SEASON OVERVIEW

The Immaculata men's soccer team under fifth year head coach Richard Punt, earned seven wins in 2024, finishing the season 7-9-1 overall, and 4-2 in Atlantic East Conference play. Immaculata secured the third seed in the AEC Tournament and earned a first-round bye to the Semifinals.

The Mighty Macs had 16 players see playing time in 11 or more games, and seven played in all 17 games for Immaculata.

Immaculata season began with a pair of heartbreaking losses at home. Immaculata then went on the road to earn a hard fought 3-2 win at Elizabethtown. Immaculata defeated Gwynedd Mercy 3-2, and Marywood 2-1 in their final two AEC games to earn the third seed in the AEC Tournament. Immaculata advanced to the AEC Semifinals for the first time since 2021, falling to eventual AEC Champion Neumann 1-0.

TEAM LEADERS

Goals:                   Matthew Kirkpatrick, 5
                              Michael Balestriere, 5
Assists:                 Matthew Kirkpatrick, 6
Points:                  Matthew Kirkpatrick, 16
Saves:                  Ryan Straub, 46
GA Avg:                John Wilhelm, 1.38
Shutouts:              Ryan Straub, 1
                             John Wilhelm, 1
 
AWARDS

• Michael Balestriere: All-Atlantic East Conference First Team, 2024 PhillySIDA Academic All-Area Men's Soccer Team. College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team.
• Matthew Kirkpatrick: All-Atlantic East Conference First Team.
• Ryan Straub: All-Atlantic East Conference First Team. Atlantic East Conference Defensive Player of the Week 9/9.
• Dylan Walter: All-Atlantic East Conference First Team, College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team.
• Alex Corsones: All-Atlantic East Conference Second Team, College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team.
• Reed Lindsay: All-Atlantic East Conference Second Team. Atlantic East Conference Player of the Week on 11/3.
• Daniel O'Rourke: College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team. Atlantic East Conference Defensive Player of the Week on 10/21.
• Head Coach Richard Punt, Assistant Coaches Andy Ricci, Gabe Dwyer, and Stone Gahagan were named the 2024 Atlantic East Conference Coaching Staff of the Year.

 
HIGHLIGHTS

• Michael Balestriere finished the season tied for the team lead in goals with five. He scored all three goals in Immaculata's win over Centenary on 10/12. He also scored goals at Elizabethtown (9/7), and at Pratt (10/19). Balestriere has been a model of consistency for the Mighty Macs throughout his career earning his third all-conference selection, and his second first team selection. He was named to the PhillySIDA Academic All-Area Men's Soccer Team for a second consecutive year.
• Matthew Kirkpatrick enjoyed a breakout season this year as Immaculata's leading scorer with five goals and six assists, and 16 points. Kirkpatrick scored the game winning goal against Elizabethtown (9/7), and against Pratt on (10/19).
• Ryan Straub finished the season 5-5-0 with a 1.53 goals-against average making 46 saves on 123 shots faced and had one shutout. Straub stopped penalty kicks against Goucher (9/14) and Neumann (10/23) earning all-conference honors for his play.
• Dylan Walter has been an anchor on Immaculata backline throughout his career at Immaculata starting 57 out of 67 games played. Walter set an IU program record for career minutes played playing 5,151 minutes. This is Walter's second all-conference team selection.
• Alex Corsones was a staple in the Immaculata midfield helping on both the offensive and defensive sides of the field. He appeared in 17 games, starting 15 and registered two assists.
• Reed Lindsay has been another staple in the midfield for Immaculata throughout his career contributing on both sides of the field and taking most of the set pieces for Immaculata. Lindsay tied his career high with three goals, and had career highs in assists with five, and points with 11.
• Daniel O'Rourke was another anchor on the immaculata back line this season. O'Rourke was limited to 14 games, starting 13 missing a few games due to injury. O'Rourke one of the team's leaders, helped Immaculata finish second in the conference with only 25 goals allowed.
• Oliver Wilkins had a breakout season in his senior year scoring three goals for the Mighty Macs. Wilkens scored the game winning goal in Immaculata's win over Notre Dame of Maryland on 9/11 and scored in conference games vs Pratt 10/19 and Gwynedd Mercy on 10/26.
• John Wilhelm was having a strong senior season for Immaculata before injury ended his season. Wilhelm was 2-4-1, with 1.38 goals against average, and had one shutout. He made eight saves in Immaculata's win over Notre Dame of Maryland on 9/11, made seven saves in the win at Albright on 9/18, and helped Immaculata earn a scoreless draw with Hood making six saves on 9/25.
• Jonathan Olaleye emerged in his junior year scoring three goals and adding one assist. Olaleye scored the game winning goal at Albright on 9/18 and scored in the conference wins at Pratt on 10/19, and Gwynedd Mercy on 10/26.
• Kyle Coleman was another strong presence on the Immaculata backline, appearing in 13 games and starting 11. Coleman scored his lone goal of the season in Immaculata's win at Elizabethtown on 9/7.
• Collin Hassay was a presence on both sides of the field for the Mighty Macs. He scored the game winning goal for Immaculata in their 2-1 AEC win over Marywood to help secure the third seed in the AEC Tournament.
• Sean Franks played in all 17 games, starting 15, and logging 1,355 minutes of playing time for Immaculata. While Franks did not appear in the points column, he was an important part of Immaculata's midfield core.