Philadelphia-area NCAA Division I men’s tournament wrap-up

The 2025 NCAA Men’s Division I College Cup kicks off with the semifinals on Friday and the National Championship game following soon after on Monday in Cary, North Carolina. One of Furman, Washington, Saint Louis, and NC State will lift the trophy. Despite a lack of local products in the final four, many players with ties to the Philadelphia area made an impact in this year’s tournament.

Lafayette, the only Pennsylvanian team in the NCAA DI Tournament this season, bowed out in the first round after being overpowered by a strong Cornell team. Lafayette’s roster, full of local players including star goalkeeper Eric Axtman (Harrisburg, Pa.) qualified for the tournament via a miraculous late win over Lehigh in the 2025 Patriot League Championship game. Their great season unfortunately came to an end against Cornell, who were led by senior defender and Philadelphia Union Academy and FC Delco alum Andrew Johnson (Philadelphia, Pa.). Cornell was subsequently eliminated by No. 13 Connecticut.

Balthazar Saunders, a Brooklyn native who transferred from Villanova, assisted a goal for Connecticut as they defeated Johnson’s Cornell 3-1. Saunders started again in UConn’s next match against powerhouse #4 Maryland, where they were defeated 3-0.

Defender Charlie Kitch (Medford, NJ) kept a clean sheet for 110 minutes through extra time for Elon, who unfortunately couldn’t find a goal. Kitch and his teammate Colin Veltri (Mays Landing, N.J.) were eliminated by UNC Greensboro on penalty kicks. Seton Hall advanced past Siena in the first round on penalty kicks. Real Futbol Academy talent Nico Rubio (Egg Harbor Township, N.J.) contributed off the bench in both the first round and in the second, where Seton Hall fell to No. 11 Bryant.

West Virginia won their first-round match 4-3 in Overtime after an incredible comeback sparked by Marcus Caldeira. Dante Huckaby, formerly of Philadelphia Union II (Morgantown, WV), featured in the first and second round where WVU were ousted by High Point. Anthony Ramirez, another Union academy grad, featured for the top ten ranked High Point in their next matchup in the third round where HPU fell to Georgetown.

Grand Canyon forward Junior Diouf, who spent time at The Phelps School, scored a penalty in a shootout to help GCU advance past UCLA in the first round. In the second round, Diouf scored a late winner against No. 9 San Diego, propelling GCU through to the third round in an upset win.

The timely goal was Diouf’s 18th of the season, giving him sole possession of first place in the NCAA DI Goals leaderboard. Grand Canyon was eliminated by No. 8 Portland in the third round, ending their season.

No. 6 Indiana’s Collins Oduro, another former standout at The Phelps School, played 90 minutes in the second round after Indiana received a first-round bye. Unable to help IU find a goal, Saint Louis pulled off the upset win, sending Indiana home early. In the shock of the tournament, No. 1 Vermont and Ryan Zellefrow (Berwyn, Pa.) were eliminated
in their first match by unseeded Hofstra. Vermont were favorites, as the defending champions recently completed an entire calendar year without a loss. Zellefrow, who spent time in the Portland Timbers Academy before returning home to play at Conestoga and the Union Development Squad his senior year of high school, played 49 minutes as a substitute in the heartbreaker for UVM.

True freshman Henry Bernstein (Gladwyne, Pa.) played in all three matches for No. 4 Maryland, making substitute appearances in the 1-1 penalty kick win over North Carolina and a 3-0 victory over UConn. In the quarterfinal against Washington with a College Cup appearance on the line, the Union Academy grad Bernstein was awarded his first Maryland start. Early in the match, Bernstein bundled a set piece that landed in the box over the goal line for his first collegiate goal, opening the scoring. However, Washington stormed back from the deficit to win 3-1, ending a
strong campaign for Maryland and Bernstein.

No. 14 Akron’s Mitch Budler was one of the stories of the NCAA season. A goalkeeper who spent time with the Union Academy, Budler was the 2025 BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year, claiming the title for the second season in a row. After earning a first-round bye, Budler kept clean sheets against Notre Dame and Duke to advance to the quarterfinals. Akron took an early lead against Saint Louis, but collapsed late, bowing out of the tournament 3-2 just one match away from the
College Cup. Budler is one to keep an eye on in the MLS SuperDraft on December 18.

No. 3 Princeton, who sport a trio of players with local connections, suffered a disappointing end to their season, losing their first match to Duke 2-1. Jack Jasinski, another graduate of the Philadelphia Union Academy, assisted Princeton’s lone goal in the match. Jasinski’s USL2 teammates at West Chester United, Giuliano Fravolini Whitchurch and Liam Beckwith, also started the match for Princeton in the upset loss.

Philadelphia Union draft pick and Stanford senior Zach Bohane missed time before the tournament with an injury but was able to appear off the bench for No. 12 Stanford in their first-round victory over Kansas City. Typically a lock starter, Bohane was utilized off the bench again in Stanford’s second match against Washington, where Stanford was defeated 1-0 by Washington. The Union retain the rights to Bohane and still have the option to sign him this offseason if they desire.