Men's Soccer | 8/26/2025 4:00:00 PM

PITTSFORD, N.Y. – When the St. John Fisher men's soccer team opens its 2025 season with a road game against Rutgers-Camden on Friday afternoon, it will do so with plenty of players taking on expanded roles. 

The Cardinals return just three of their 11 starters from last year's Empire 8 Conference championship-winning team, making the phrase "reload, not rebuild" the perfect mantra for head coach Jack Burgasser's team as a new season begins. 

Read more about the 2025 Cardinals below:

2025 Fisher Quick Facts

Head Coach: Jack Burgasser (6th season at St. John Fisher)

    Record: 36-22-20 (.590), 27-7-7 (.743) in Empire 8 regular-season games 

2024 In Review: The Cardinals had one of the most successful seasons in program history in 2024, as they went 11-5-5 overall (8-1-2 Empire 8 regular season), won the Empire 8 Conference and made the program's second-ever appearance in the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Tournament. The Cardinals' 11 wins marked their most under Burgasser and the third-most by a team in program history. They had the top seed for the E8 Championship Tournament and didn't allow a goal during a run that included wins over Russell Sage College, SUNY Brockport and Elmira College, which beat Fisher in penalty kicks in the 2023 conference title game. The Cardinals, who had one of the best defenses in the nation, finished ninth in DIII in goals against average (0.565). Goalkeeper Christian Burkhart set a program single-season record and led DIII with 13 shutouts en route to being named E8 Goalkeeper of the Year and a second-team United Soccer Coaches (USC) All-American. 

Players To Watch

Jack Tamburino (Jr., F) – Tamburino, the Cardinals' only returning player who tallied more than three points last season, will look to take another step forward after playing his way to second-team All-Empire 8 honors as a sophomore. He scored five goals and tallied 13 total points – both marks good for third on the team – over 21 games in 2024. 

Jacob McGinnis (5th Yr., D/M) – A stalwart for Fisher since transferring from Le Moyne before the 2022 season, McGinnis has played in nearly 50 games (42 starts) over the last three seasons. The two-time All-Empire 8 selection and 2025 United Soccer Coaches second-team All-Region honoree has provided strong defense while contributing five points on two goals and an assist during his Fisher career. 

Reese Powers (Sr., M) – Powers enters his senior season with nine career points on two goals and five assists. He scored one goal last season, the lone tally in the Cardinals' 1-0 victory over crosstown foe RIT. 

Blake Petocchi (5th Yr., D) – Petocchi played in all 21 games last season, contributing to one of the strongest defenses in DIII. 

The Goalkeepers – The Cardinals went from one stellar goalkeeper to another last year, with Burkhart taking over for Jadon Schlierf. They hope for similar success this year in another transition. 

With Burkhart having graduated, the Cardinals will have a new starting goalkeeper for the second straight season. Fisher has four goalkeepers on its roster entering the year – freshman Parker Stusek, sophomore Andrew Thomas, junior Andrew Barrows and senior Jacob Neupert. None of the three returning players has played in a collegiate game. 

Numbers To Know

0.83 – The Cardinals have allowed less than one goal per game over the last three seasons. 

2 – The Cardinals return two of their Empire 8-leading seven all-conference selections from last season: Tamburino and McGinnis. 

3 – The Cardinals have finished with a winning record in each of the last three seasons. You have to go back to the early 2000s to find the program's last such stretch. Under Rob Searl, the Cardinals strung together six straight winning seasons from 2000-05. 

5 – The Cardinals have had an All-Empire 8 goalkeeper in each of the last five seasons. 

6 – The Cardinals have won at least six games every year under Burgasser. 

7 – The Cardinals are looking to become the first team to win back-to-back Empire 8 titles since Stevens did so seven years ago (2017-18). 

7 – The Cardinals have had seven all-conference selections in each of the last two years. They've had at least six every year since the 2020-21 season. 

27% – The Cardinals return just 27 percent of their points from last season (21 of 77). 

34 – The Cardinals have 34 shutouts over the last five seasons. 

Up Next

The Cardinals face Clarkson University in their home opener at 3 p.m. on Sunday, August 31.