bella Grust (Colorado)

One to Watch: Liz Beardsley. Georgia recorded their first 13-win season since 2011 and not without the help of the Florida native in goal. Beardsley employs a level of chaoticness in goal by playing a deep line while simultaneously being more than eager to throw her body into the fray. The lanky-yet-mobile combo is an increasingly popular trend for a reason and the sophomore Bulldog has repeatedly shown why with her high flying saves. If Beardsley can continue to shore up her response in atypical situations where something has gone wrong in the box, look for her to become a frontrunner to join the NWSL in a few years.

Freshmen

1. Emmie Allen (North Carolina)
2. Neeku Purcell (UCLA)
3. Erynn Floyd (Louisville)
4. Teagan Wy (California)
5. Bella Schopp (Brown)
6. Pauline Nelles (Arizona State, Germany)
7. Cara Martin (Georgetown)
8. Olivia Ramey (Oklahoma)
9. Caroline Duffy (Duke)
10. Reiley Fitzpatrick (Northwestern)

One to Watch: Erynn Floyd. Don’t let Louisville’s 6-8-2 record fool you, a true freshman starting in goal for any ACC squad is a tall order. Floyd started 14 of the 16 matches and displayed a rarely-seen composure in net, moving in sync with the quick play and showing a decisive mindset without hesitation. Similar to Beardsley, Floyd looks most comfortable playing near the goal line but she has a “bet on yourself” energy that encourages her to explore all the corners of the 18. If she can continue to embrace more responsibility within the game, Floyd could be yet another non-USYNT goalkeeper that makes a strong run in the professional game.

Past Collegiate Goalkeeper Rankings

2022: Preseason
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

NCAA Preseason Goalkeeper Rankings - Women's 2022

Seniors

1. Angelina Anderson (California)
2. Ruthie Jones (Duke)
3. Heather Hinz (South Carolina)
4. Kayza Massey (West Virginia, Canada)
5. Jordan Silkowitz (Iowa State)
6. Mackenzie Wood (Notre Dame)
7. Katherine Asman (Penn State)
8. Anna Smith (USC)
9. Monica Wilhelm (Iowa)
10. Cayla White (Virginia)

One to watch: Angelina Anderson. Anderson has been largely absent from international play since starting at the U17 World Cup in 2018. Just this past summer, the U23s led by Ruthie Jones and Shelby Hogan in exhibition matches against India and Sweden, and few were asking about Anderson’s omission. However, the Cal senior enters this fall as a likely candidate to be taken in the upcoming NWSL draft, quietly working on her craft out west. Anderson checks a lot of boxes for pro scouts but the one thing missing from her resume is an extended tournament run, which has been alluding Cal for many years now. The Golden Bears will try to reach the second round of the national tournament for the first time since 2014 and help propel Anderson into her the next stage of her career.

Juniors

1. Macy Enneking (Iowa)
2. Maria Echezarreta (NC State, Spain)
3. Cristina Roque (Florida State, Puerto Rico)
4. Lauren Traywick (Baylor)
5. Madison Howard (Wake Forest)
6. Emily Puricelli (Saint Louis)
7. Leah Freeman (Oregon)
8. Tatum Sutherland (SMU)
9. Alia Skinner (Virginia Tech)
10. Ryan Campbell (Stanford)

One to watch: Ryan Campbell / Haley Craig (sophomore). Replacing a starting goalkeeper is always difficult but Stanford moving forward from Katie Meyer’s passing will be exceptionally challenging. The former Stanford Cardinal will go down as one of, if not the, most iconic collegiate goalkeepers of all time with her high-profile moments and rarely matched intensity on full display. Stanford enters the fall with just two rostered goalkeepers and although their backgrounds are about as good as a coach can hope for, filling Meyer’s shoes will be a long and collective process. Look for Stanford to lean on more than one person this fall to help lead the Cardinal defense in 2022.

Sophomores

1. Mia Justus (Florida State)
2. Nadia Cooper (Washington State)
3. CJ Graham (Lipscomb)
4. Bella Grust (Colorado)
5. Wiebke Willebrandt (Boston College, Germany)
6. Maya Bellomo (Yale)
7. Elizabeth Beardsley (Georgia)
8. Savanna Mason (BYU)
9. Autum Monty (San Jose State)
10. Haley Craig (Stanford)

One to watch: Mia Justus. Florida State enters a new era with a dramatic coaching change and how the school’s goalkeeping core will shake out is anyone’s guess at this point. Roque (junior) received 17 of the 25 matches last fall while Justus picked up the other eight. Although many will argue that the Roque should have received every minute, it doesn’t remove the fact that FSU has a tall task of balancing two top goalkeepers in all of college soccer. Keep an eye on Justus to take advantage of a clean slate and make a case for herself to receive more minutes this fall.

Freshmen

1. Emmie Allen (North Carolina)
2. Neeku Purcell (UCLA)
3. Abby Reisz (Tennessee)
4. Caroline Duffy (Duke)
5. Mackenzie Smith (West Virginia)
6. Nona Reason (North Carolina)
7. Teagan Wy (California)
8. Christina Tsaousis (South Carolina)
9. Sophie Homan (Michigan)
10. Pauline Nelles (Arizona State, Germany)

One to watch: Emmie Allen. Watch for yourself.

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

NCAA Preseason Goalkeeper Rankings - Men's 2022

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

NCAA Men's Goalkeeper Rankings (Fall 2021)

photo from UCONN

Seniors

1. Nico Campuzano (Pittsburgh, Spain)
2. Jahmali Waite (Connecticut)
3. Neil Strauber (Florida Atlantic, Israel)
4. Oliver Semmle (Marshall, Germany)
5. Drew Romig (Belmont)
6. Carson Williams (Villanova)
7. Giannis Nikopolidis (Georgetown, Greece)
8. Andreu Cases Mundet (Santa Clara, Spain)
9. Justin Garces (UCLA)
10. Stefan Schmidt (Rhode Island, Germany)
11. Dominic Peters (San Diego)
12. George Marks (Clemson)
13. Leon Krapf (NC State, Germany)
14. Alec Smir (North Carolina)
15. Chase Vosvick (Loyola Maryland)
16. Dane Jacomen (Penn)
17. Ethan Koehler (Georgetown)
18. Noah Lawrence (Ohio State)
19. Rimi Olatunji (Providence, Canada)
20. Jamison Yoder (Green Bay)

One to Watch: Drew Romig. It’s not often that a collegiate senior is graduating with only 27 games to his name but with the logjam in UNC’s goalkeeping department, the former Tar Heel tried his hand at the transfer portal for a fresh start. With just one season at Belmont, Romig was a big part of why his new school set season records in wins (13) and shutouts (9). Romig gives off heavy Tim Melia vibes in goals: a delicate balance of readiness and chaotic impatience. He’ll opt to insert himself in a play instead of holding back but the lack of minutes haven’t let him smooth out his game yet. It’s a difficult style to play (just ask Melia how long it took an MLS to trust him with the keys to the car) but if a professional outfit can help him get traction, we could see quite the comeback story for a goalkeeper that was long counted out yet managed to salvage a career at the eleventh hour.

Juniors

1. Roman Celentano (Indiana)
2. Jassem Koleilat (New Hampshire, United Arab Emirates)
3. Luka Gavran (St. John's, Canada)
4. Adrian Fernandez (Oregon State, Spain)
5. Kris Shakes (Penn State)
6. Elian Haddock (Yale)
7. Michael Collodi (Columbia)
8. Holden Trent (High Point)
9. Jacob Jackson (Loyola Marymount)
10. Gunther Rankenburg (Georgia State)

One to Watch: Roman Celentano. If you’re reading this, you’ve most likely seen Celentano’s quad save from last month. Celentano impressed coaches during his time at Indiana to the point that both he and sophomore goalkeeper Patrick Schulte were invited to the MLS combine. Celentano is reminiscent of early MLS goalkeepers in how he uses his size to shut down chances on goal and makes the position look surprisingly simple at times. Strikers at the next level will undoubtedly look to offer more nuanced questions and how Celentano answers those questions will be interesting to track. As Celentano’s stock is at an all-time high, keep an eye on the Illinois native to possibly be donning a professional kit sooner than later.

Sophomores

1. Patrick Schulte (St. Louis)
2. Edu Rodriguez (Campbell, Spain)
3. Sam Fowler (Washington)
4. Jacob Castro (San Diego State)
5. Bryan Dowd (Notre Dame)
6. John Harms (Duke)
7. Holden Brown (Virginia)
8. James Lowell (Maryland)
9. Lucas Morefield (IUPUI)
10. Kashope Oladapo (St. Mary's)

One to Watch: Lucas Morefield. Standing at 5’11”, Morefield is praying upon the spirits of Nick Rimando and Jon Busch to have a chance at the next level. IUPUI finished 3-12-1 this fall yet Morefield kept opposing offenses under two goals in a total of ten matches, relying heavily on his impressive reflexes and mobility in the box. Naturally Morefield has an uphill climb moving forward but if the sophomore Jaguar can prove that the lack of height and prestige hasn’t stopped him from developing an effective style, don’t be surprised to see a pro side gamble on him down the line.

Freshmen

1. Nathanael Sallah (Omaha, Germany)
2. Ben Martino (Virginia Tech)
3. Hayden Evans (Michigan)
4. Eoin Gawronski (Temple)
5. Trace Alphin (Wake Forest)
6. Jonathan Kliewer (Detroit)
7. Blake Franzen (Liberty, South Africa)
8. Luca Ulrich (Georgetown)
9. Charles Janssen (UC Davis)
10. Gavin Krenecki (Louisville)

One to Watch: Nathanael Sallah. While many aren’t looking in Nebraska for the top goalkeepers in college soccer, the 6’3” German would certainly be on more radars if he held a US passport. Sallah’s quick tendency to resort to a kicksave and his poor handling will certainly annoy many American coaches but there’s no denying his ability to cover the goalmouth with ease. Sallah has heavy “boom or bust” energy as he can make some big time saves while inversely complicate rather simple situations. If Sallah can clean up some of the simpler parts of his game, he could make a natural transition into the pro game in the US after college. If not, expect to see Sallah struggle to catch on stateside after Omaha.

Past Collegiate Goalkeeper Rankings

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