2017 UMass Minutemen soccer team

The 2017 UMass Minutemen soccer team represented the University of Massachusetts Amherst during the 2017 NCAA Division I men's soccer season. It was the program's 88th season in existence, and their 31st in the Atlantic 10 Conference. The Minutemen were led by fourth-year head coach, Fran O'Leary.

2017 UMass Minutemen men's soccer
NCAA Tournament, First Round
ConferenceAtlantic 10 Conference
U. Soc. Coaches pollNo. 24
Record15–4–3 (6–1–1 A-10)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Michael Mordocco (3rd season)
  • Fred Balbino (4th season)
  • Ben Brewster (1st season)
Home stadiumRudd Field
Seasons
← 2016
2018 →
2017 Atlantic 10 Conference men's soccer standings
Conf Overall
Team W   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

The season proved to be one of the more successful seasons for the Minutemen, as they qualified for the NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship for the first time since 2008, and posted their first winning overall record since 2008. The Minutemen won their sixth Atlantic 10 Regular Season championship, and completed the conference double by winning their third ever Atlantic 10 Men's Soccer Tournament. It was the program's first time to win both the regular season and tournament in the same season. At the end of the regular season, UMass was ranked in the United Soccer Coaches poll at 24, making it the first time in a decade the Minutemen earned national rankings.

The Minutemen earned an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament, where they hosted Colgate. Their spell in the NCAA Tournament was short-lived, as they fell 2–0 to the Raiders at home.

Roster

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Updated November 24, 2017[1]

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
0 GK   USA John Black
1 GK   USA Christian Curucci
2 DF   USA Jordan Howard
3 MF   USA Matthew Mooney
4 DF   GER Konrad Gorich
5 MF   ENG Connor O'Dwyer
6 MF   USA Davis Smith
7 FW   USA Alex Desantis
8 DF   USA Jared McCleary
9 FW   AUS Jack Fulton
11 MF   USA Jaime Rosiello
12 MF   USA Henry Steinkamp
13 DF   USA Casey Hamill
14 FW   GRE Andronikos Keklikoglou
No. Pos. Nation Player
15 DF   USA Dylan Cranmer
16 DF   FRA Clement Benhaddouche
17 FW   USA Mike Rita
18 MF   USA Jackson Fotter
19 DF   USA Brandon Merklin
20 MF   USA Stephen Ravazzoli
21 FW   USA Kevin Boino
23 MF   GHA Samuel Asamoah
25 MF   GHA Richard Amoako
26 MF   USA Christian Labeck
27 DF   USA Eli Cronin
28 DF   USA Ryan Saul
29 DF   USA Luke Ryan
30 GK   USA Bardia Asefnia

Schedule

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Date
Time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (Attendance)
City, State
Preseason
08/13/2017*
2:00 p.m.
at Northeastern   
Parsons Field
Brookline, MA
08/19/2017*
4:00 p.m.
Assumption (MA) W 3–0 
Rudd Field
Amherst, MA
Non-conference regular season
08/25/2017*
4:00 p.m.
St. Francis Brooklyn W 2–1  1–0–0
Rudd Field (326)
Amherst, MA
08/27/2017*
4:00 p.m.
Sacred Heart W 3–0  2–0–0
Rudd Field (362)
Amherst, MA
09/01/2017*
4:00 p.m.
Columbia T 1–1 2OT 2–0–1
Rudd Field (345)
Amherst, MA
09/05/2017*
7:25 p.m.
at No. 24 New Hampshire L 0–3  2–1–1
Wildcat Stadium (472)
Durham, NH
09/09/2017*
1:00 p.m.
Boston University W 1–0  3–1–1
Rudd Field (407)
Amherst, MA
09/12/2017*
7:00 p.m.
at Dartmouth L 0–1  3–2–1
Burnham Field (974)
Hanover, NH
09/16/2017*
0:00 p.m.
Colgate W 2–1  4–2–1
Rudd Field (506)
Amherst, MA
09/19/2017*
7:00 p.m.
at Central Connecticut T 1–1 2OT 4–2–2
CCSU Soccer Field (233)
New Britain, CT
09/23/2017*
1:00 p.m.
Hartford W 3–0  5–2–2
Rudd Field (461)
Amherst, MA
Conference regular season
09/30/2017
8:00 p.m.
at Saint Louis W 3–1  6–2–2
(1–0–0)
Hermann Stadium (461)
St. Louis, MO
10/03/2017*
4:00 p.m.
Vermont W 2–1  7–2–2
Rudd Field (247)
Amherst, MA
10/07/2017
12:00 p.m.
Duquesne W 5–0  8–2–2
(2–0–0)
Rudd Field (507)
Amherst, MA
10/11/2017
7:00 p.m.
at Saint Joseph's T 2–2 2OT 8–2–3
(2–0–1)
Sweeney Field (154)
Philadelphia, PA
10/14/2017
1:00 p.m.
La Salle W 2–0  9–2–3
(3–0–1)
Rudd Field (614)
Amherst, MA
10/18/2017
3:00 p.m.
Rhode Island W 2–1 OT 10–2–3
(4–0–1)
Rudd Field (255)
Amherst, MA
10/21/2017
7:00 p.m.
at Dayton W 3–2  11–2–3
(5–0–1)
Baujan Field (361)
Dayton, OH
10/28/2017
0:00 p.m.
at George Mason W 4–1  12–2–3
(6–0–1)
George Mason Stadium (479)
Fairfax, VA
11/01/2017
2:00 p.m.
No. 24 Fordham L 2–3  12–3–3
(6–1–1)
Rudd Field (463)
Amherst, MA
Atlantic 10 Tournament
11/05/2017*
0:00 p.m.
(1) No. 25 (8) Saint Louis
Quarterfinals
W 1–0  13–3–3
Rudd Field (605)
Amherst, MA
11/10/2017
0:00 p.m.
(1) No. 25 vs. (5) Fordham
Semifinals
W 1–0  14–3–3
Baujan Field (164)
Dayton, OH
11/12/2017
0:00 p.m.
(1) No. 25 vs. (2) No. 24 VCU
A10 Championship
W 3–1  15–3–3
Baujan Field (147)
Dayton, OH
NCAA Tournament
11/16/2017*
1:00 p.m.
No. 24 Colgate
First Round
L 0–2  15–4–3
Rudd Field (722)
Amherst, MA
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from United Soccer Coaches. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.

References

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  1. ^ "2017 Men's Soccer Roster". umassathletics.com. University of Massachusetts Amherst Athletics. Retrieved November 24, 2017.