2019 Mid-American Conference men's soccer season
2019 Mid-American Conference men's soccer season | |
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League | NCAA Division I |
Sport | Soccer |
Duration | August 30, 2019 – November 2, 2019 |
Number of teams | 6 |
2020 MLS SuperDraft | |
Top draft pick | Tom Smart, 45th overall |
Picked by | LA Galaxy |
Regular Season | |
Season champions | Akron |
Runners-up | Western Michigan |
Tournament | |
Champions | West Virginia |
Runners-up | Bowling Green |
Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Akron | 4 | – | 0 | – | 1 | 6 | – | 10 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Western Michigan | 2 | – | 1 | – | 2 | 11 | – | 6 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
SIUE | 2 | – | 1 | – | 2 | 8 | – | 5 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Northern Illinois | 2 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 10 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bowling Green | 2 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 13 | – | 7 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
West Virginia ‡ | 0 | – | 4 | – | 1 | 10 | – | 9 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rankings from United Soccer Coaches Source: MAC |
The 2019 Mid-American Conference men's soccer season will be the 27th season of men's varsity soccer in the Mid-American Conference.
Akron enters the season as the conference tournament champions. West Virginia enters the season as the defending conference regular season champions.
Background
[edit]Previous season
[edit]The 2018 season was the 26th season of men's varsity soccer in the Mid-American Conference. Akron won the 2018 MAC Men's Soccer Tournament against Western Michigan.[1] With the MAC Tournament title, Akron earned an automatic bid into the 2018 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament. MAC regular season champions, West Virginia, earn an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament. West Virginia and Akron were unseeded in the tournament meaning both programs began in the first round.
In the tournament, West Virginia advanced past LIU Brooklyn before losing in Georgetown in the second round. Akron reached the NCAA College Cup for the second consecutive season, and for the sixth time in program history. This came after defeating Rider, Syracuse, Wake Forest, three-time defending champions Stanford, and Michigan State. In the 2018 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship Game, Akron lost to Maryland, 0–1 off of a penalty kick from Amar Sejdič.[2][3]
Coaching changes
[edit]Ahead of the 2019 season, SIUE head coach Mario Sanchez was hired by professional soccer club, Louisville City FC.[4] Cale Wassermann was hired to replace Sanchez.[5]
School | Outgoing coach | Manner of departure |
Date of vacancy |
Position in table | Incoming coach | Date of appointment |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SIU Edwardsville | ![]() |
Hired by Louisville City FC | November 30, 2018 | Preseason | ![]() |
January 17, 2019 |
Teams
[edit]Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity | Coach | Uniforms supplier |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Akron Zips | Akron, Ohio | FirstEnergy Stadium-Cub Cadet Field | 4,000 | ![]() |
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Bowling Green Falcons | Bowling Green, Ohio | Cochrane Stadium | 1,000 | ![]() |
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Northern Illinois Huskies | DeKalb, Illinois | NIU Soccer and Track & Field Complex | 1,500 | ![]() |
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SIU Edwardsville Cougars | Edwardsville, Illinois | Ralph Korte Stadium | 4,000 | ![]() |
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West Virginia Mountaineers | Morgantown, West Virginia | Dlesk Stadium | 1,600 | ![]() |
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Western Michigan Broncos | Kalamazoo, Michigan | WMU Soccer Complex | 500 | ![]() |
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Preseason
[edit]Preseason poll
[edit]The preseason poll was released on August 26, 2019.[6]
Team Ranking | Points | First | |
---|---|---|---|
1. | Akron | 35 | 5 |
2. | Western Michigan | 27 | 1 |
3. | West Virginia | 22 | 0 |
4. | SIUE | 15 | 0 |
5. | Bowling Green | 14 | 0 |
6. | Northern Illinois | 13 | 0 |
Preseason national polls
[edit]The preseason national polls were released in July and August 2019. United Soccer Coaches, Soccer America, and TopDrawer Soccer have a Top 25 poll, while College Soccer News has a Top 30 poll.
United Soccer[7] |
CSN[8] | Soccer America[9] |
Top Drawer Soccer[10] | |
Akron | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Bowling Green | — | — | — | — |
Northern Illinois | — | — | — | — |
SIUE | — | — | — | — |
West Virginia | 23 | 2 | — | 2 |
Western Michigan | — | — | — | — |
Regular season
[edit]Early season tournaments
[edit]Early season tournaments will be announced in late Spring and Summer 2019.
Team | Tournament | Finish |
---|---|---|
Bowling Green | Chicago Classic | 1st |
SIUE | Michigan Classic | 3rd |
Western Michigan | Bronco Soccer Fest | 1st |
Conference results
[edit]Color Key: Home • Away • Win • Loss • Draw • Postponed | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Club | Match | ||||
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
Akron Zips (AKR) |
BGSU | WMU | SIUE | NIU | WVU |
Oct | Oct | Oct | Oct | Nov | |
Bowling Green Falcons (BGSU) |
TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
Oct | Oct | Oct | Oct | Nov | |
Northern Illinois Huskies (NIU) |
TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
Oct | Oct | Oct | Oct | Nov | |
SIU Edwardsville Cougars (SIUE) |
TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
Oct | Oct | Oct | Oct | Nov | |
West Virginia Mountaineers (WVU) |
TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
Oct | Oct | Oct | Oct | Nov | |
Western Michigan Broncos (WMU) |
TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
Oct | Oct | Oct | Oct | Nov |
Standings
[edit]Conference | Overall | Qualification | |||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | ||
1 | Akron | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 4 | +6 | 13 | 18 | 6 | 10 | 2 | 21 | 23 | −2 | 20 | 2019 MAC Men's Soccer Tournament | |
2 | Bowling Green | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
3 | Northern Illinois | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
4 | SIUE | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
5 | West Virginia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
6 | Western Michigan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Updated to match(es) played on August 3, 2019. Source: MAC
Postseason
[edit]MAC Tournament
[edit]The 2019 MAC Tournament was held from November 12–17, 2019.
First Round | Semifinals | Championship | ||||||||||||
1 | Akron | 0 | ||||||||||||
4 | Bowling Green | 2 | 4 | Bowling Green | 1 | |||||||||
5 | Northern Illinois | 1 | 4 | Bowling Green | 0 | |||||||||
6 | West Virginia | 1 | ||||||||||||
2 | Western Michigan | 2 | ||||||||||||
3 | SIUE | 0 | 3 | West Virginia | 3 | |||||||||
6 | West Virginia | 1 |
NCAA Tournament
[edit]The NCAA Tournament will begin in November 2019 and conclude on December 17, 2019.
Seed | Region | School | 1st Round | 2nd Round | 3rd Round | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Championship |
---|
Rankings
[edit]National rankings
[edit]Improvement in ranking | ||
Drop in ranking | ||
RV | Received votes but were not ranked in Top 25 | |
NV | No votes received |
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 | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Akron | USC | 3 | 21 | RV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | None released | |||||||
TDS | 2 | 2 | 12 | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | |||||||||
Bowling Green | USC | NV | RV | 25 | RV | RV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | None released | |||||||
TDS | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | |||||||||
Northern Illinois | USC | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | None released | |||||||
TDS | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | |||||||||
SIUE | USC | NV | RV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | None released | |||||||
TDS | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | |||||||||
West Virginia | USC | 23 | 21 | RV | 20 | RV | 23 | RV | NV | NV | NV | None released | |||||||
TDS | 25 | 25 | 24 | NV | RV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | |||||||||
Western Michigan | USC | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | RV | None released | |||||||
TDS | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV |
Regional rankings - USC North Region
[edit]Improvement in ranking | ||
Drop in ranking | ||
RV | Received votes but were not ranked in Top 10 | |
NV | No votes received |
The United Soccer Coaches' North Region includes teams from the Mid-American Conference, the Big Ten Conference, and the Horizon League.
Wk 1 |
Wk 2 |
Wk 3 |
Wk 4 |
Wk 5 |
Wk 6 |
Wk 7 |
Wk 8 |
Wk 9 |
Wk 10 |
Wk 11 |
Wk 12 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Akron | 6 | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | |||
Bowling Green | 8 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 8 | |||
Northern Illinois | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | |||
SIUE | 5 | 8 | NV | NV | NV | NV | 10 | 6 | 6 | |||
West Virginia | 3 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 10 | NV | |||
Western Michigan | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | 10 | 7 | 4 | 4 |
Awards and honors
[edit]Player of the week honors
[edit]Week | Player | Position | Team | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Week 1 | Noah Heim | GK | SIUE | [11] |
Week 2 | Anthony Bowie | FW | Western Michigan | [12] |
Achille Robin | DF | Bowling Green | ||
Week 3 | Robles Grajer | FW | West Virginia | [13] |
Week 4 | Jorge Gonzalez | FW | SIUE | [14] |
Week 5 | Andres Muriel Albino | MF | West Virginia | [15] |
Week 6 | Anthony Bowie | FW | Western Michigan | [16] |
Week 7 | Charlie Sharp | MF | Western Michigan | [17] |
Week 8 | Alex Welch | MF | Northern Illinois | |
Week 9 | ||||
Week 10 |
Postseason honors
[edit]2019 MAC Men's Soccer Individual Awards | ||||||
Award | Recipient(s) | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Offensive Player of the Year | ||||||
Defensive Player of the Year | ||||||
Midfielder of the Year | ||||||
Goalkeeper of the Year | ||||||
Coach of the Year | ||||||
Freshman of the Year |
2019 MAC Men's Soccer All-Conference Teams | ||||||
First Team Honorees | Second Team Honorees | All-Freshman Team Honorees | Sportsmanship Award Honorees | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
National awards
[edit]Award | Winner | School | Ref. |
---|
2020 MLS Draft
[edit]The 2020 MLS SuperDraft will be held in January 2020.
Rnd. | Pick | Player | Pos. | Team | School |
---|
Homegrown players
[edit]The Homegrown Player Rule is a Major League Soccer program that allows MLS teams to sign local players from their own development academies directly to MLS first team rosters. Before the creation of the rule in 2008,[18] every player entering Major League Soccer had to be assigned through one of the existing MLS player allocation processes, such as the MLS SuperDraft.
To place a player on its homegrown player list, making him eligible to sign as a homegrown player, players must have resided in that club's home territory and participated in the club's youth development system for at least one year.[19] Players can play college soccer and still be eligible to sign a homegrown contract.
Original MLS team | Player | Pos. | School | Ref. |
---|
References
[edit]- ^ Fagerlin, A. J. (November 13, 2017). "Zips Claim 14th MAC Tournament Title in Victory over Western Michigan". The Buchtelite. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
- ^ "Maryland beats Akron to win men's soccer title". ESPN.com. December 10, 2018. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
- ^ Bryant, Victor. "Maryland wins its fourth men's soccer national championship by beating Akron, 1-0, on second-half penalty kick". baltimoresun.com. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
- ^ "Mario Sanchez resigns as SIUE men's soccer head coach position". EdGlenToday.com. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
- ^ "MEN'S SOCCER: Cale Wassermann named SIUE men's soccer coach". The Edwardsville Intelligencer. January 18, 2019. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
- ^ "Akron Selected to Capture 2019 MAC Men's Soccer Title". getsomemaction.com. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
- ^ "United Soccer Coaches Top 25 NCAA DI Men — National Pre-Season Poll — August 6, 2019". United Soccer Coaches. August 6, 2019. Archived from the original on August 11, 2019. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
- ^ "College Soccer News 2019 Preseason National Poll". collegesoccernews.com. CollegeSoccerNews.com. Archived from the original on August 13, 2019. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
- ^ "Soccer America Men's College Preseason Top 25". socceramerica.com. Soccer America. August 28, 2019. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
- ^ "College Soccer National Ranking - Preseason". topdrawersoccer.com. Top Drawer Soccer. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
- ^ "Heim Tabbed as Men's Soccer Player of the Week". getsomemaction.com. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
- ^ "Bowie and Robin Share Player of the Week Honors". getsomemaction.com. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
- ^ "Robles Grajera Honored as Men's Soccer Player of the Week". getsomemaction.com. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
- ^ "Gonzalez Named Men's Soccer Player of the Week". getsomemaction.com. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
- ^ "Muriel Albino Named Men's Soccer Player of the Week". getsomemaction.com. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
- ^ "Western Michigan's Bowie Earns MAC Player of the Week Honors". getsomemaction.com. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
- ^ "Sharp Named MAC Men's Soccer Player of the Week". getsomemaction.com. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
- ^ "MLS Draft 2013: Homegrown player initiative rises as draft declines". Sporting News. Archived from the original on March 12, 2013. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
- ^ "MLS 2012 Roster Rules". Archived from the original on February 20, 2012.