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St. John Fisher University Athletics

Jack Burgasser

Jack Burgasser has continuously raised the bar for the St. John Fisher men’s soccer program since being hired as head coach in January 2020. 

A three-time Empire 8 Coach of the Year honoree, Burgasser has led the Cardinals to at least the conference semifinals in each of his five seasons in charge of the program. The Cardinals won the conference in 2020 and 2024. 

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). 

The Cardinals had several players earn accolades for their performances in 2024, including goalkeeper Christian Burkhart, who set the Fisher single-season record and led all of Division III with 13 shutouts. He became the second player in program history and the first since 1964 to earn All-American honors, earning a second-team spot from the United Soccer Coaches Association (USC). He also earned First-Team USC All-Region honors and became the second player in program history to be named Empire 8 Goalkeeper of the Year. 

Additionally, Joey Avallone won E8 Offensive Player of the Year, and Burgasser was named the Empire 8 Doug May Coach of the Year. The Cardinals had four USC All-Region honorees (two first team), seven all-conference honorees (four first team) and three College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honorees. 

The Cardinals started the Burgasser era with an Empire 8 title in the COVID-altered 2020 season, which was played in spring 2021 due to the pandemic disrupting the fall schedule. The E8 named Justin Bonetto its Offensive Player of the Year, Jadon Schlierf Goalkeeper of the Year and Burgasser Coach of the Year. 

The Cardinals, who’ve won at least six games every season under Burgasser, played in the conference semifinals in 2021 and 2022 before returning to the championship game in 2023. They had the top seed for the 2022 championship tournament. 

Burgasser, who has deep ties to the Rochester area and Western New York, brought over a decade of experience coaching at an elite level to Fisher. He served as an assistant coach at the University of Rochester for six seasons. During his tenure, Rochester developed into one of the premier programs in Division III. The Yellowjackets qualified for the NCAA Division III Men’s Soccer Championship five times during Burgasser’s six seasons and advanced to the second round or further four times.

Rochester posted a 14-4-3 record in 2017 en route to the team’s first appearance in the Elite 8 since 2009.  The team followed up that historic campaign with the most successful season in program history after marching to the Final Four and finishing the campaign at 16-3-2.  Rochester’s 16 wins tied a program record for the most wins in a single season. Burgasser was also involved with recruiting and developing 27 All-Conference honorees and two All-Americans.

Before his time at U of R, Burgasser spent three seasons as an assistant at Hobart, where he helped lift the Statesmen to three winning seasons and an NCAA Championship berth. He spent two years as a graduate assistant at SUNY Brockport, where he helped coach the Golden Eagles to a State University of New York Athletic Conference title in 2009 and back-to-back NCAA qualifications.

Burgasser has also coached youth soccer with the Empire Revolution Soccer Academy, working with boys U-16, U-17, and U-18 teams.  He holds a U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) "C" license and an NSCAA Goalkeeper Level II Diploma.

A 2009 graduate from Brockport with a Bachelor’s degree in biology, Burgasser was a member of the Golden Eagles’ soccer team for four seasons and served as team captain.

Year-by-Year At Fisher

Year Overall Record Conference Record (Finish)
2024 11-5-5 8-1-2 (Empire 8 Champions, NCAA Tournament First Round)
2023 6-4-7 5-0-3 (Empire 8 Runner Up)
2022 7-5-4 6-2-1 (Empire 8 Semifinals)
2021 6-7-4 4-3-1 (Empire 8 Semifinals)
2020-21 (COVID-altered season) 6-1-0 4-1-0 (Empire 8 Champions)
Career Record 36-22-20 (.590) 27-7-7 (.743)


By The Numbers

Total Empire 8 Selections: 32 (13 first team)

Total USC All-Region Selections: 4 (2 first team)

Total College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Honorees: 9

E8 Offensive Player of the Year Winners: 2... Justin Bonetto (2020-21), Joey Avallone (2024)

E8 Goalkeeper of the Year Winners: 2... Jadon Schlierf (2020-21), Christian Burkhart (2024) 

E8 Rookie of the Year Winners: 1... Riley Rease (2021)

All-Americans: 1... Christian Burkhart (second team, 2024)

Updated 6/23/2025