With the NCAA men’s soccer season finally coming to a close in the coming weeks, it’s time to look back and check in on how DCFC players fared over the course of the season.
Michigan State was the last team standing with DCFC ties — Ben Pirmann and Kylie Stannard are assistant coaches — but the Spartans were eliminated from the NCAA Tournament on Dec. 6 with a 3-2 loss to Providence in the Elite Eight. Michigan State stood as the team with DCFC ties that enjoyed the greatest success in 2014, compiling an overall record of 12-5-6.
As far as the rest of the teams go with Detroit City FC ties, the subsequent list provides insight into each school’s performance with individual statistics and achievements for Le Rouge players.
Butler: Jeff Adkins finished the season as one of the Bulldogs top scorers in 2014. He netted five goals and added three assists in his sophomore season as Butler finished the year with a 6-7-5 record.
Coastal Carolina: In Bret Mollon’s second season as the assistant coach and goalkeepers coach with the Chanticleers, the team advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament before falling to Clemson. As champions of the Big South Tournament, Coastal Carolina enjoyed a stellar season, posting an overall record of 16-6-1.
Detroit: The Titans finished the season with a 9-7-4 mark, as Matt Ybarra and Cameron Roberts played large roles in a respectable season. Ybarra ranked second on the team in scoring with two goals and six assists, starting all 20 games in 2014. Meanwhile, Roberts started 16 matches and recorded one assist while providing a steady presence in the midfield.
Michigan: Four DCFC players call Ann Arbor home, and each played a pivotal role in the Wolverines up-and down season. Michigan finished the season with a 6-9-3 record to overcome a slow start to the season.
Colin McAtee enjoyed a breakout season, scoring more than twice as many points as the next Wolverine player with eight goals and two assists.William Mellors-Blair, a recent transfer from Georgia State, added three goals and two assists in his first season at Michigan.
Tyler Arnone and Nick Lewin round out the rest of the Le Rouge players. Arnone recorded one goal and three assists in 16 starts, and Lewin provided consistent play on the back line, starting in all 18 matches.
Saginaw Valley State: Aleksander Isaevski led the Cardinals with nine assists this season, tacking on two goals along the way to help guide SVSU to a 14-5-2 record. Craig Neal played a critical role, too, scoring nine goals and recording seven assists for a team-high 25 points. Zach Vasold and Michael Lamb both made significant contributions. Vasold’s four points in 20 games played wasn’t close to indicative of his consistency that helped anchor the midfield. Lamb pitched in with one goal in nine appearances.
The Cardinals enjoyed great success in the GLIAC this season before a magical run ended in the Round of 16 of the Division-II Tournament.
Oakland: This season was one to remember for the Grizzles as they captured their first Horizon League regular-season title since 2012 and their first NCAA Tournament berth in four years.
Accumulating a 10-7-3 record, Oakland rebounded nicely from a shaky start to the 2014 campaign. Each DCFC player on the roster — Joey Tinnion, Shawn Lawson and Raphael Reynolds — ranked among the team’s top eight in scoring this year.
Tinnion and Lawson each netted four goals and one assist, while Reynolds added a goal and an assist to the stat sheet. All three players played in every game this season.
Western Michigan: The Broncos finished their season with an 8-7-4 record. In their final match, they nearly pulled off an upset at Akron in the MAC Tournament, but couldn’t quite hold on.
Connor Furgason finished the season ranked second among the team in scoring with four goals and two assists in 16 starts. Sean Hazen started all 19 games on his way to recording two assists.
