VCU Rams men's soccer | |||
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Founded | 1978 | ||
University | Virginia Commonwealth University | ||
Head coach | Dave Giffard (14th season) | ||
Conference | A-10 | ||
Location | Richmond, Virginia | ||
Stadium | Sports Backers Stadium (Capacity: 3,250) | ||
Nickname | Rams | ||
Colors | Black and gold [1] | ||
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NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals | |||
2004 | |||
NCAA Tournament Round of 16 | |||
2003, 2004 | |||
NCAA Tournament Round of 32 | |||
1997, 2003, 2004, 2012, 2017 | |||
NCAA Tournament appearances | |||
1997, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2012, 2013, 2017 | |||
Conference Tournament championships | |||
1997, 2002, 2003 | |||
Conference Regular Season championships | |||
1993, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2018, 2023 |
The VCU Rams men's soccer team is an intercollegiate varsity sports team of Virginia Commonwealth University, an NCAA Division I member school located in the state's capital of Richmond. The team is a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference.
Since their foundation, the team has won three conference championships, all of which came in the Colonial Athletic Association, and four regular season titles. The Rams have qualified for seven NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championships, most recently coming in 2012. Most of the team's success has come within the last 15 seasons, as they first reached the NCAA Tournament in 1997. The program's best performance in the tournament came in 2004, when the Rams reached the quarterfinals of the tournament, knocking off the top seed, Wake Forest, in the process.
The Rams are presently coached by David Giffard, who was a former assistant coach under Caleb Porter for the Akron Zips. Under Giffard, the Rams have qualified for three NCAA Tournaments, two as national seeds, and have won one Atlantic 10 Regular Season title. As of 2022, Giffard is the second longest tenured head coach in program history.
Beginning in 1978, Virginia Commonwealth University fielded an NCAA Division I men's varsity soccer program that competed independently, [2] joining the Sun Belt Conference in 1979. [3] Ben Satterfield was the team's initial head coach and was at the helm until the end of the 1982 season. Ben Satterfield's teams got progressively better, and in 1981, was ranked #1 in the Mid-Atlantic Region, and was in the NCAA Division I Top 25 in the nation. VCU had a bye going into the 1981 Sun Belt Tournament with a 12–5–3 record, and lost a heart-breaker to University of South Alabama 2–1, ending their season. Roosevelt Lundy took over in 1983, and struggled to do well in the conference.
Following Steuckenschneider's departure in 1994, Tim Sullivan took over the head coaching job. It was also the same year VCU left the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference to join the Colonial Athletic Association. Under Sullivan's tenure, the team enjoyed their most success both in conference play and in NCAA play, earning their first ever berth in the NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship.
Initially, the young team had struggles in the Colonial Athletic Association, finishing towards the bottom of the conference standings in its first two years. In 1997, the team vastly improved, earning a third-place regular season record and earning the CAA championship that year. In the 1997 Championship, the Rams defeated American University 9–8 in a penalty kick shootout after drawing 2–2 in regulation time. [3]
Since then the team won the CAA championship in 2002 and 2003, as well as winning the regular-season title those same years as well as winning the honor in 2004. [3]
The team's most successful run in the College Cup, the men's NCAA Division I Soccer Tournament, came in 2004, where the Rams entered the tournament as ranked 16th in the nation, earning a bye to the second round proper. In the second round, the Rams defeated George Washington, before upsetting the number-one seeded, Wake Forest Demon Deacons in penalty kicks. Reaching the regional finals, or quarterfinals in the entire tournament, VCU lost to eventual national finalists, the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos.[ citation needed ]
Following the end of the 2009 season, VCU hit a team nadir, falling to last place in the CAA, their worst in the history. Following the conclusion of the season, 15-year head coach, Tim O'Sullivan was fired to be replaced by David Giffard, thus making Giffard the sixth head coach in VCU men's soccer history. [4] Giffard's facelifting of the team was credited in their finishing as regular season runners-up in 2010. [5]
The Giffard-led program began play in the Atlantic 10 Conference during the 2012 NCAA Division I men's soccer season, where the Rams finished fourth in the Atlantic 10 table, and reached the final of the 2012 Atlantic 10 Men's Soccer Tournament, only to lose to Saint Louis in the final. The Rams secured an at-large bid to the 2012 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship, making it the first time since 2004 the Rams qualified. In the tournament, VCU was seeded fourteenth in the tournament. They lost to Syracuse Orange in the second round proper of the tournament, 3–2 after extra time.
The team uses the school colors of black and gold.
Along with the women's soccer and the track & field teams, the Virginia Commonwealth men's soccer team plays at the 3,250-seat Sports Backers Stadium. Located three miles north of the Monroe Park Campus, the stadium is adjacent to The Diamond ballpark, where the baseball team plays. Since its completion in 1999, the stadium has served as the primary venue for the team.
Like all VCU Rams sports teams, the men's soccer team's main fan group is the Rowdy Rams. The Rowdy Rams are situated in the bleachers in front of the nets, and switch sides each half to invoke intimidation on the opposing sides goalkeeper. They sit with the university's marching band. The Rowdy Rams at games refer to themselves as Rowdy FC.
Over the years, the Rams have developed rivalries with intrastate colleges, both in the Colonial Athletic Association and against non-conference opponents. The team's main rivals, at least before the move to the A10, were considered to be George Mason [6] [7] and Old Dominion, [8] who both played with the Rams in the CAA. Due to the recent success of the teams' programs, some considered William & Mary and James Madison to be tertiary conference rivals of the Rams before their departure for the A10.
In the Rams' new conference home of the A10, their main rival will be the Richmond Spiders, primarily due to the geographical proximity of the two universities. [9]
Outside the CAA and A10, some cite Virginia Tech and University of Virginia as intra-conference, state rivals due to record attendances. Of the three largest attendance crowds in VCU soccer history, two came from home matches against VT and UVA.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Position | Name |
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Head Coach | Dave Giffard |
Assistant Coach | Brett Teach |
Assistant Coach | Lucas Paulini |
Director of Player Development | Ronnie Pascale |
Director of Student Development | Greg Simmonds |
Assistant Coach | Alex Fetterly |
Tenure | Name |
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1978–1982 | Ben Satterfield |
1983–1989 | Roosevelt Lundy Gianni Baldini [n 1] |
1989–1994 | Lincoln Phillips |
1994 | Jon Steuckenschneider |
1995–2009 | Tim O'Sullivan [n 2] |
2010–present | David Giffard |
This is a list of the most recent seasons at VCU.
Champions | Runners-up | Third place | Wooden Spoon |
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Season | Conference Regular Season | Overall | Conference tournament | NCAA tournament | Add. honours | |||||||||||||||
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Division | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts. | Pos. | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts. | |||||
1978 | Independent | 14 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 12 | ||||||||||||||
1979 | ||||||||||||||||||||
1980 | Sun Belt | |||||||||||||||||||
1981 | ||||||||||||||||||||
1982 | ||||||||||||||||||||
1983 | ||||||||||||||||||||
1984 | ||||||||||||||||||||
1985 | ||||||||||||||||||||
1986 | ||||||||||||||||||||
1987 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6th | 20 | 11 | 7 | 2 | 35 | SF | ||||||||
1988 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 4th | 17 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 29 | SF | ||||||||
1989 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3rd | 19 | 8 | 10 | 1 | 25 | SF | ||||||||
1990 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 6th | 18 | 5 | 9 | 4 | 19 | R1 | ||||||||
1991 | Metro | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3rd | 19 | 8 | 10 | 1 | 25 | Runners-up | |||||||
1992 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5th | 18 | 5 | 11 | 2 | 17 | |||||||||
1993 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 1st | 18 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 45 | SF | ||||||||
1994 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5th | 19 | 5 | 14 | 0 | 15 | |||||||||
1995 | CAA | 8 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 15 | 7 | 7th | 19 | 8 | 10 | 1 | 30 | 28 | 25 | QF | |||
1996 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 9 | 16 | 7 | 6th | 19 | 6 | 9 | 4 | 24 | 26 | 22 | QF | ||||
1997 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 15 | 11 | 14 | 3rd | 23 | 15 | 4 | 4 | 40 | 23 | 49 | Champions | R2 | |||
1998 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 21 | 7 | 22 | 1st | 21 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 38 | 25 | 39 | SF | R1 | |||
1999 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 8 | 18 | 2nd | 22 | 14 | 7 | 1 | 46 | 25 | 43 | Runners-up | R1 | |||
2000 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 6th | 21 | 9 | 8 | 4 | 22 | 23 | 31 | SF | ||||
2001 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 4th | 21 | 8 | 10 | 3 | 32 | 26 | 27 | Runners-up | ||||
2002 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 21 | 6 | 22 | 1st | 22 | 15 | 5 | 1 | 44 | 20 | 46 | Champions | R3 | |||
2003 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 23 | 4 | 24 | 1st | 22 | 17 | 5 | 0 | 50 | 24 | 51 | Champions | R4 | |||
2004 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 6 | 22 | 1st | 21 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 36 | 22 | 39 | SF | QF | |||
2005 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 11 | 7 | 16 | 4th | 18 | 6 | 10 | 4 | 20 | 25 | 22 | QF | ||||
2006 | 11 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 10 | 16 | 7 | 10th | 18 | 4 | 13 | 1 | 17 | 25 | 13 | |||||
2007 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 28 | 12 | 21 | 3rd | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 48 | 18 | 38 | SF | ||||
2008 | 11 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 10 | 10 | 14 | 9th | 18 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 23 | 18 | 26 | |||||
2009 | 11 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 15 | 19 | 7 | 10th | 17 | 5 | 10 | 2 | 25 | 27 | 17 | |||||
2010 | 13 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 19 | 2nd | 19 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 23 | 17 | 30 | SF | ||||||
2011 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 15 | 14 | 18 | 7th | 20 | 11 | 9 | 0 | 34 | 24 | 33 | |||||
2012 | A-10 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 23 | 11 | 20 | 4th | 20 | 12 | 3 | 5 | 42 | 25 | 41 | Runners-up | R2 | ||
2013 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 18 | 7 | 16 | 3rd | 21 | 11 | 8 | 2 | 30 | 20 | 35 | SF | R1 | |||
2014 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 15 | 3rd | 20 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 19 | 11 | 26 | QF | ||||
2015 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 12 | 8th | 21 | 7 | 10 | 4 | 24 | 27 | 25 | Runners-up | ||||
2016 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 8 | 13 | 5th | 21 | 8 | 9 | 4 | 27 | 29 | 28 | Runners-up | ||||
2017 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 18 | 2nd | 18 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 36 | Runners-up | R2 | |||||||
2018 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 1st | 18 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 32 | SF | ||||||||
2019 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 2nd | 18 | 7 | 8 | 3 | ||||||||||
2020 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 6th | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | ||||||||||
2021 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 13 | 4th | 18 | 9 | 7 | 2 | ||||||||||
2022 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | TBD | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | TBD | TBD |
Source for CAA record: NM Athletics [11]
Source for Metro and Sun Belt record: VCU Athletics [12]
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Season | Competition | Round | Seed | Opponent | Result | Notes |
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1997 | NCAA Tournament | R1 | N/A | Georgetown | 1–2 | |
1998 | NCAA Tournament | R1 | N/A | South Carolina | 1–2 | |
1999 | NCAA Tournament | R1 | N/A | #5 Wake Forest | 1–2 | |
2002 | NCAA Tournament | R2 | #8 | Furman | 0–0 | Furman wins in pen. |
2003 | NCAA Tournament | R2 | #9 | Virginia Tech | 5–2 | |
R3 | #9 | #5 Indiana | 0–5 | |||
2004 | NCAA Tournament | R2 | #16 | George Washington | 2–0 | |
R3 | #16 | #1 Wake Forest | 2–2 | VCU wins in pen. | ||
QF | #16 | #9 UC Santa Barbara | 1–4 | |||
2012 | NCAA Tournament | R2 | #14 | Syracuse | 2–3 | Syracuse wins in 2OT |
2013 | NCAA Tournament | R1 | N/A | Navy | 0–3 | |
2017 | NCAA Tournament | R2 | #16 | Butler | 2–3 |
The Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10) is a collegiate athletic conference whose schools compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division I. The A-10's member schools are located mostly on the East Coast and Midwest of the United States: Illinois, Massachusetts, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.
The Coastal Athletic Association (CAA), formerly the ECAC South Conference and the Colonial Athletic Association, is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I whose full members are located in East Coast states, from Massachusetts to South Carolina. Most of its members are public universities, and the conference is headquartered in Richmond. The CAA was historically a Southern conference until the addition of four schools in the Northeastern United States after the turn of the 21st century, which added geographic balance to the conference.
The VCU Rams are the athletic teams of Virginia Commonwealth University of Richmond, Virginia, United States. The Rams compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association as members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. The most successful teams have been the men's tennis and basketball teams, which have had success in their conference and on the regional and national stages. The school's colors are black and gold. The athletic director is Ed McLaughlin. The official student supporter group is known as the Rowdy Rams.
The VCU Rams men's basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball team that represents Virginia Commonwealth University. The Rams joined the Atlantic 10 Conference in the 2012–13 season after previously competing in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). In 2017, VCU was ranked the 40th most valuable men's basketball program in the country by The Wall Street Journal. With a valuation of $56.9 million, VCU ranked second in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and second in the A-10 Conference. The team is coached by Ryan Odom.
The William & Mary Tribe men's basketball team represents the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia in NCAA Division I competition. The school's team competes in the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) and play their home games in Kaplan Arena. Former Cornell Head Coach Brian Earl was hired as the 32nd coach in school history following the dismissal of Coach Dane Fischer. Tony Shaver served as the head coach from 2003–2019 and leads the school in all-time wins for a coach.
The 2010–11 VCU Rams men's basketball team represented Virginia Commonwealth University in the Colonial Athletic Association conference during the 2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Rams, led by second year head coach Shaka Smart, played their home games at the Stuart C. Siegel Center. They finished the season 28–12, 12–6 in CAA play and lost in the championship game of the 2011 CAA men's basketball tournament to Old Dominion. They received an at-large bid in the 2011 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament where they played in the new First Four round, defeating USC.They defeated Georgetown and Purdue in the second and third rounds, respectively, to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. They defeated Florida State to advance to the Elite Eight where they defeated Kansas. They advanced to the school's first ever Final Four, being just the third 11 seed in Tournament history to advance to the Final Four, where they were defeated by Butler. The VCU Rams finished 6th in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll at the end of the season. This was the highest ranking in VCU's history and the highest ranking of any team from the CAA. The 2011 NCAA tournament run by VCU is regarded by some as one of the best Cinderella runs of all time. They are the first men's Division I basketball team that played in the First Four to make it to the Final Four; UCLA made a similar run ten years later. They also join the 2020–21 Bruins as the only teams in the tournament to win five games and not qualify for the national championship game.
The 2011 CAA men's basketball tournament was held March 4–7 at the Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, VA to crown a champion of the Colonial Athletic Association. Old Dominion, the runner up in the regular season, beat the fourth seeded VCU in the final taking them into the NCAA tournament with conferences automatic bid. Old Dominion, George Mason, and VCU each participated in the NCAA tournament, with George Mason and VCU receiving at large bids.
The 2011 Colonial Athletic Association men's soccer season was the 29th season of men's college soccer in the Colonial Athletic Association, played from August 25, 2011 until November 3, 2011. The season marked the first time in 11 years that the James Madison Dukes won the regular season title, amassing a conference record of 8–3–0, with a 12–4–1 overall record. The regular season culminated with the tournament, which was won by the Delaware Blue Hens, making it their first conference championship in 40 years.
The 2011–12 VCU Rams men's basketball team represented Virginia Commonwealth University during the 2011–12 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. It was the 44th season of the University fielding a men's basketball program. Led by third-year head coach Shaka Smart, the Rams were coming off a season marked by a run to the Final Four. Expected to finish lower in the CAA regular season standings, the Rams finished as regular season runners-up with a 15–3 conference record, before winning the 2012 CAA Men's Basketball Championship against Drexel, 59–56, earning their 11th ever berth into the NCAA Tournament. It was also the first season since 1984–85 that the Rams consecutively qualified for the NCAA Tournament.
The 2012 VCU Rams men's soccer team was the 33rd season of Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia fielding a men's varsity college soccer program. The team played their inaugural season in the Atlantic 10 Conference of the NCAA Division I after playing the previous 17 seasons in the Colonial Athletic Association.
The 2004 VCU Rams men's soccer team represented Virginia Commonwealth University in all 2004 NCAA Division I men's college soccer competitions.
The 2012–13 VCU Rams men's basketball team represented Virginia Commonwealth University during the 2012–13 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. It was the 45th season of the university fielding a men's basketball program. Led by fourth-year head coach Shaka Smart, they played their home games at the Stuart C. Siegel Center. This was the Rams inaugural season in the Atlantic 10 Conference (A10), after spending the past 17 years in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). They finished the season 27–9, 12–4 in A10 play to finish in second place. They advanced to the championship game of the 2013 Atlantic 10 tournament where they lost to Saint Louis. They received an at-large bid to the 2013 NCAA tournament, their third straight NCAA Tournament appearance, where they defeated Akron in the first round before losing in the third round to Michigan.
The 2011–12 CAA men's basketball season marked the 27th season of Colonial Athletic Association men's basketball, taking place between November 2011 and March 2012. Practices commenced in October 2011, and the season ended with the 2012 CAA men's basketball tournament.
The 2013 VCU Rams men's soccer team represented Virginia Commonwealth University during the 2013 NCAA Division I men's soccer season. The Rams played in the Atlantic 10 Conference for their second season.
The 1998 VCU Rams men's soccer team represented Virginia Commonwealth University during the 1998 NCAA Division I men's soccer season. The Rams played in the Colonial Athletic Association for their fourth. It was the program's 21st season fielding a men's varsity college soccer program.
The 2017 Atlantic 10 Conference men's soccer season was the 31st season of varsity soccer in the conference. The regular season began on August 25 and concluded on November 1. The season culminated with the 2017 Atlantic 10 Men's Soccer Tournament which began on November 4 and concluded on November 12.
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.
The 2019–20 VCU Rams men's basketball team represented Virginia Commonwealth University during the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Rams were by Mike Rhoades in his third season as head coach at VCU. The Rams played their home games at Stuart C. Siegel Center in Richmond, Virginia as members of the Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10).
The 2019 Atlantic 10 Conference men's soccer season was the 33rd season of men's college soccer in the Atlantic 10 Conference. The season began on August 30, 2019, and concluded on November 2, 2019.
The 2020 Atlantic 10 Conference men's soccer season is the 34th season of men's college soccer in the Atlantic 10 Conference. The season was scheduled to begin on August 29, 2020 and conclude on November 6, 2020, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The season is scheduled to begin on February 3, 2021 and conclude on April 11, 2021.