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Leaving Clarkson was tough for Carter Lincoln. He was helping transform the Division III school from Potsdam, New York, into one of the best men’s soccer programs in the Liberty League.

Clarkson went 16 years without double-digit wins before they hired Lincoln in 2018. Over four seasons, he led the Golden Knights to a 34-24-11 record, topping out in the national rankings at No. 18 prior to his departure. But when Syracuse called with an empty assistant position, Lincoln made a business decision.

“To join a program like Syracuse with a staff of Ian (McIntyre), Jukka (Masalin) and Michael (Flynn) is a great opportunity,” Lincoln said. “(It’s) difficult because of what I had started at Clarkson, but this was an opportunity I couldn’t turn down.”

Lincoln spearheaded change at Clarkson through a merciless defense and tight-knit culture. On the field, he preached effort over technical ability. For his efforts, the Golden Knights conceded just 0.75 goals per game during his final season. When recruiting, he valued “relationships” more than anything else. Lincoln’s personable approach made Clarkson an attractive landing spot.

“A lot of guys on the team went to Clarkson for Carter Lincoln,” said former Golden Knights defender Joseph White, who was part of Lincoln’s first recruiting class.

Following a five-year collegiate playing career (2010-14) with Southern New Hampshire and Vermont, Lincoln joined Clarkson as an assistant coach specializing in recruiting. He was there for two years before taking an assistant position at Vermont. But when Clarkson had an opening for a head coach in 2018, Lincoln returned.

He took over from Chris Taylor, who, from 2014-17, registered the third-lowest win percentage (.442) of any Clarkson coach in program history.

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Lincoln utilized his recruiting experience to kick-start his tenure. He said that his approach wasn’t to make “crazy changes” from his predecessor. Lincoln started by finding the “type of players (Clarkson) wanted to recruit.”

“It’s not a sales pitch. It’s not selling them on anything,” Lincoln said. “You want them to trust you. You want them to trust what we’re doing with the program.”

Colin Burnell, a forward at Clarkson from 2019-22, met Lincoln at a 2018 showcase tournament at Disney World. After Burnell finished his third game, Lincoln approached him. Burnell said most coaches start by providing rundowns of their program and a formal introduction. Lincoln was different.

“He was very involved in all of my games. He asked me how my matches were. It really felt like he cared for me, and he really wanted me on his team,” Burnell said. “That’s what set him apart from other coaches.”

White shared Burnell’s sentiment. Instead of getting down to the “brass tacks,” as White called it, Lincoln talked to him about his feelings about the recruitment process.

“It was a breath of fresh air,” White said. “It was less stressful. He wanted to be personable with me.”

Lincoln brought in 11 new players in his first recruiting class in 2019, including White and Burnell. He went the extra mile to make sure their transitions to college went smoothly.

Former Clarkson midfielder Mike Lanfear, also part of the 2019 recruiting class, said that Lincoln held individual weekly meetings to make sure they were comfortable in their classes. Lanfear found it beneficial to have “one-on-one time” with his head coach.

Lincoln demanded a culture of commitment, selflessness and accountability at Clarkson. Those elements, known as “C.S.A.,” quickly became an invaluable aspect of roster development under Lincoln.

Burnell said that in C.S.A., Lincoln only wanted those who bought into the program and took responsibility for mistakes. During COVID-19, Lanfear said Lincoln had players turn in presentations regarding the “three pillars” of C.S.A.

“You didn’t want any guys that just didn’t believe in C.S.A. mentality,” former Clarkson assistant coach Adam Kelley said. “The belief in those three words correlated with the way the guys held each other to everything, whether that be on the field or in school or just in general.”

Players were awarded for exemplifying the mantra. White said that Lincoln brought in a wooden shield with the Golden Knights’ logo on it. After each game, a winner was chosen for who displayed C.S.A. the best. Winners signed the shield, which was passed on from year to year, White said.

“Everyone was doing the little things,” White said. “Because who wouldn’t want to sign that thing when the shield’s still going to be there 10, 20 years down the line.”

In Lincoln’s first year with the Golden Knights, they went 10-6-1 and held 10 opponents to zero goals. The following season, Clarkson won the Liberty League Semifinal game before losing to Hobart 2-1 in the title game.

Clarkson’s success was rooted in its suffocating defense. Across 69 games with Lincoln, the Golden Lights allowed just 0.90 goals per game. It only had one season (2021) allowing more than one goal per game.

“‘We’re going to be the first to every 50/50 ball. We’re going to be the first to every tackle,’” Burnell recalled Lincoln telling the team. “You could tell in games that we were winning the 50/50’s, we were getting the first tackles.”

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At the start of 2022, Lincoln’s defense hit its peak. In the first seven games, the Golden Knights did not let up a goal, recording nine shutouts in 16 games.

“Guys worked incredibly hard,” Lincoln said of his defense. “They had set roles and responsibilities in each of the thirds and they executed them perfectly.”

Lincoln was also a resource to his players and staff off the field. Burnell missed his entire freshman season after breaking his leg. He said Lincoln helped him through mental struggles while injured, frequently checking on him, to make sure he was happy.

Lincoln helped Kelley land an assistant job at the end of 2022. Kelley said that the two searched for jobs and Lincoln prepared him for each interview before he ultimately landed with UAlbany. The two still regularly talk today.

“It just shows how much he cares,” Kelley said. “His greatest quality as a person and as a coach is the amount of his own time and effort he puts into people.”

At the end of the 2022 season, Lincoln broke the news to his team that he was leaving. The news was met with bittersweet feelings by players. White said Lincoln’s departure warranted a players-only meeting, but they came to a consensus that they were happy for their coach.

Every year, Lincoln took the graduating seniors out for dinner once the season ended. This time around, he took everyone out for one “final moment with each other,” Burnell said.

They went to Maxfield’s, a local bar near Clarkson’s campus. Burnell said they talked for “hours and hours,” reminiscing about their time together. Lincoln looked sad during the night out, but it was all out of his love for Clarkson, Burnell said.

“It was not an easy decision by any means,” Lincoln said about taking the SU job. “I laid the foundation of a program that I’m very proud of.”

Published on September 26, 2023 at 11:39 pm

Contact Cooper at: ccandrew@syr.edu | @cooper_andrews