2017 VCU Rams men's soccer team

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 be led by eighth-year head coach, Dave Giffard.

2017 VCU Rams men's soccer
NCAA Tournament, Second Round
ConferenceAtlantic 10 Conference
TopDrawerSoccer.comNo. 25
2017 record12–7–0 (5–2–0 A-10)
Head coachDavid Giffard (8th season)
Assistant coaches
  • Brett Teach (7th season)
  • Matt Cannady (3rd season)
Home stadiumSports Backers Stadium
2017 Atlantic 10 Conference men's soccer standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
UMass ‡ 6 –1 –1  15 –4 –3
VCU + 6 –2 –0  13 –7 –0
George Washington 6 –2 –0  9 –7 –2
Dayton 6 –2 –0  9 –8 –2
No. 11 Fordham + 5 –2 –1  14 –6 –3
Rhode Island 4 –3 –1  10 –6 –3
St. Bonaventure 4 –4 –0  8 –9 –2
Saint Louis 4 –4 –0  7 –9 –1
Davidson 3 –4 –1  8 –7 –2
LaSalle 3 –5 –0  8 –9 –1
Saint Joseph's 1 –6 –1  3 –11 –4
Duquesne 1 –7 –0  3 –13 –1
George Mason 0 –7 –1  5 –9 –2
As of December 13, 2017; Rankings from United Soccer Coaches

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
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for Departure
Dakota Barnathan 8 MF 6'2" 165 Senior (Redshirt) Massapequa, NY Graduated; entered the 2017 MLS SuperDraft
Kai Marshall 11 MF 6'2" 185 Senior (Redshirt) Charlottesville, VA Graduated
Rahim Costa-Dorsey 77 FW 6'2" 180 Senior Alexandria, VA Graduated
Brandon Eaton 6 MF 5'8" 165 Senior Chesapeake, VA Graduated
Juan Fajardo Ortiz 5 DF 5'10" 160 Senior Coyoles Central, HON Graduated
Jorge Herranz 20 FW 6'0" 175 Senior Madrid, ESP Graduated
Simond Kargbo 14 FW 5'5" 130 Senior Mount Vernon, VA Graduated
Jason McGlothern 31 MF 6'0" 155 Senior Seattle, WA Graduated

Incoming transfers
NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotes
Siad Haji8FW5'8"150SophomoreManchester, New HampshireTransferred from New England College.[9]
Peter Pearson12MF5'7"155RS JuniorVirginia Beach, VirginiaTransferred from Virginia.[10]

Recruits
Name Nat. Hometown High School Club Height Weight Commit date
Brandon Bonilla
MF
 CRCSan Jose, CRCN/ABelén6'1"165April 14, 2017
Recruit star rankings: TDS: CSN: ESPN:
Ulrik Edvardsen
DF
 NORBergen, NORN/ABrann6'3"175April 14, 2017
Recruit star rankings: TDS: CSN: ESPN:
Bruk Fekade
MF
 ETHLoudoun, VAN/ALoudoun Soccer Club5'11"150April 14, 2017
Recruit star rankings: TDS: [11] CSN: ESPN:
Jared Greene
FW
 USAVirginia Beach, VirginiaKellam High SchoolBeach FC6'2"155April 14, 2017
Recruit star rankings: TDS: CSN: ESPN:
Jared Mazzola
GK
 USAKatonah, New YorkSomers High SchoolFC Westchester6'1"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. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
00 GK Mario Sequeira
0 GK Jared Mazzola
1 GK Joseph Rice
2 DF Ryo Shimazaki
3 DF Ulrik Edvarsen
4 DF Zeron Sewell
5 DF Steven Dal Molin
6 MF Lyndsey Moreland
7 MF Luc Fatton
8 FW Siad Haji
10 MF Rafael Andrade Santos
11 MF Fortia Munts
12 MF Peter Pearson
No. Position Player
13 MF Travis Cooke
14 FW Jared Greene
15 DF R. J. Roberts
16 MF Oquin Robinson
17 MF Eli Lockaby
21 MF Greg Boehme
22 MF Anthony Gonnella
23 MF Francesco Amorosino
24 DF Austin Graham
25 MF Joseph Gonnella
28 DF Bruk Fekade
32 DF Kelly Walters
56 GK Pierre Gardan
77 FW Andy Mensah

Captains in bold

Schedule
Date
Time, TV		 Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (Attendance)
City, State
Spring season
03/04/2017
7:00 AM		 Montreal Rush T 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 OT 3–3–0
 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. 22 at 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. 22 at (7) St. Bonaventure
Quarterfinals		 W 4–1  11–5–0
 Sports Backers Stadium (274)
Richmond, VA
11/10/2017
7:30 PM		 (2) No. 24 vs. (6) Rhode Island
Semifinals		 W 2–0  12–5–0
 Baujan Field (164)
Dayton, OH
11/12/2017
12:00 PM		 (2) No. 24 vs. (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. 22 No. 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.
Poll Pre Wk
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] RV RV RV 22 24 22 None Released RV
TopDrawerSoccer.com [14] RV 17 16 17 25 25 25 25
CollegeSoccerNews.com [15] RV RV 24 26 29 None Released RV

Regional rankings
Ranking Movement
Legend: ██ Improvement in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. ██ Not ranked. RV=Others receiving votes.
Poll1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th10th11th12th
USC Midwest Region 9 9 7 4 4 7

Awards
Recipient Award Date Ref.
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 SantosUnited Soccer Coaches Second-Team All-AmericanJanuary 5, 2018

Season statistics

Team

Individual
Individual Player Statistics (As of January 26, 2017)
Player App Goals Asst Points Shots Shot% SOG SOG% GW Pk-Att GA Saves SO
Forwards
Walters, Andrew 0 0 0 0 0 0% 0 0% 0 0-0 0 0 0
Midfielders
Agiasiotis, Petros 0 0 0 0 0 0% 0 0% 0 0-0 0 0 0
Amorosino, Francesco 0 0 0 0 0 0% 0 0% 0 0-0 0 0 0
Boehme, Greg 0 0 0 0 0 0% 0 0% 0 0-0 0 0 0
Cooke, Travis 0 0 0 0 0 0% 0 0% 0 0-0 0 0 0
Gonnella, Joe 0 0 0 0 0 0% 0 0% 0 0-0 0 0 0
Gonnella, Tony 0 0 0 0 0 0% 0 0% 0 0-0 0 0 0
Lockaby, Eli 0 0 0 0 0 0% 0 0% 0 0-0 0 0 0
Moreland, Lyndsey 0 0 0 0 0 0% 0 0% 0 0-0 0 0 0
Munts, Fortia 0 0 0 0 0 0% 0 0% 0 0-0 0 0 0
Santos, Rafael 0 0 0 0 0 0% 0 0% 0 0-0 0 0 0
Vargas, Gerald 0 0 0 0 0 0% 0 0% 0 0-0 0 0 0
Defenders
Dal Molin, Steven 0 0 0 0 0 0% 0 0% 0 0-0 0 0 0
Ekoue, Cedric 0 0 0 0 0 0% 0 0% 0 0-0 0 0 0
Graham, Austin 0 0 0 0 0 0% 0 0% 0 0-0 0 0 0
Roberts, R. J. 0 0 0 0 0 0% 0 0% 0 0-0 0 0 0
Shimazaki, Ryo 0 0 0 0 0 0% 0 0% 0 0-0 0 0 0
Goalkeepers
Gardan, Pierre 0 0 0 0 0 0% 0 0% 0 0-0 0 0 0
Rice, Joseph 0 0 0 0 0 0% 0 0% 0 0-0 0 0 0
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 Santos474MFD.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. 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.
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