3 years after joining D-I, Le Moyne looks to upset Syracuse for 2nd time
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At first glance, Le Moyne is just a small liberal arts college in Syracuse.
The five academic buildings on “The Heights” — a name for the 160-acre suburban campus — sit side by side. The four athletic facilities, housing 20 programs, are minutes apart.
But when Dolphins men’s soccer head coach Callum Donnelly and senior goalkeeper Wyatt Dupell step onto the Ted Grant Field pitch, Le Moyne is much more than just a small liberal arts college in Syracuse. They pass a Northeast Conference logo printed on the turf. Sitting on dark green foldable plastic chairs near the technical area touchline, they begin talking about Division I athletics life.
“We’re testing ourselves against the very best,” Donnelly says. “That’s where we want our program to be.”
After accepting a four-year invitation to join the Northeast Conference in early 2023, Le Moyne moved from Division II to the D-I level that fall. A supposed four-year transition from D-II to D-I became three in June, which means the Dolphins are now eligible for NCAA Championships.
They still likely need to win the NEC Tournament to reach the NCAA Tournament. An upset over “big brother” Syracuse in the Salt City Derby — two years after beating the then-No. 7 Orange at SU Soccer Stadium — Saturday would give Le Moyne a massive boost, too.
“There’s been a lot accomplished. There’s been a lot of change. There’s been a lot of challenges along the way,” Donnelly said. “But I don’t think any of us would have changed it for the world.”
Le Moyne men’s soccer practices during its 2026 season. The Dolphins, who joined Division I in 2023, face Syracuse Saturday. Paul Hakimian | Staff Photographer
When longtime head coach Tom Bonus took over Le Moyne men’s soccer before the 2000 season, the Dolphins weren’t “very good,” he said. The program had a few “good players” but hadn’t qualified for the D-II NCAA Tournament in over 20 years.
That drought ended with Bonus.
Throughout his 22-season tenure, Le Moyne reached seven NCAA Tournaments and posted 17 10-win seasons in the Northeast-10 Conference, what Bonus called “the best conference in the nation.”
The transition served as an “overall arching strategy to help Le Moyne grow,” Le Moyne President Dr. Linda LeMura said in 2023. But Bonus moved on, citing an unwillingness to go into “D-I with D-II resources.”
So, he retired before Le Moyne’s first D-I campaign, and his assistant and former player — Donnelly — took his place. Previous athletic director Bob Beretta also left for St. Bonaventure, allowing Phil Brown to step in.
“I enjoy a challenge,” Brown said. “Knowing you’re walking into a situation in the middle of a reclass is a pretty big challenge.”
Brown’s first 18 months in his new role focused solely on ensuring Le Moyne met academic and financial eligibility requirements to compete in D-I athletics for its full four-year reclassification period. However, once the NCAA adopted new reclassification criteria in January 2025, Le Moyne notified the governing body of its intent to “accelerate its transition to full membership in the NCAA Division I.”
We’re testing ourselves against the very best. That’s where we want our program to be.Callum Donnelly, Le Moyne men's soccer head coach
On June 24, the NCAA Division I Cabinet accepted the NCAA Membership Committee’s recommendation to approve Le Moyne for full NCAA D-I membership. It was the first time Brown and the Dolphins’ coaching staff could assure recruits and their teams they’d have the chance to fight for a D-I NCAA Tournament spot.
“Kids were taking a risk when they would come here,” Brown said. “Now, it’s definitive.”
Most Le Moyne teams had already completed at least one D-I season when Brown was hired from Vanderbilt in October 2024. Donnelly — whose first season managing the men’s soccer program was with the interim tag — and his squad mightily struggled in their first NEC season. They finished 2-8-7, conceding 37 goals while scoring 22.
There was a real sense of imposter syndrome among the group, Dupell said. Many players, some of whom learned of the school’s proposed D-I transition while being recruited, were coached by Bonus. Virtually no players, who were also hampered by injuries, had experience at that level.
“So much of it was unknown,” Donnelly said.
Le Moyne needed continuity to change the group’s mindset. Donnelly was hired as the Dolphins’ permanent head coach after 2023, and 14 players returned for a second D-I campaign, which featured a marquee matchup against cross-town foe Syracuse.
Le Moyne head coach Callum Donnelly shouts during a Dolphins practice. Donnelly played for Le Moyne and became its permanent head coach in December 2023. Paul Hakimian | Staff Photographer
The No. 7 Orange, two years removed from winning the 2022 National Championship, welcomed Le Moyne for a September 2024 nonconference fixture. Ever since Ian McIntyre became SU’s head coach in 2010, the two programs regularly played in the spring, aptly dubbed the “El Clásico.” But that Monday night was the first time the schools met at the D-I level.
Le Moyne traveled in numbers, bringing students, alumni and family members to pack SU Soccer Stadium’s bleachers. And the Dolphin faithful got rewarded early.
Liverpool native Justin Pham drove into the box in the 16th minute, where Chimere Omeze brought him to the ground. Referee Luis Reis pointed to the spot, awarding Le Moyne a golden opportunity. Jack Goodrich, a defender who Bonus recruited, stepped up and slotted the penalty past Tomas Hut for a 1-0 lead.
The Orange spent the rest of the match peppering Dupell — who grew up attending Syracuse soccer matches — in net. The Cicero native held firm with a season-high eight saves. As soon as Syracuse’s Ernest Bawa got under his last-minute free kick, pure euphoria radiated across the field and into the stands.
Once the Le Moyne players returned to campus, they rewatched the entire game on ESPN. They couldn’t believe what just happened.
“When you take a step back and see what we’ve accomplished, it’s definitely something to be really proud of,” Dupell said.
In 2026, Le Moyne is a far more established D-I soccer team than when it last faced Syracuse. It’s beaten Colgate and Lafayette by multiple goals with free-flowing, attacking soccer. Donnelly, who ripped into his players Friday afternoon for loose touches in a passing drill, knows his group can go even further.
Saturday’s matchup against Syracuse not only gives Le Moyne and its raucous alumni a chance at another win over its “big brother,” but also a chance to firmly complete its transition from just a small liberal arts school into a D-I national brand.
“We’re not that regional school in Syracuse anymore,” Brown said. “We’re a national school playing Division I sports in Syracuse.”
