2025 Tournament Preview: Eighteen Ballard FC Players Compete for NCAA Championships

As the college soccer season comes to a close, 18 players from the 2025 Ballard FC roster are still dancing in their respective NCAA Tournaments.

Of these 18 players, 13 are competing in the NCAA Division I Tournament, which begins this Thursday, November 20th. Among those 13, nearly half are Huskies, as six Ballard FC players will suit up for the University of Washington when they travel south to take on Oregon State University on Thursday night. Joe Dale, Richie Aman, Cameron Cruz, Charlie Kosakoff, Zach Ramsey, and Harrison Bertos have all played in at least 16 of 18 matches this season for the Huskies, with each earning at least 13 starts.

Dale, a four-year Ballard FC player and member of the club’s inaugural 2022 squad, started in all 18 matches for the Huskies while appearing on the wing, in midfield, and at right back under Head Coach Jamie Clark. His efforts did not go unnoticed, as he was selected to the Big Ten All-Tournament Team. The redshirt junior and team captain will look to lead the Huskies on a deep postseason run.

Aman, who also started all 18 matches, has been the headliner for the Huskies in his senior year. He entered the season with high expectations as a United Soccer Coaches (USC) Midfielder to Watch, Big Ten Player to Watch, TopDrawerSoccer (TDS) Pro Prospect to Watch, and was ranked 91st in the TDS Preseason Top 100 player list. He delivered on that hype by winning Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week, earning a spot on the Hermann Trophy Midseason Watch List, and moving up to sixth overall on the TDS Midseason Top 100. Aman ultimately took home First Team All-Big Ten honors and was named Big Ten Midfielder of the Year, leading the Huskies with 11 assists. He now looks to cap off his senior season in style with a deep tournament run.

Joining Aman on the Big Ten Players to Watch list was 2025 Ballard FC leading goalscorer Charlie Kosakoff, who lived up to expectations. Kosakoff led the Huskies in goals (8) and points (20) while also contributing four assists. He earned Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors in September and was named Second Team All-Big Ten. Ranking just behind him for goals and points was Ramsey, who recorded six goals and six assists this season for the Huskies. Ramsey received TDS Team of the Week Honorable Mention recognition in early September and finished the season as a First team All-Big Ten selection as a sophomore.

The newest Husky among the group is Cruz, who joined Washington in 2025 after two seasons at Grand Canyon University. He played in 16 matches, made 13 starts, and ultimately won the starting left back role. Joining him on the backline is the sixth Ballard Husky, Harrison Bertos. Bertos, a 2025 MLS SuperDraft pick by San Diego FC, was ranked 51st on the TDS Preseason Top 100 list, and he exceeded expectations by winning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, TDS Player of the Week, and climbing to 18th in the TDS Midseason Top 100. He also earned First Team All-Big Ten honors.

These six Ballard Huskies will travel south to take on Oregon State University at 6pm PT on Thursday, November 20th.

Also playing on Thursday are two more Big Ten programs with Ballard players on their rosters: the University of Michigan and UCLA.

After graduating from Washington in 2024, Sean Sent transferred to UCLA for his redshirt senior season in 2025. He appeared in 16 matches, made nine starts, and recorded one assist for a Bruins team that won the Big Ten Tournament. Sent and the Bruins will begin their tournament campaign at 2pm PT on Thursday as they host Grand Canyon University in the First Round.

Ray Mendez – named a Big Ten Player to Watch ahead of the 2025 season – started 18 of 19 matches for Michigan, recording one goal and three assists. This is Mendez’s first year with the Wolverines after graduating from Seattle Pacific University (SPU) in 2024. Due to a change in the NCAA rules, he received an additional year of eligibility because he played junior college soccer at Columbia Basin College in 2021 and 2022. That rule applied only to NCAA Division I programs, so Mendez transferred to Michigan to take advantage of it. The Wolverines will host Notre Dame at 3pm PT on Thursday.

Another Ballard FC player who benefited from the new junior college rule is Arjun Venkat who transferred to Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU) for the 2025 season and his final two years of eligibility. In his first year with FDU, the Knights won the NEC Regular Season and Tournament Championships to book their spot in the NCAA Tournament. Venkat and the Knights will travel to Durham on Thursday to face Duke at 10am PT on Thursday.

The final Ballard FC player that competes on Thursday is Juan Alvarez of West Virginia University. Alvarez appeared in 15 matches, made eight starts, scored once, and added three assists on his way to earning Sun Belt All-Freshman Team honors. West Virginia begins its tournament run at 4pm PT on Thursday as they host St. John’s University in the First Round.

The lone Ballard FC player kicking off his tournament on Friday, November 21st, is Abeselom Zemenfes, as Western Oregon University takes on Hawaii Hilo at 1pm PT in the First Round of the Division II Tournament. The winner will face top-seeded Stanislaus State on Sunday. Zemenfes had an outstanding summer for Ballard FC, earning Western Conference Player of the Year and Northwest Division Player of the Year honors. Zemenfes kept that fine form going into the college season, where he was named Second Team All-GNAC for the GNAC Regular Season Co-Champions and Tournament Champions.

The other GNAC Regular Season Co-Champions, Seattle Pacific University, received a bye to the second round of the Division II Tournament. SPU has four Ballard FC players: Isaac Ketcham, Cristian Chel Lara, Connor Tollan, and Mitchell Wilson.

Ketcham played in 16 matches, started in 15, scored a goal, and recorded five assists in his redshirt junior season. Chel Lara was tied for third on the team with 11 points, recording four goals and three assists as a sophomore. In his final collegiate season, Tollan earned his second straight First Team All-GNAC selection. Wilson did not see match action for the Falcons in 2025, serving as the backup goalkeeper to senior Brian Lanier.

The Falcons begin their tournament run on Saturday, November 22nd, against Midwestern State at 1pm PT.

Earlier that morning, the Division III Sweet Sixteen kicks off with Elliot Spatz and Connecticut College taking on Bowdoin at 10:30am PT. Spatz and the Camels made it all the way to the National Championship in 2024 and look to take the final step this year. Spatz has played in 19 of 20 matches, scoring four goals and assisting twice. He earned NESCAC Player of the Week honors in September.

The final team to preview is the University of Connecticut (UConn), which features a pair of Ballard FC players on their roster: Austin Brummett and Charlie Holmes. Brummett transferred to UConn for his senior season after three seasons with San Diego State and was named a USC Forward to Watch in preseason. He delivered, leading the Huskies in goals (8) and points (20), earning himself a place in the TDS Midseason Top 100, Third Team All-Big East, and Big East All-Tournament Team honors. Holmes had a standout senior season as well, finishing top three on the team in goals (5) and points (13), earning a Big East Weekly Honor Roll selection and Second Team All-Big East honors.

Holmes, Brummett, and the UConn Huskies received a bye to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament and will host either Cornell or Lafayette at 11am PT on Sunday, November 23rd.

Fans can support six Ballard FC players in person by traveling to Corvallis, OR to watch the Huskies on Thursday. For everyone else, make sure to follow along via the respective live streams or social media.

Schedule

Thursday, November 20th
- Fairleigh Dickinson University (Arjun) v. Duke, 10am
- UCLA (Sean) v. Grand Canyon University, 2pm
- University of Michigan (Ray) v. Notre Dame, 3pm
- West Virginia University (Juan) v. St. John’s, 4pm
- University of Washington (Joe, Richie, Cameron, Charlie K., Zach, Harrison) v. Oregon State, 6pm
Friday, November 21st
- Western Oregon University (Abeselom) v. Hawaii Hilo, 1pm
Saturday, November 22nd
- Connecticut College (Elliot) v. Bowdoin, 10:30am
- Seattle Pacific University (Isaac, Cristian, Connor, Mitchell) v. Midwestern State, 1pm
Sunday, November 23rd
- UConn (Austin, Charlie H.) v. Cornell/Lafayette, 11am