Spartans Earn Top Playoff Seed

Cayuga Community College Men's Soccer is the top seed in the Region III playoffs after finishing the regular season with a perfect record of 14-0.

 

The Spartans are the lone remaining undefeated team in Region III and are currently ranked third in the NJCAA Division III. They earned a bye in the opening round of the NJCAA North A District playoffs and will host the semifinal matchup at Falcon Park on Wednesday, Oct. 23.

 

For the postseason Region III is split into separate brackets, North A and North B, with each bracket containing six teams. The winners from both brackets earn a spot in the national tournament, scheduled for Nov. 13-17 at Genesee Community College.

 

Cayuga has featured a high-octane attack and solid defense all season. Spartans' career goals leader Jake Botterill has led Division III in goals scored in 2023 and 2024, finishing this regular season with 36 goals scored. Keeper Major Evans was eighth nationally with a save percentage of .852.

 

Six Spartans finished in the top 13 in assists, with Bigad Sid finishing second nationally with 23 assists. Will Fearon finished third with 20 assists, Botterill tied for fourth with 18, and Kai Reading, Jack Thomas and Jordan Mati each had at least 11 assists.

 

The other teams in Cayuga's bracket and their respective records are Mohawk Valley Community College (9-2-3), Genesee Community College (9-5), Jamestown Community College (7-8-1), Fulton-Montgomery Community College (5-6-1), and SUNY Adirondack (5-8-1). Mohawk Valley CC, who is ranked eighth nationally, received the second bye in the opening round.

 

In the semifinals Cayuga will host the winner of an Oct. 20 opening round matchup between Jamestown and Fulton-Montgomery. The Spartans didn't face Fulton-Montgomery during the regular season, but defeated Jamestown 5-0 in early October at Falcon Park. The semifinal winner will advance to the North A District finals, held Oct. 27 at neutral site Herkimer College.

 

The North B District Bracket includes Herkimer College (9-1), Finger Lakes Community College (13-3-3), Jefferson Community College (9-4-2), Onondaga Community College (8-4-3), Hudson Valley Community College (5-6-2), and Tompkins Cortland Community College (4-8). Herkimer and Finger Lakes have first-round byes.