2017 VCU Rams men's soccer team

Last updated

2017 VCU Rams men's soccer
VCU Rams logo.svg
NCAA Tournament, Second Round
Conference Atlantic 10 Conference
TopDrawerSoccer.comNo. 25
Record12–7–0 (5–2–0 A-10)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Brett Teach (7th season)
  • Matt Cannady (3rd season)
Home stadium Sports Backers Stadium
Seasons
  2016
2018  
2017 Atlantic 10 Conference men's soccer standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
UMass6 1 115 4 3
VCU + 6 2 013 7 0
George Washington 6 2 09 7 2
Dayton 6 2 09 8 2
No. 11 Fordham + 5 2 114 6 3
Rhode Island 4 3 110 6 3
St. Bonaventure 4 4 08 9 2
Saint Louis 4 4 07 9 1
Davidson 3 4 18 7 2
LaSalle 3 5 08 9 1
Saint Joseph's 1 6 13 11 4
Duquesne 1 7 03 13 1
George Mason 0 7 15 9 2
As of December 13, 2017
Rankings from United Soccer Coaches

The 2017 VCU Rams men's soccer team represented Virginia Commonwealth University during the 2017 NCAA Division I men's soccer season. It was the 38th season of the university fielding a program. The Rams were led by eighth-year head coach, Dave Giffard.

Contents

For the third straight season, the Rams reached the championship match of the Atlantic 10 Men's Soccer Tournament, but lost for the third straight time. The Rams fell 1-3 to UMass. Despite the loss the Rams earned an at-large berth to the NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship. It was the program's first NCAA Tournament berth in four years. VCU were seeded 16th, giving the program their first seeding since 2012. The Rams lost in their opening NCAA Tournament match to Butler, 2-3.

Background

Previous season

The Rams team finished the 2016 season 8–9–4, 4–3–1 in A10 play to earn a berth into the 2016 Atlantic 10 Men's Soccer Tournament. They defeated UMass and Dayton to advance to the A10 Championship, where they lost to Fordham. [1] The Rams did not earn an at-large berth into the 2016 NCAA Tournament. [2]

Review

Offseason

During the 2016-17 offseason, the Rams lost nine seniors to graduation. The most notable departure was four-year starter, Dakota Barnathan, who declared for the 2017 MLS SuperDraft. [3] Barnathan was selected in the third round, with the 59th pick by FC Dallas. [4] [5] [6] Barnathan was offered a trial with FC Dallas, and appeared in a couple preseason exhibitions with the club, [7] but ultimately was not offered a contract. After leaving Dallas' camp, Barnathan signed on with second division, United Soccer League outfit, Swope Park Rangers, the reserve team of MLS-outfit, Sporting Kansas City. [8] No other graduates signed professional contracts following their graduation.

In February 2017, the spring 2017 season schedule was announced, where VCU participated in several exhibition matches between March and May.

On November 13, 2017, VCU was announced as the 16th-overall seed in the 2017 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship, making it the 10th time in program history the Rams qualified for the tournament.

Transfers

Departures

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownReason for Departure
Dakota Barnathan 8 MF 6'2"165Senior (Redshirt) Massapequa, NY Graduated; entered the 2017 MLS SuperDraft
Kai Marshall11 MF 6'2"185Senior (Redshirt) Charlottesville, VA Graduated
Rahim Costa-Dorsey77 FW 6'2"180Senior Alexandria, VA Graduated
Brandon Eaton 6 MF 5'8"165Senior Chesapeake, VA Graduated
Juan Fajardo Ortiz5 DF 5'10"160Senior Coyoles Central, HON Graduated
Jorge Herranz20 FW 6'0"175Senior Madrid, ESP Graduated
Simond Kargbo14 FW 5'5"130Senior Mount Vernon, VA Graduated
Jason McGlothern31 MF 6'0"155Senior Seattle, WA Graduated

Incoming transfers

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotes
Siad Haji 8FW5'8"150Sophomore Manchester, New Hampshire Transferred from New England College. [9]
Peter Pearson12MF5'7"155RS Junior Virginia Beach, Virginia Transferred from Virginia. [10]

Recruits

NameNat.HometownHigh SchoolClubHeightWeightCommit date
Brandon Bonilla
MF
Flag of Costa Rica.svg  CRC San Jose, CRC Belén 6'1"165April 14, 2017
Recruit star rankings: TDS: CSN: ESPN:
Ulrik Edvardsen
DF
Flag of Norway.svg  NOR Bergen, NOR Brann 6'3"175April 14, 2017
Recruit star rankings: TDS: CSN: ESPN:
Bruk Fekade
MF
Flag of Ethiopia.svg  ETH Loudoun, VA Loudoun Soccer Club5'11"150April 14, 2017
Recruit star rankings: TDS: Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [11] CSN: ESPN:
Jared Greene
FW
Flag of the United States.svg  USA Virginia Beach, Virginia Kellam High School Beach FC6'2"155April 14, 2017
Recruit star rankings: TDS: CSN: ESPN:
Jared Mazzola
GK
Flag of the United States.svg  USA Katonah, New York Somers High School FC Westchester 6'1"175April 14, 2017
Recruit star rankings: TDS: CSN: ESPN:

Roster

As of November 15, 2017. [12]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.Pos.NationPlayer
00 GK Flag of Costa Rica.svg  CRC Mario Sequeira
0 GK Flag of the United States.svg  USA Jared Mazzola
1 GK Flag of the United States.svg  USA Joseph Rice
2 DF Flag of Japan.svg  JPN Ryo Shimazaki
3 DF Flag of Norway.svg  NOR Ulrik Edvarsen
4 DF Flag of Jamaica.svg  JAM Zeron Sewell
5 DF Flag of France.svg  FRA Steven Dal Molin
6 MF Flag of the United States.svg  USA Lyndsey Moreland
7 MF Flag of the United States.svg  USA Luc Fatton
8 FW Flag of Somalia.svg  SOM Siad Haji
10 MF Flag of Brazil.svg  BRA Rafael Andrade Santos
11 MF Flag of Spain.svg  ESP Fortia Munts
12 MF Flag of the United States.svg  USA Peter Pearson
No.Pos.NationPlayer
13 MF Flag of the United States.svg  USA Travis Cooke
14 FW Flag of the United States.svg  USA Jared Greene
15 DF Flag of the United States.svg  USA R. J. Roberts
16 MF Flag of Jamaica.svg  JAM Oquin Robinson
17 MF Flag of the United States.svg  USA Eli Lockaby
21 MF Flag of the United States.svg  USA Greg Boehme
22 MF Flag of the United States.svg  USA Anthony Gonnella
23 MF Flag of Italy.svg  ITA Francesco Amorosino
24 DF Flag of the United States.svg  USA Austin Graham
25 MF Flag of the United States.svg  USA Joseph Gonnella
28 DF Flag of Ethiopia.svg  ETH Bruk Fekade
32 DF Flag of the United States.svg  USA Kelly Walters
56 GK Flag of France.svg  FRA Pierre Gardan
77 FW Flag of Ghana.svg  GHA Andy Mensah

Captains in bold

Schedule

Date
Time, TV
Rank#Opponent#ResultRecordSite (Attendance)
City, State
Spring season
03/04/2017
7:00 am
Montreal RushT 1–1 
Sports Backers Stadium
Richmond, VA
03/19/2017
1:00 pm
at  Richmond Kickers (USL)W 2–1 
City Stadium
Richmond, VA
03/25/2017
10:00 am
vs.  High Point W 5–0 
Thompson Field
Blacksburg, VA
03/25/2017*
1:00 pm
at  Virginia Tech T 1–1 
Thompson Field
Blacksburg, VA
04/01/2017*
1:00 pm
vs.  West Virginia
Jefferson Cup
T 2–2 
Strikers Soccer Complex
Glen Allen, VA
04/08/2017*
4:00 pm
at  Radford W 1–0 
Cupp Stadium
Radford, VA
04/22/2017*
1:00 pm
Elon W 3–0 
Sports Backers Stadium
Richmond, VA
04/22/2017*
7:00 pm
Longwood W 3–2 
Sports Backers Stadium
Richmond, VA
Exhibitions
08/19/2017*
7:00 pm
at  Pittsburgh W 1–0 
Ambrose Urbanic Field
Pittsburgh, PA
Regular season
08/25/2017*
7:00 pm
Oakland L 2–3 0–1–0
Sports Backers Stadium (566)
Richmond, VA
08/27/2017*
7:00 pm
Appalachian State L 2–3 0–2–0
Sports Backers Stadium (415)
Richmond, VA
09/01/2017*
7:00 pm
Iona  Cancelled 0–2–0
Sports Backers Stadium
Richmond, VA
09/03/2017*
7:00 pm
Saint Francis (PA) W 3–2 1–2–0
Sports Backers Stadium (352)
Richmond, VA
09/10/2017*
7:00 pm
Florida Gulf Coast  Cancelled 1–2–0
FGCU Soccer Complex
Fort Myers, FL
09/19/2017*
7:00 pm
at  Old Dominion
Rivalry
L 0–1 1–3–0
ODU Soccer Complex
Norfolk, VA
09/24/2017*
7:00 pm
at  Coastal Carolina W 1–0 2–3–0
CCU Soccer Field (130)
Conway, SC
09/30/2017*
7:00 pm
at No. 15  UNC Wilmington W 1–0 OT3–3–0
Legion Field (130)
Wilmington, NC
10/04/2017
7:00 pm
Davidson W 4–1 4–3–0
(1–0–0)
Sports Backers Stadium (479)
Richmond, VA
10/07/2017
7:00 pm
at  Fordham W 1–0 5–3–0
(2–0–0)
Coffey Field (211)
The Bronx, NY
10/11/2017
8:00 pm
at  Saint Louis W 4–0 6–3–0
(3–0–0)
Hermann Stadium (606)
St. Louis, MO
10/14/2017
7:00 pm
George Washington L 1–2 6–4–0
(3–1–0)
Sports Backers Stadium (516)
Richmond, VA
10/18/2017
7:00 pm
at  George Mason
Rivalry
W 4–0 7–4–0
(4–1–0)
George Mason Stadium (385)
Fairfax, VA
10/21/2017
7:00 pm
at  Saint Joseph's W 3–0 8–4–0
(5–1–0)
McCarthy Stadium (1,280)
Philadelphia, PA
10/24/2017*
7:00 pm
at No. 9  Maryland W 3–0 9–4–0
Ludwig Field (820)
College Park, MD
10/28/2017
7:00 pm
Rhode Island W 2–1 10–4–0
(6–1–0)
Sports Backers Stadium (726)
Richmond, VA
11/02/2017
7:00 pm
No. 22at  St. Bonaventure L 1–2 10–5–0
(6–2–0)
Marra Athletics Complex (210)
Olean, NY
Atlantic 10 Tournament
11/05/2017
7:00 pm
(2) No. 22at (7) St. Bonaventure
Quarterfinals
W 4–1 11–5–0
Sports Backers Stadium (274)
Richmond, VA
11/10/2017
7:30 pm
(2) No. 24vs. (6) Rhode Island
Semifinals
W 2–0 12–5–0
Baujan Field (164)
Dayton, OH
11/12/2017
12:00 pm
(2) No. 24vs. (1) No. 25  UMass
Championship
L 1–3 12–6–0
Baujan Field (164)
Dayton, OH
NCAA Tournament
11/19/2017
5:00 pm
(16) No. 22No. 24  Butler
Second Round
L 2–3 12–7–0
Sports Backers Stadium (679)
Richmond, VA
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from United Soccer Coaches. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.

Rankings

National rankings

Ranking movement
Legend:██ Improvement in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. ██ Not ranked the previous week. RV=Others receiving votes.
PollPreWk
1
Wk
2
Wk
3
Wk
4
Wk
5
Wk
6
Wk
7
Wk
8
Wk
9
Wk
10
Wk
11
Wk
12
Wk
13
Wk
14
Wk
15
Wk
16
Final
United Soccer [13] RVRVRV222422None ReleasedRV
TopDrawerSoccer.com [14] RV17161725252525
CollegeSoccerNews.com [15] RVRV242629None ReleasedRV

Regional rankings

Ranking Movement
Legend:██ Improvement in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. ██ Not ranked. RV=Others receiving votes.
Poll1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th10th11th12th
USC Midwest Region997447

Awards

RecipientAwardDateRef.
Rafael SantosAtlantic 10 Offensive Player of the YearNovember 13, 2017
Francesco AmorosinoAtlantic 10 All-Second TeamNovember 13, 2017
Luc FattonAtlantic 10 All-Second TeamNovember 13, 2017
Ulrik EdvarsenAtlantic 10 All-Rookie TeamNovember 13, 2017
Mario SequeiraAtlantic 10 All-Rookie TeamNovember 13, 2017
Rafael SantosCSN Second-Team All-AmericanJanuary 4, 2018
Rafael Santos United Soccer Coaches Second-Team All-AmericanJanuary 5, 2018

Season statistics

Team

Individual

Individual Player Statistics (As of January 26, 2017)
PlayerAppGoalsAsstPointsShotsShot%SOGSOG%GWPk-AttGASavesSO
Forwards
Walters, Andrew000000%00%00-0000
Midfielders
Agiasiotis, Petros000000%00%00-0000
Amorosino, Francesco000000%00%00-0000
Boehme, Greg000000%00%00-0000
Cooke, Travis000000%00%00-0000
Gonnella, Joe000000%00%00-0000
Gonnella, Tony000000%00%00-0000
Lockaby, Eli000000%00%00-0000
Moreland, Lyndsey000000%00%00-0000
Munts, Fortia000000%00%00-0000
Santos, Rafael000000%00%00-0000
Vargas, Gerald000000%00%00-0000
Defenders
Dal Molin, Steven000000%00%00-0000
Ekoue, Cedric000000%00%00-0000
Graham, Austin000000%00%00-0000
Roberts, R. J.000000%00%00-0000
Shimazaki, Ryo000000%00%00-0000
Goalkeepers
Gardan, Pierre000000%00%00-0000
Rice, Joseph000000%00%00-0000
Team
Total
Opponents
Legend
 App Appearances  Asst Assists  Shot% Shots for Goal Percent
 SOG Shots on Goal SOG% Shots on Goal Percent GW Game Winning Goals
  PK-Att Penalty Kicks-Attempts  GA Goals Against  SO Shut Outs
   Team high

MLS Draft

The following members of the 2017 VCU Rams men's soccer team were selected in the 2018 MLS SuperDraft. [16]

PlayerRoundPickPositionMLS clubRef.
Rafael Andrade Santos 474 MF D.C. United [17]

References

  1. "Men's Soccer Wins Atlantic 10 Championship in Shootout". Fordham Rams . November 13, 2016. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
  2. "College soccer: Men's DI soccer committee selects championship field". National Collegiate Athletic Association . NCAA.com. November 15, 2016. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
  3. Wilson, Adrian (January 30, 2017). "Barnathan drafted, leaves behind legacy". The Commonwealth Times . Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  4. Husinger, Nathan (January 17, 2017). "FC Dallas completes draft by selecting former SMU player Marco Carrizales". The Dallas Morning News . A. H. Belo . Retrieved November 17, 2017. VCU midfielder Dakota Barnathan was taken six picks later. He started every game in his last three seasons.
  5. "VCU's Barnathan Selected in Third Round of MLS SuperDraft by FC Dallas". Atlantic 10 Conference . January 17, 2017. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  6. "FC Dallas selects four in 3rd & 4th rounds of MLS Superdraft". FC Dallas . January 17, 2017. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  7. Epperley, Drew (February 11, 2017). "FC Dallas ties Racing Club in pair of scrimmage". Big D Soccer. SB Nation . Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  8. Bergabo, Patrick (February 24, 2017). "Swope Park Rangers signs 2017 MLS SuperDraft selection Dakota Barnathan". Sporting Kansas City . sportingkc.com. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  9. "Men's Soccer Adds Siad Haji to 2017 Signing Class". vcuathletics.com. June 22, 2017. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  10. Turner, Mark. "Nine Fresh Recruits, Coach Giff Brings New Faces to VCU Men's Soccer". VCUSports.com.
  11. "Bruk Fekade". TopDrawerSoccer.com. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  12. "2017 Men's Soccer Roster". vcuathletics.com.
  13. "NCAA DI Men's National Rankings". National Soccer Coaches Association of America. June 12, 2017. Archived from the original on September 14, 2016. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  14. "College Soccer National Rankings". TopDrawer Soccer. June 12, 2017.
  15. "CSN Top 30 Polls". CollegeSoccerNews.com. November 17, 2017.
  16. "2018 MLS SuperDraft Tracker". mlssoccer.com. Major League Soccer. January 19, 2018. Archived from the original on January 19, 2018. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
  17. "United select Afonso Pinheiro and Rafael Andrade Santos in the 2018 MLS SuperDraft". dcunited.com. D.C. United. January 21, 2018. Retrieved January 22, 2018.