Completed Event: Men's Soccer at Georgetown on September 9, 2025 , Loss , 0, to, 4
MSOC
Final
James Madison
0
at Georgetown
4
James Madison University | Official Athletics Site
A Look Back at 2023 for JMU Men’s Soccer
1/19/2024 12:30:00 PM | Men's Soccer
HARRISONBURG, Va. – The 2023 season marked the 55th season of James Madison men's soccer, which saw the Dukes have success on and off the pitch. With the spring semester beginning, it's time to look back at the season that was.
And Then There Were 16
The Dukes earned an at-large bid into the NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship and turned the berth into a run to the round of 16, the fifth time the Dukes have reached that far in the tournament in program history.
JMU's at-large bid was its eighth overall as it made its first NCAA appearance since the 2020 season and 16th in program history. To get to the round of 16, the Dukes went on the road and took down Pitt, 3-2, before knocking off fourth-seeded Georgetown, 1-0. It was the third consecutive victory against a seeded team, the only three wins over seeded teams in program history.
National, Regional and Conference Honors
Five Dukes earned national, regional or conference honors throughout the season. In season, Clay Obara and Evan Southern each were selected as the United Soccer Coaches National Player of the Week, marking the first time JMU has had multiple selections in the same season. Obara was one of four Dukes who earned All-Sun Belt Conference recognition after the completion of the regular season. Obara and Luca Nikolai were named to the first team while Kevin Larsson and Rodrigo Robles were named to the second team.
Obara and Robles also were named All-Southeast Region selections by United Soccer Coaches, as Obara was named to the second team and Robles to the third team. For the first time in program history, a Duke was named a Freshman All-American as Nikolai received first team honors from both TopDrawerSoccer and College Soccer News.
Final Polls and RPI
After the run to the round of 16, the Dukes came out of 2023 with a final RPI of 26 for their highest final RPI ranking since finishing at 16 in 2018.
In the polls, JMU found itself ranked in all three polls between United Soccer Coaches, TopDrawerSoccer and College Soccer News. The Dukes were ranked as high as eighth in the country, the highest ranking they've had from United Soccer Coaches since 1997. At the conclusion of the season, the Dukes were ranked 13th by TopDrawerSoccer, 18th by United Soccer Coaches and 19th by College Soccer News.
Ranked Results
JMU earned multiple results from teams who were ranked or finished ranked at the end of the season. The Dukes took down No. 1 UCF to end the regular season, the highest ranked win for them since defeating Wake Forest in 2019 when it was ranked No. 1. In the last five matches against No. 1 teams, the Dukes are 3-2. JMU also defeated No. 3 Georgetown in the NCAA Second Round and drew No. 3 West Virginia in the regular season. All three matches were on the road.
Both matches held at Sentara Park, the Dukes defeated UCLA and drew Virginia as those teams finished 21st and 13th in the final poll, respectively. JMU went a combined 3-3-2 against teams in the final top 25 poll.
Success in the Classroom
The success did not stop at the pitch for the Dukes, as it carried over into the classroom for the fall semester. Davide Materazzi and Demitri Turner both were named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team. The team combined for a 3.194 cumulative grade point average during the semester, with 15 student-athletes being named JMU Athletic Director's Scholar-Athletes.
And Then There Were 16
The Dukes earned an at-large bid into the NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship and turned the berth into a run to the round of 16, the fifth time the Dukes have reached that far in the tournament in program history.
JMU's at-large bid was its eighth overall as it made its first NCAA appearance since the 2020 season and 16th in program history. To get to the round of 16, the Dukes went on the road and took down Pitt, 3-2, before knocking off fourth-seeded Georgetown, 1-0. It was the third consecutive victory against a seeded team, the only three wins over seeded teams in program history.
National, Regional and Conference Honors
Five Dukes earned national, regional or conference honors throughout the season. In season, Clay Obara and Evan Southern each were selected as the United Soccer Coaches National Player of the Week, marking the first time JMU has had multiple selections in the same season. Obara was one of four Dukes who earned All-Sun Belt Conference recognition after the completion of the regular season. Obara and Luca Nikolai were named to the first team while Kevin Larsson and Rodrigo Robles were named to the second team.
Obara and Robles also were named All-Southeast Region selections by United Soccer Coaches, as Obara was named to the second team and Robles to the third team. For the first time in program history, a Duke was named a Freshman All-American as Nikolai received first team honors from both TopDrawerSoccer and College Soccer News.
Final Polls and RPI
After the run to the round of 16, the Dukes came out of 2023 with a final RPI of 26 for their highest final RPI ranking since finishing at 16 in 2018.
In the polls, JMU found itself ranked in all three polls between United Soccer Coaches, TopDrawerSoccer and College Soccer News. The Dukes were ranked as high as eighth in the country, the highest ranking they've had from United Soccer Coaches since 1997. At the conclusion of the season, the Dukes were ranked 13th by TopDrawerSoccer, 18th by United Soccer Coaches and 19th by College Soccer News.
Ranked Results
JMU earned multiple results from teams who were ranked or finished ranked at the end of the season. The Dukes took down No. 1 UCF to end the regular season, the highest ranked win for them since defeating Wake Forest in 2019 when it was ranked No. 1. In the last five matches against No. 1 teams, the Dukes are 3-2. JMU also defeated No. 3 Georgetown in the NCAA Second Round and drew No. 3 West Virginia in the regular season. All three matches were on the road.
Both matches held at Sentara Park, the Dukes defeated UCLA and drew Virginia as those teams finished 21st and 13th in the final poll, respectively. JMU went a combined 3-3-2 against teams in the final top 25 poll.
Success in the Classroom
The success did not stop at the pitch for the Dukes, as it carried over into the classroom for the fall semester. Davide Materazzi and Demitri Turner both were named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team. The team combined for a 3.194 cumulative grade point average during the semester, with 15 student-athletes being named JMU Athletic Director's Scholar-Athletes.
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's SoccerJMU Men's Soccer | 2023 Season Intro Video
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