When it comes to playing college soccer, the pipeline from Ithaca High School has been a sturdy one. As a trio of girls soccer players get ready for the step up in competition, the boys team’s starting goalkeeper is also preparing for the collegiate game.
James Reiter will be playing Division III soccer at Babson College in Massachusetts next fall. The Beavers weren’t on Reiter’s radar until he attended an ID camp at Harvard University. That’s when he was paired up with Babson’s assistant coach EJ Reutemann. If that name sounds familiar, it should. He was the head coach of Ithaca girls soccer from 2013 to 2016. That unique connection was a significant factor in Reiter’s decision.
“He was naming a couple teachers that are still at the high school, a couple coaches he knew, and some closer family friends that we both know really well,” Reiter said. “I think that was just really something amazing that he kind of knew where I came from. He knew my situation. He knew what teams I played for. That was really awesome.”
Reiter joins on the top D3 programs in the Northeast. The Beavers have won the last two New England Women’s And Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) titles and have made the NCAA Tournament for the last three seasons, highlighted by a run to the quarterfinals in 2024. While Reiter might not get much playing time in goal from the get-go, he’ll make sure he can contribute to the team in other ways.
“I don’t want to come in as that quiet freshman,” Reiter said. “There’s gonna be a bunch of guys ahead of me to start, and I think just making my presence known as a vocal leader, even as a freshman, that’s really going to help me out down the line and to establish that connection with some of the older guys and the coaches.”
Reiter has experience playing in more of a backup role. That was the case his junior year behind Leonard Levy, who went on to have a stellar All-State campaign. Reiter credits Levy for acting as a mentor and helping him prepare for his eventual starting role as a senior.
“He would give me these little pointers here and there in practice, which I really think helped me fine-tune my techniques,” Reiter said. “The main thing is he never seemed to lose composure. He was always composed in goal. He always knew what he was doing. Even when he made a mistake, he bounced back right away, and I think that’s definitely one of the lessons that I learned and that I’ll continue to learn and grow upon into my collegiate career.”
This past fall, Reiter excelled in goal for the Little Red. He recorded 77 saves and five shutouts as he too earned All-State honors. Arguably his finest performance came in the Section IV Class AAA semifinals at home against Corning, where he made 11 saves to help the Little Red eliminate its rivals 2-1. While Ithaca fell in the championship game to Elmira, it was a memorable campaign for Reiter and his 13 fellow seniors.
“I think there was a lot more leadership on and off the field from the senior class compared to the year before, and I think that really helped to push our guys,” Reiter said. “We were strong communicators. We did the little things right. The leadership really helped us to go far and make a good run. I think our togetherness in general was pretty good and I’d say better than most teams in Section IV.”
As team captain, Reiter was one of those reliable leaders for the Little Red and something he felt had improved the most throughout his career. Not only is that an important trait for goalkeepers at any level, the mental side of the game is equally as paramount.
“Mentally I just try to remember it’s just a game,” Reiter said. “At the end of the day, we’re out there to have fun, improve, and work hard. I felt I was never really in tough mental situations, but I know that if I was, I’d handle it well, and even if I didn’t, I’d bounce back. If I concede a goal, I just have to bounce back and save the next one.”
Reiter will continue the trend of Ithaca boys soccer players in college, joining 2025 graduate Oliver Klemm (Grinnell College) and 2024 grad Iago Lopez (St. Michael’s College) as recent examples. It’s a testament to the culture that head coach Jonathan Billing and assistant coach Gilbert Antoine have built to continue sending their players to the next level.
“Coach Billing and Coach Gilbert set us up so well technically-wise and attitude-wise,” Reiter said. “I think that IHS has always been a strong team soccer-wise, and it just comes down to the players’ hard work off the field to get recruited.”
