Chicago State Cougars men's soccer
The Chicago State Cougars men's soccer program represents the Chicago State University in all NCAA Division I men's college soccer competitions.[2] The Cougars soccer team began play in NCAA Division I in the 2020–21 season and the Western Athletic Conference in the 2021 season.[3] CSU moved to the Mid-American Conference (MAC) as a men's soccer affiliate for the 2022 season. After that season, the MAC shut down its men's soccer league, and the Cougars joined the newly formed men's soccer league of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC).[4] They would only play OVC soccer for one season, as Chicago State will become a full member of the Northeast Conference (NEC) in July 2024.[5]
| Chicago State Cougars | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Founded | 2020 |
| University | Chicago State University |
| Head coach | Norris Howze (3rd season) |
| Conference | NEC |
| Location | Chicago, Illinois |
| Stadium | SeatGeek Stadium (Capacity: 20,000) |
| Nickname | Cougars |
| Colors | Green and white[1] |
The Cougars play their home matches at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois.[6] Norris Howze is the current head coach.[7]
History
editChicago State University announced on June 23, 2020, that it would finally begin a men's soccer team, effective immediately.[2] This fulfilled the school's commitment to add the sport when joining the Western Athletic Conference in 2014. CSU had later budgeted for a team in 2016, but the school did not then begin play due to financial challenges and seriously discussed leaving Division I.[8] The decision to finally add men's soccer came at the same time the school dropped baseball due to fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Cougars were to play in their full-time home of the WAC,[3] but did not begin conference play until 2021.[2] The school later announced that it would depart the WAC in June 2022.[9]
The team's first head coach, Trevor Banks, stepped down on February 25, 2022.[10]
On May 27, 2022, the Cougars announced they would move their soccer program to the Mid-American Conference and play as an affiliate member in that sport only.[11]
In March 2023, the Ohio Valley Conference announced it would launch a men's soccer league in the 2023 fall season with Chicago State as one of its eight members. [12] The 2023 season proved to be the Cougars' only season in OVC men's soccer; the university ended its two-year stint as an all-sports independent by joining the Northeast Conference effective in 2024.[5]
Seasons
edit| Season | Coach | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent (2020-21) | |||||||||
| 2020-21 | Trevor Banks | 1–2–0 | – | – | – | ||||
| Western Athletic Conference (2021) | |||||||||
| 2021 | Trevor Banks | 2–13–3 | 0–9–2 | 12th | – | ||||
| WAC Total: | 2–13–3 | 0–9–2 | |||||||
| Mid-American Conference (2022) | |||||||||
| 2022 | Norris Howze | 1–13–3 | 0–8–0 | 5th | – | ||||
| MAC Total: | 1–13–3 | 0–8–0 | |||||||
| Ohio Valley Conference (2023) | |||||||||
| 2023 | Norris Howze | 5–10–4 | 3–4–3 | 5th | – | ||||
| OVC Total: | 5–10–4 | 3–4–3 | |||||||
| Northeast Conference (2024–present) | |||||||||
| 2024 | Norris Howze | 3–11–1 | 2–5–1 | T–7th | – | ||||
| NEC Total: | 3–11–1 | 2–5–1 | |||||||
| Total: | 12–49–11 | ||||||||
|
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
| |||||||||
References
edit- ^ Chicago State University Brand Style Guide (PDF). September 1, 2011. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
- ^ a b c "Chicago State University Board of Trustees Announces Discontinuation of Baseball". Chicago State Cougars. June 23, 2020. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
- ^ a b "Chicago State Announces Sport Sponsorship Adjustment". Western Athletic Conference. June 23, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
- ^ "OVC Adds Men's Soccer as Championship Sport" (Press release). Ohio Valley Conference. March 28, 2023. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
- ^ a b "Windy City Welcome: Chicago State Roars Into NEC" (Press release). Northeast Conference. December 5, 2023. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
- ^ "Go CSU Cougars". Chicago State University & CBS Sports Digital. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
- ^ "Norris Howze Selected to Lead Chicago State's Men's Soccer Program". gocsucougars.com. June 15, 2022. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
- ^ "University Budget Committee minutes" (PDF). Chicago State University. April 26, 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 14, 2018. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
- ^ "Chicago State University Announces Plan to Leave Western Athletic Conference in June 2022". Chicago State University. January 14, 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-01-14. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
- ^ "Trevor Banks Steps Down as Head Men's Soccer Coach". gocsucougars.com. February 25, 2022. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
- ^ "Chicago State Men's Soccer Joins Mid-American Conference as an Affiliate Member". gocsucougars.com. May 27, 2022. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
- ^ "OVC Adds Men's Soccer as Championship Sport" (Press release). Ohio Valley Conference. March 28, 2023. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
External links
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