ALBANY, N.Y. – The University at Albany men's soccer program enters the 2026 season looking to build on a strong finish to the 2025 campaign, returning a deep group of experienced players and three student-athletes who earned 2025 America East Post-Season honors and 2026 Preseason All-Conference recognition.
 
Head coach Trevor Gorman enters his 16th season leading the Great Danes, having guided the program to two America East Championships (2016, 2017) and a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances.
 
UAlbany was selected fourth in the 2026 America East Preseason Coaches' Poll with 33 points, while senior Ivar Gissurarson, junior Rodrigo Hermelo, and sophomore Alexander Clive all earned spots on the Preseason All-Conference Team, the second-most selections among the league's eight programs.
 
Goalkeepers
The Great Danes return three goalkeepers heading into the 2026 season, led by senior Andrej Krivokapic. Krivokapic appeared in 12 matches last season, recording five wins and five clean sheets, and is entering his second season with the program. Sophomores Alexander Genz, who made two starts last season, and Kevin Gil also return, giving UAlbany a trio of experienced options in net.
 
Defenders
Juniors Rodrigo Hermelo and David Pepple return to help anchor the back line after both appeared in all 17 matches in 2025. Senior David Medina, junior Luca Grilla, and sophomores Benedikt Rachor and Owen Tuttle also return after seeing action last season, while newcomers Kyle Bernardo, Jose David Corrales, Utah Hester and Lincoln Cross add depth to the defensive unit.
 
Midfielders
Senior Ivar Gissurarson returns to lead the midfield in 2026 after being named a United Soccer Coaches Player to Watch. He is joined by an experienced group that includes graduate student Caleb Vallance, juniors Jordan Shullenberger, Shawn Tanaka and Brennan McDermott, and sophomores Alexander Clive, Roko Branko Mrvelj, David Barkan and Omar Galan, all of whom saw action in 2025. Freshman Lucas Lopes joins the group, adding another option to the midfield.
 
Forwards
Senior Zach Lind and sophomore Tommy McFadden are the only returners at the forward position for the Great Danes in 2026. They are joined by the team's largest incoming group of positional players, with freshmen Gabriel Aron Saevarsson, Sondre Hladik, Yuta Kimata and Luca Clausse adding depth and new options to the attack.
 
The 2025 Season
UAlbany finished the 2025 season with a 5-6-6 overall record and a 3-2-2 mark in America East play, earning the No. 3 seed in the America East Championship. Senior Ivar Gissurarson led the Great Danes with six goals and 14 points while earning Second Team All-America East and Second Team All-Northeast Region honors. Alexander Clive and Roko Branko Mrvelj also earned postseason recognition, with both named to the America East All-Rookie Team. Clive finished the season with three goals and three assists, while Mrvelj recorded a team-high six assists, tied for the second-most in the America East.
 
2026 Schedule Preview
The 2026 schedule features 17 regular-season matches, including eight home contests at Bob Ford Field at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium. The season opens on August 20 at Big Ten opponent Michigan State before the home opener against FDU (Aug. 27). Other home highlights include Colgate (Aug. 30), the Capital Region Derby against Siena (Sept. 8), No. 8 Princeton (Sept. 12), the America East opener against New Hampshire (Sept. 26), No. 10 Bryant (Oct. 10), Northeastern (Oct. 13), and No. 13 Vermont (Oct. 24). Five of UAlbany's eight home opponents qualified for the 2025 NCAA Tournament, including three national seeds in Princeton, Bryant and Vermont.
 
ESPN+ Streaming
For the 2026 UAlbany men's soccer season, all home games will be streamed on ESPN+. Streaming links for each match can be found on the UAlbany men's soccer schedule page, as well as at plus.espn.com.
 
America East Championships
The 2026 America East Men's Soccer Championship will begin on November 7 with the first round, followed by the semifinals on November 11 and the championship match on November 15. The highest remaining seed will host all three rounds.
 
Social Central
For more information on the UAlbany men's soccer team, follow the squad's official social media accounts on X and Instagram, and UAlbany Athletics on Facebook.