2011 NCAA Division I men's soccer season

NCAA Division I
Season2011
ChampionsNorth Carolina
Top goalscorerAshton Bennett (23)
Highest attendance13,772
SDSU v. UCSB
(September 23, 2011)[1]
2010
2012

The 2011 NCAA Division I men's soccer season was the 53rd year of organized men's college soccer in the United States.

The season was divided into three parts; the regular season, which started with early season tournaments against intraconference opponents, before the second half of the regular season that featured interconference matches. The regular season was held from late August to early November 2011. In mid-November, the conference tournaments were held, and from mid-November to mid-December, the NCAA Tournament was held.

The national champion was the North Carolina Tar Heels whom won the title against the Charlotte 49ers. It was North Carolina's third national championship, and Charlotte's first ever appearance in an NCAA final of any sport.

Season headlines

Throughout the course of the regular season, six different men's college soccer programs topped the rankings. The Connecticut Huskies were ranked first for four consecutive weeks, being the longest streak to do so in the season. At the end of the regular season, the New Mexico Lobos were the only college team in the nation to remain undefeated, winning 16 matches and only drawing twice.

Changes from 2010

Coaching changes

The following is a list of head coaching changes prior to the start of Division I men's soccer season.[2]

College Outgoing coach Manner of departure Incoming coach Former position
Albany Johan Aarnio Fired Trevor Gorman Wright State assistant coach
Butler Kelly Findley Hired as N.C. State head coach Paul Snape Michigan associate coach
Canisius Jim Hesch Fired Dermont McGrane Niagara head coach
Creighton Jamie Clark Hired as Washington head coach Elmar Bolowich North Carolina head coach
Hartford Dan Gaspar Fired TBA
NC State George Tarantini Fired Kelly Findley Butler head coach
Niagara Dermot McGrane Hired as Canisius head coach Chase Brooks Dayton assistant coach
NJIT Pedro Lopes Fired Cesar Markovic Stony Brook head coach
North Carolina Elmar Bolowich Hired as Creighton head coach Carlos Somoano Interim coach
North Florida Ray Bunch Fired Derek Marinatos Furman associate coach
Rider Russ Fager Fired Charlie Inverso Rutgers assistant coach
St. Peter's Guy Abrahamson Fired Julian Richens Rider assistant coach
Stony Brook Cesar Markovic Hired has NJIT head coach Ryan Anatol South Florida assistant coach
Washington Dean Wurzberger Fired Jamie Clark Creighton head coach

Rule changes

Season overview

Pre-season polls

Several American soccer outlets posted their own preseason top 25 rankings of what were believed to be the strongest men's collegiate soccer teams entering 2011.

NSCAA[3]
Ranking Team
1 Louisville
2 Akron
3 North Carolina
4 Maryland
5 SMU
6 UCLA
7 California
8 Connecticut
9 Michigan
10 Creighton
11 Brown
12 Notre Dame
13 William & Mary
14 UC Santa Barbara
15 Ohio State
16 South Carolina
17 Indiana
18 Penn State
19 Michigan State
20 Dartmouth
21 Butler
22 Virginia
23 Duke
24 UC Irvine
25 Boston College
Soccer America[4]
Ranking Team
1 Louisville
2 UCLA
3 North Carolina
4 Akron
5 Connecticut
6 Creighton
7 SMU
8 Maryland
9 Notre Dame
10 UC Santa Barbara
11 Virginia
12 Duke
13 Wake Forest
14 Brown
15 Ohio State
16 South Florida
17 West Virginia
18 Indiana
19 UCF
20 California
21 Monmouth
22 FGCU
23 Boston College
24 Loyola Marymount
25 Old Dominion
Fox Soccer/SBI[5]
Ranking Team
1 Louisville
2 UCLA
3 Akron
4 North Carolina
5 Maryland
6 SMU
7 Creighton
8 Connecticut
9 Duke
10 UC Santa Barbara
11 Virginia
12 Notre Dame
13 Ohio State
14 Wake Forest
15 West Virginia
16 Indiana
17 South Florida
18 Penn State
19 Boston College
20 Furman
21 California
22 Monmouth
23 William & Mary
24 Michigan
25 FGCU

Regular season

Early season tournaments

Name Dates Num. teams Champions
ShinDigz Soccer Festival Aug. 18–20
2
Cal State Northridge Labor Day Classic Sept. 1–3
4
Akron
Hokie Invitational Sept. 2–4
4
Ocean State Classic Sept. 2–4
4
VCU Invitational Sept. 2–4
4
Brown Soccer Classic Sept. 8–12
4
Brown
Hurricane Classic Sept. 8–12
4
Stihl Soccer Classic Sept. 8–12
4
Akron Soccer Tournament Sept. 16–18
4
Akron

Conference standings

Key

  Team won conference tournament and automatic bid in the NCAA tournament.
  Team earned a berth in NCAA tournament through an at-large bid
  Qualified conference tournament, but did not qualify for the NCAA tournament.

Conference regular season and tournament winners

Thirty athletic conferences each end their regular seasons with a single-elimination tournament. The teams in each conference that win their regular season title are given the number one seed in each tournament. The winners of these tournaments receive automatic invitations to the 2011 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship. The Ivy League does not have a conference tournament, instead giving their automatic invitation to their regular-season champion.

Conference Regular
Season Winner
Conference
Tournament
Tournament
Venue (City)
Tournament
Winner
America East Boston University 2011 America East Conference Men's Soccer Tournament Nickerson Field
(Boston, Massachusetts)
Stony Brook
Atlantic Coast North Carolina 2011 ACC Men's Soccer Tournament WakeMed Soccer Park
(Cary, North Carolina)
North Carolina
Atlantic Ten Charlotte 2011 Atlantic 10 Conference Men's Soccer Tournament Hermann Stadium
(St. Louis, Missouri)
Xavier
Atlantic Soccer Florida Atlantic No tournament
Atlantic Sun FGCU 2011 Atlantic Sun Conference Men's Soccer Tournament Summers-Taylor Stadium
(Johnson City, Tennessee)
FGCU
Big East Blue: Marquette
Red: USF
2011 Big East Men's Soccer Tournament Red Bull Arena
(Harrison, New Jersey)
St. John's
Big South Coastal Carolina 2011 Big South Men's Soccer Tournament Greene-Harbison Field
(Boiling Springs, North Carolina)
Liberty
Big Ten Northwestern 2011 Big Ten Conference Men's Soccer Tournament U-M Soccer Stadium
(Ann Arbor, Michigan)
Northwestern
Big West UC Irvine 2011 Big West Conference Men's Soccer Tournament Anteater Stadium
(Irvine, California)
UC Irvine
Colonial James Madison 2011 CAA Men's Soccer Tournament JMU Lacrosse/Soccer Complex
(Harrisonburg, Virginia)
Delaware
Conference USA UAB 2011 Conference USA Men's Soccer Tournament Hurricane Soccer & Track Stadium
(Tulsa, Oklahoma)
SMU
Horizon Valparaiso 2011 Horizon League Men's Soccer Tournament Eastgate Field
(Valparaiso, Indiana)
Loyola
Ivy Brown No tournament
Metro Atlantic Fairfield 2011 MAAC Men's Soccer Tournament Hess Field
(Lake Buena Vista, Florida)
Fairfield Stags men's soccer
Mid-American Akron 2011 MAC Men's Soccer Tournament FirstEnergy Stadium
(Akron, Ohio)
Northern Illinois
Missouri Valley Missouri State 2011 Missouri Valley Conference Men's Soccer Tournament Morrison Stadium
(Omaha, Nebraska)
Creighton
Mountain Pacific New Mexico 2011 MPSF Men's Soccer Tournament CIBER Field
(Denver, Colorado)
New Mexico
Northeast Central Connecticut State 2011 Northeast Conference Men's Soccer Tournament The Great Lawn
(West Long Branch, New Jersey)
Monmouth
Pac-12 UCLA 2011 Pac-12 Conference Men's Soccer Tournament Maloney Field
(Stanford, California)
UCLA
Patriot American 2011 Patriot League Men's Soccer Tournament Tournament venue
(Tournament City, State)
Colgate
Southern UNC Greensboro 2011 Southern Conference Men's Soccer Tournament Tournament venue
(Tournament City, State)
Elon
Summit Western Illinois 2011 The Summit League Men's Soccer Tournament Tournament venue
(Tournament City, State)
Western Illinois
West Coast Saint Mary's 2011 West Coast Conference Men's Soccer Tournament Tournament venue
(Tournament City, State)
Saint Mary's

Major upsets

In this list, a "major upset" is defined by a team that's ranked 10 or more spots lower, or an unranked team that defeats a team ranked #15 or higher.

Date Winner Score Loser
September 2 Providence 1–0 #11 Brown
September 4 UC Davis 2–1 #6 UCLA
September 11 Virginia Tech 1–0 #1 North Carolina
September 11 ESTU 2–0 #14 William & Mary
September 24 George Mason 1–0 #15 Old Dominion
October 5 #20 San Diego State 3–2 #3 Akron
October 7 #23 Virginia 2–1 #2 Maryland
October 12 Missouri State 1–0 #4 Creighton
October 17 Davidson 1–0 #2 North Carolina

Key matches

Statistical leaders

Overall

Most assists
Rank Scorer College Goals[7]
1 United States Franklin Castellanos Iona 14
2 United States Jesus Sanchez CSU Bakersfield 13
3 United States Christopher Tweed-Kent Duke 12
4 United States Scott Caldwell Akron Zips 11
Republic of Ireland Liam Collins Memphis 11
Uruguay Enzo Martinez North Carolina 11
United States Juan Peralta Vermont 11

Last updated on December 23, 2011. Source: NCAA.com - Total Assists

Per match

Points per game[8]
Goals per game[9]
Assists per game[10]
Saves per game[11]
Player School PPG Player School GPG Player School APG Player School SVPG
Jamaica Ashton Bennett Coastal Carolina 2.41 United States Mark Sherrod Memphis 1.06 United States Franklin Castellanos Iona 0.74 United States John McCarthy La Salle 7.94
United States Mark Sherrod Memphis 2.33 Jamaica Ashton Bennett Coastal Carolina 1.05 United States Juan Peralta Vermont 0.65 Finland Lassi Hurskainen UNC Asheville 6.68
Haiti Max Touloute IPFW 2.19 Jamaica Darren Mattocks Akron 0.95 United States Jesus Sanchez CSU Bakersfield 0.62 United States Thomas Hand Richmond 6.64
Jamaica Darren Mattocks Akron 2.09 United States Gyasi Zardes CSU Bakersfield 0.90 Republic of Ireland Liam Collins Memphis 0.61 United States Taylor Feuerstein VMI 6.50
United States Luis Silva UC Santa Barbara 2.00 United States Yannick Smith Old Dominion 0.84 United States Matt Lodge Kentucky 0.59 United States Andrew D'Ottavi Saint Joseph's 6.33
Save Percentage[12]
Goals Against Average[13]
Goalkeeper Min. Played
Saves[14]
Player School SV% Player School GAA Player School MP Player School SV%
United States Brian Holt Creighton .923 United States Brian Holt Creighton .207 United States John McCarthy La Salle 143
United States Graham Heydt Lafayette .908 Jamaica Andre Blake Connecticut .385 Finland Lassi Hurskainen UNC Asheville 127
United States Ciaran Nugent Lehigh .896 United States Ciaran Nugent Lehigh .412 United States George Ellis Manhattan 110
Jamaica Andre Blake Connecticut .888 United States Victor Rodriguez New Mexico .493 United States Jonathan Lester San Jose State 105
Canada Darius Motazed Saint Francis (Pa.) .882 United States Graham Heydt Lafayette .504 United States Brendan Roslund San Francisco 101

NCAA tournament

College Cup – Hoover, Alabama

National semifinals
December 9
National championship
December 11
      
1 North Carolina 2(3)
13 UCLA 2(1)
1 North Carolina 1
Charlotte 0
Charlotte 0(4)
2 Creighton 0(1)

Award winners

NSCAA/Continental Tire Men's NCAA Division I All-America Team

On December 9, 2011, the National Soccer Coaches Association of America released their All-American teams for the 2011 NCAA Division I men's soccer season. The list included a first, second and third team.[15]

First team

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. Nation Player
1 GK United States USA Brian Holt (Creighton)
2 DF United States USA Chris Estridge (Indiana)
3 DF United States USA Matt Hedges (North Carolina)
4 DF United States USA Charles Rodriguez (Charlotte)
5 MF United States USA Miguel Ibarra (UC Irvine)
6 MF Uruguay URU Enzo Martinez (North Carolina)
7 MF United States USA Luis Silva (UC Santa Barbara)
8 FW Jamaica JAM Ashton Bennett (Coastal Carolina)
9 FW United States USA Ethan Finlay (Creighton)
10 FW United States USA Billy Schuler (North Carolina)
11 FW United States USA Andrew Wenger (Duke)
Second team

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. Nation Player
1 GK United States USA Brian Rowe (UCLA)
2 DF United States USA R. J. Allen (Monmouth)
3 DF United States USA Andrew Duran (Creighton)
4 DF United States USA Kyle Venter (New Mexico)
5 MF United States USA Carlos Alvarez (Connecticut)
6 MF United States USA Greg Jordan (Creighton)
7 MF United States USA Lance Rozeboom (New Mexico)
8 MF United States USA Paul Wyatt (James Madison)
9 FW England ENG Dom Dwyer (South Florida)
10 FW Ghana GHA Evans Frimpong (Delaware)
11 FW Jamaica JAM Darren Mattocks (Akron)
12 FW United States USA Casey Townsend (Maryland)
Third team

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. Nation Player
1 GK United States USA Andre Blake (Connecticut)
2 DF United States USA Austin Berry (Louisville)
3 DF United States USA Eric Schoenle (West Virginia)
4 DF United States USA Walker Zimmerman (Furman)
5 MF United States USA Scott Caldwell (Akron)
6 MF Colombia COL Jonathan Mendoza (Stetson)
7 MF Brazil BRA Pedro Ribeiro (Coastal Carolina)
8 MF United States USA John Stertzer (Maryland)
9 FW United States USA Chandler Hoffman (UCLA)
10 FW United States USA Mark Sherrod (Memphis)
11 FW Jamaica JAM Yannick Smith (Old Dominion)
12 FW United States USA Gyasi Zardes (CSU Bakersfield)

See also

References

  1. ^ "San Diego at UC Santa Barbara". UCSBGauchos.com. Retrieved January 22, 2012.
  2. ^ "Men's Division I college coaching changes". Soccer America. SoccerAmerica.com. April 11, 2011. Retrieved September 12, 2011.
  3. ^ "NCAA Division I Men's Soccer: 2011 Preseason Rankings". National Collegiate Athletic Association. August 9, 2011. Archived from the original on August 11, 2011. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
  4. ^ "Soccer America Men's Preseason Top 25". Soccer America. SoccerAmerica.com. August 22, 2011. Retrieved September 12, 2011.
  5. ^ Garlarcep, Ives (August 26, 2011). "Soccer America Men's Preseason Top 25". Soccer By Ives. FoxSoccer.com. Retrieved September 12, 2011.
  6. ^ "Total Goals". National Collegiate Athletic Association. NCAA.com. Retrieved December 23, 2011.
  7. ^ "Total Assists". National Collegiate Athletic Association. NCAA.com. Retrieved December 23, 2011.
  8. ^ "Points per game". National Collegiate Athletic Association. NCAA.com. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
  9. ^ "Goals per game". National Collegiate Athletic Association. NCAA.com. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
  10. ^ "Assists per game". National Collegiate Athletic Association. NCAA.com. Retrieved December 23, 2011.
  11. ^ "Saves per game". National Collegiate Athletic Association. NCAA.com. Retrieved December 23, 2011.
  12. ^ "Saves Pct". National Collegiate Athletic Association. NCAA.com. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
  13. ^ "Goals Against Average". National Collegiate Athletic Association. NCAA.com. January 25, 2012. Retrieved February 4, 2012.
  14. ^ "Total Saves". National Collegiate Athletic Association. NCAA.com. January 25, 2012. Retrieved February 4, 2012.
  15. ^ "2011 NSCAA/Continental Tire Men's NCAA Division I All-America Team". SoccerAmerica. SoccerAmerica.com. December 9, 2011. Retrieved February 4, 2012.