KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Cornell men's soccer rising sophomore forward
Alex Harris was named one of 21 forwards to the NCAA Division I Men's Players to Watch List for the upcoming 2024 season, it was announced by the United Soccer Coaches on Tuesday afternoon.
The lists are compiled and released by the Division I All-America Committees to promote college soccer leading up to the official start date for the regular season later this month. The lists include United Soccer Coaches All-Americans and first or second-team All-Region players from 2023, who are scheduled to return for the 2024 season.
"Entering the 2024 season, these previous honorees represent some of the best at their positions," said Ralph Polson, Senior College All-America Administrator. "As pre-season training opens, we are pleased to recognize these outstanding student-athletes from our member schools. I would like to thank Jennifer Rockwood, DI Women's All-America Chair, Ryan Hopkins, DI Men's All-America Chair, and their respective committees for their efforts in compiling these lists."
Harris is one of two Ivy League student-athletes named to the list, joining Penn's Stas Korzeniowski. Of the 21 honorees, Harris is the lone underclassmen on the list as the remaining 20 student-athletes are comprised of four juniors and 16 seniors.
Coming off a stellar freshman campaign with the Big Red, Harris established Cornell freshman records in goals (12) and points (28). The 12 goals were tied with Derl Derr (1950) for the eighth-most goals in a season. Harris' on-field performance led him to be the unanimous Rookie of the Year as well as receiving First Team All-Ivy honors. With being named the Ivy League's Rookie of the Year, it marked the second consecutive year a Cornell player earned to the yearly major award, joining rising junior goalkeeper
Ryan Friedberg.
Harris also was named ECAC Rookie of the Year and All-ECAC Second Team honors, which encompasses 66 Division I programs across 13 states (Connecticut, District of Columbia, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, and Vermont).
The 28 points registered by Harris during the 2023 season was tied for the seventh-most by a Cornell player in a single season, joining Eric Kusseluk (11 goals, six assists in 1996).
Previous positional watch list announcements for goalkeepers, defenders, and midfielders, along with the forwards watch list, are the lead up to the 2024 watch lists for the prestigious Missouri Athletic Club's Hermann Trophy on the official start date for regular-season games on August 15 (women) and August 22 (men). The MAC Hermann Trophy is presented annually to the Division I National Players of the Year as voted by Division I College Coaches at the end of the regular season. The 2024 recipients will be announced on January 3, 2025, in St. Louis, Mo.
Cornell will open its 2024 season on Aug. 31 when it hosts Marist for a 5 p.m. kickoff at Berman Field. The contest will be broadcast on ESPN+.
| 2024 NCAA Division I Men's Players to Watch — Forwards |
| Name |
Class |
School |
Hometown |
| Chris Album |
Jr. |
University of Wisconsin |
Bay Vancouver, British Columbia |
| Jacob Babalai |
Sr. |
University of Portland |
West Linn, Ore. |
| Yaniv Bazini |
Sr. |
University of Vermont |
Beit Hanan, Israel |
| Vincent Bennage |
Sr. |
Davidson College |
Kenosha, Wis. |
| Jonas Bickus |
Sr. |
Stony Brook University |
Klaipėda, Lithuania |
| Marcus Caldeira |
Jr. |
West Virginia University |
Mississauga, Ontario |
| Lucca Duorado |
Sr. |
University of Central Florida |
São Paulo, Brazil |
| Luis Flores |
Sr. |
Oral Roberts University |
Lufkin, Texas |
| Alex Harris |
So. |
Cornell University |
Vancouver, Wash. |
| Emil Jaaskelainen |
Sr. |
University of Akron |
Bolton, England |
| Stas Korzeniowski |
Jr. |
University of Pennsylvania |
Skillman, N.J. |
| Denis Krioutchenkov |
Jr. |
Davidson College |
Milwaukee, Wis. |
| Seth Mahlmeister |
Sr. |
Purdue University-Fort Wayne |
Lima, Ohio |
| Stephan Moreira |
Sr. |
SIU-Edwardsville |
Colchester, England |
| Eduardo Mustre |
Sr. |
Florida International University |
Córdoba, Mexico |
| Oje Ofunrein |
Sr. |
University of Denver |
Round Rock, Texas |
| Roberto Ordonez |
Sr. |
California State University-Fullerton |
McAllen, Texas |
| Marc Pitarch Bayot |
Sr. |
Bryant University |
Ares del Maestrat, Spain |
| Lineker Rodrigues dos Santos |
Sr. |
Marshall University |
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
| Matthew Roou |
Sr. |
University of Notre Dame |
Germantown, Wis. |
| Samuel Sarver |
Sr. |
Indiana University |
Chesterland, Ohio |
