2023:
- Elected as team captain
- All-Ivy League Honorable Mention selection.
- CSC Academic All-District selection.
- Played in and started 19 games.
- Recorded one assist during 1-1 draw against Princeton (Sept. 30).
2022:
- Limited to six games due to injury.
- Started the final three games of the season.
2021:
- Started 14 of the 15 games he appeared.
- Played 1,378 minutes, which was third on the team.
- Assisted on the game-winning goal with nine minutes left vs. Fairfield in the season opener.
2020: Season canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2019:
- Started nine of the 13 games he appeared in.
- Assisted on the winning goal in the victory at UMass.
Academy: Played for Empire United Soccer Academy… Started every game over last two seasons… Played for U-19 team despite being age 16 when season began… Scored seven goals as a center defender… Invited to participate in US Soccer training centers several times during his club days.
ODP: Played ODP for one year prior to joining Empire United Soccer Academy.
Academic Awards: National Honor Society… National History Day regional champion in 2017 and 2018 and a state finalist in 2017.
Personal: Son of Gerald and Natalie Lesh Schaffer… Mother played soccer at William Smith College and was a member of the 1988 NCAA Division III national championship team… Aspires to be an aerospace engineer… Member of the Orchard Park Historical Society… Thanksgiving Day volunteer at the Buffalo City Mission.
3 QUESTIONS FOR SCHAFFER
Biggest soccer influence? “My mom. She was the coach of my youth travel soccer team for several years. She shared her love of the game with me and pushed me to become a well-rounded player by making me play in different field positions and even goalie. She promoted my desire to play at a higher level, and along with my dad, did everything they could to make that possible.”
Do you have an idol or hero? “Larry Fitzgerald. I respect not only his tireless work ethic and accomplishments on the field but also his commitment to serving his community and his work to support cancer research.”
Why Yale? “Because of the immediate comfort I felt when I first visited the campus and met the coaches. It was literally the proverbial perfect fit for me, a place where I knew I could grow both academically, athletically, and personally.”
