2017 VCU Rams men's soccer team explained

Year:	2017
Team:	VCU Rams
Sport:	soccer
Conference:	Atlantic 10 Conference
Short Conf:	A-10
Record:	12–7–0
Conf Record:	5–2–0
Tdsrank:	25
Head Coach:	David Giffard
Hc Year:	8th
Asst Coach1:	Brett Teach
Ac1 Year:	7th
Asst Coach2:	Matt Cannady
Ac2 Year:	3rd
Stadium:	Sports Backers Stadium
Tourney:	NCAA Tournament
Tourney Result:	Second Round

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 led by eighth-year head coach, Dave Giffard.

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
	8	MF		165	(Redshirt)	Massapequa, NY	Graduated; entered the 2017 MLS SuperDraft
	11	MF		185	(Redshirt)	Charlottesville, VA	Graduated
	77	FW		180		Alexandria, VA	Graduated
	6	MF		165		Chesapeake, VA	Graduated
	5	DF		160		Coyoles Central, HON	Graduated
	20	FW		175		Madrid, ESP	Graduated
	14	FW		130		Mount Vernon, VA	Graduated
	31	MF		155		Seattle, WA	Graduated

Incoming transfers

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Notes
	8	FW	5'8"	150	Sophomore		Transferred from New England College.^[9]
Peter Pearson	12	MF	5'7"	155	RS Junior		Transferred from Virginia.^[10]

Recruits

Name	Nat.	Hometown	High School	Club	Height	Weight	Commit date
					6'1"	165	April 14, 2017
	Recruit star rankings: TDS: CSN: ESPN:
					6'3"	175	April 14, 2017
	Recruit star rankings: TDS: CSN: ESPN:
				Loudoun Soccer Club	5'11"	150	April 14, 2017
	Recruit star rankings: TDS: ^[11] CSN: ESPN:
				Beach FC	6'2"	155	April 14, 2017
	Recruit star rankings: TDS: CSN: ESPN:
					6'1"	175	April 14, 2017
	Recruit star rankings: TDS: CSN: ESPN:

Roster

As of November 15, 2017.^[12]

Captains in bold

Schedule

|-!colspan=8 style=""| Spring season|-!colspan=8 style=""| Exhibitions|-|-!colspan=8 style=""| Regular season|-|-!colspan=8 style=""| Atlantic 10 Tournament|-|-!colspan=8 style=""| NCAA Tournament|-

Rankings

National rankings

т

Tied with team above or below also with this symbol -->
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]	<	-- NSCAA Preseason -->	<	-- NSCAA Week 1 -->	<	-- NSCAA Week 2 -->	<	-- NSCAA Week 3 -->	<	-- NSCAA Week 4 -->	<	-- NSCAA Week 5 -->	<	-- NSCAA Week 6 -->	<	-- NSCAA Week 7 --> RV	<	-- NSCAA Week 8 --> RV	<	-- NSCAA Week 9 --> RV	<	-- NSCAA Week 10 --> 22	<	-- NSCAA Week 11 --> 24	<	-- NSCAA Week 12 --> 22	None Released	RV
TopDrawerSoccer.com^[14]	<	-- TDS Preseason -->	<	-- TDS Week 1 -->	<	-- TDS Week 2 -->	<	-- TDS Week 3 -->	<	-- TDS Week 4 -->	<	-- TDS Week 5 -->	<	-- TDS Week 6 -->	<	-- TDS Week 7 -->	<	-- TDS Week 8 -->	<	-- TDS Week 9 -->	RV <	-- TDS Week 10 -->	17 <	-- TDS Week 11 -->	16 <	-- TDS Week 12 -->	17 <	-- TDS Week 13 -->	25 <	-- TDS Week 14 -->	25 <	-- TDS Week 15 -->	25 <	-- TDS Week 16 -->	25 <	-- TDS Final -->
CollegeSoccerNews.com ^[15]	<	-- CSN Preseason -->	<	-- CSN Week 1 -->	<	-- CSN Week 2 -->	<	-- CSN Week 3 -->	<	-- CSN Week 4 -->	<	-- CSN Week 5 -->	<	-- CSN Week 6 -->	<	-- CSN Week 7 -->	<	-- CSN Week 8 -->	RV <	-- CSN Week 9 -->	RV <	-- CSN Week 10 -->	24 <	-- CSN Week 11 -->	26 <	-- CSN Week 12 -->	29 <	-- CSN Week 13 -->	None Released	RV <	-- CSN Final -->

Regional rankings

т

Tied with team above or below also with this symbol -->
Poll	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th	10th	11th	12th
USC Midwest Region	<	-- NSCAA Week 1 -->	<	-- NSCAA Week 2 -->	<	-- NSCAA Week 3 -->	<	-- NSCAA Week 4 -->	<	-- NSCAA Week 5 -->	<	-- NSCAA Week 6 -->	<	-- NSCAA Week 7 --> 9	<	-- NSCAA Week 8 --> 9	<	-- NSCAA Week 9 --> 7	<	-- NSCAA Week 10 --> 4	<	-- NSCAA Week 11 --> 4	<	-- NSCAA Week 12 --> 7

Awards

Recipient	Award	Date	Ref.
Rafael Santos	Atlantic 10 Offensive Player of the Year	November 13, 2017
Francesco Amorosino	Atlantic 10 All-Second Team	November 13, 2017
Luc Fatton	Atlantic 10 All-Second Team	November 13, 2017
Ulrik Edvarsen	Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team	November 13, 2017
Mario Sequeira	Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team	November 13, 2017
Rafael Santos	CSN Second-Team All-American	January 4, 2018
Rafael Santos	United Soccer Coaches Second-Team All-American	January 5, 2018

Season statistics

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
style=white-space:nowrap	Walters, Andrew	<	-- App ----->0	<	-- Goals --->0	<	-- Asst ---->0	<	-- Points -->0	<	-- Shots --->0	<	-- Shot% --->0%	<	-- SOG ----->0	<	-- SOG% ---->0%	<	-- GW ------>0	<	-- Pk-Att -->0-0	<	-- GA ------>0	<	-- Saves --->0	<	-- SO ------>0
Midfielders
style=white-space:nowrap	Agiasiotis, Petros	<	-- App ----->0	<	-- Goals --->0	<	-- Asst ---->0	<	-- Points -->0	<	-- Shots --->0	<	-- Shot% --->0%	<	-- SOG ----->0	<	-- SOG% ---->0%	<	-- GW ------>0	<	-- Pk-Att -->0-0	<	-- GA ------>0	<	-- Saves --->0	<	-- SO ------>0
style=white-space:nowrap	Amorosino, Francesco	<	-- App ----->0	<	-- Goals --->0	<	-- Asst ---->0	<	-- Points -->0	<	-- Shots --->0	<	-- Shot% --->0%	<	-- SOG ----->0	<	-- SOG% ---->0%	<	-- GW ------>0	<	-- Pk-Att -->0-0	<	-- GA ------>0	<	-- Saves --->0	<	-- SO ------>0
style=white-space:nowrap	Boehme, Greg	<	-- App ----->0	<	-- Goals --->0	<	-- Asst ---->0	<	-- Points -->0	<	-- Shots --->0	<	-- Shot% --->0%	<	-- SOG ----->0	<	-- SOG% ---->0%	<	-- GW ------>0	<	-- Pk-Att -->0-0	<	-- GA ------>0	<	-- Saves --->0	<	-- SO ------>0
style=white-space:nowrap	Cooke, Travis	<	-- App ----->0	<	-- Goals --->0	<	-- Asst ---->0	<	-- Points -->0	<	-- Shots --->0	<	-- Shot% --->0%	<	-- SOG ----->0	<	-- SOG% ---->0%	<	-- GW ------>0	<	-- Pk-Att -->0-0	<	-- GA ------>0	<	-- Saves --->0	<	-- SO ------>0
style=white-space:nowrap	Gonnella, Joe	<	-- App ----->0	<	-- Goals --->0	<	-- Asst ---->0	<	-- Points -->0	<	-- Shots --->0	<	-- Shot% --->0%	<	-- SOG ----->0	<	-- SOG% ---->0%	<	-- GW ------>0	<	-- Pk-Att -->0-0	<	-- GA ------>0	<	-- Saves --->0	<	-- SO ------>0
style=white-space:nowrap	Gonnella, Tony	<	-- App ----->0	<	-- Goals --->0	<	-- Asst ---->0	<	-- Points -->0	<	-- Shots --->0	<	-- Shot% --->0%	<	-- SOG ----->0	<	-- SOG% ---->0%	<	-- GW ------>0	<	-- Pk-Att -->0-0	<	-- GA ------>0	<	-- Saves --->0	<	-- SO ------>0
style=white-space:nowrap	Lockaby, Eli	<	-- App ----->0	<	-- Goals --->0	<	-- Asst ---->0	<	-- Points -->0	<	-- Shots --->0	<	-- Shot% --->0%	<	-- SOG ----->0	<	-- SOG% ---->0%	<	-- GW ------>0	<	-- Pk-Att -->0-0	<	-- GA ------>0	<	-- Saves --->0	<	-- SO ------>0
style=white-space:nowrap	Moreland, Lyndsey	<	-- App ----->0	<	-- Goals --->0	<	-- Asst ---->0	<	-- Points -->0	<	-- Shots --->0	<	-- Shot% --->0%	<	-- SOG ----->0	<	-- SOG% ---->0%	<	-- GW ------>0	<	-- Pk-Att -->0-0	<	-- GA ------>0	<	-- Saves --->0	<	-- SO ------>0
style=white-space:nowrap	Munts, Fortia	<	-- App ----->0	<	-- Goals --->0	<	-- Asst ---->0	<	-- Points -->0	<	-- Shots --->0	<	-- Shot% --->0%	<	-- SOG ----->0	<	-- SOG% ---->0%	<	-- GW ------>0	<	-- Pk-Att -->0-0	<	-- GA ------>0	<	-- Saves --->0	<	-- SO ------>0
style=white-space:nowrap	Santos, Rafael	<	-- App ----->0	<	-- Goals --->0	<	-- Asst ---->0	<	-- Points -->0	<	-- Shots --->0	<	-- Shot% --->0%	<	-- SOG ----->0	<	-- SOG% ---->0%	<	-- GW ------>0	<	-- Pk-Att -->0-0	<	-- GA ------>0	<	-- Saves --->0	<	-- SO ------>0
style=white-space:nowrap	Vargas, Gerald	<	-- App ----->0	<	-- Goals --->0	<	-- Asst ---->0	<	-- Points -->0	<	-- Shots --->0	<	-- Shot% --->0%	<	-- SOG ----->0	<	-- SOG% ---->0%	<	-- GW ------>0	<	-- Pk-Att -->0-0	<	-- GA ------>0	<	-- Saves --->0	<	-- SO ------>0
Defenders
style=white-space:nowrap	Dal Molin, Steven	<	-- App ----->0	<	-- Goals --->0	<	-- Asst ---->0	<	-- Points -->0	<	-- Shots --->0	<	-- Shot% --->0%	<	-- SOG ----->0	<	-- SOG% ---->0%	<	-- GW ------>0	<	-- Pk-Att -->0-0	<	-- GA ------>0	<	-- Saves --->0	<	-- SO ------>0
style=white-space:nowrap	Ekoue, Cedric	<	-- App ----->0	<	-- Goals --->0	<	-- Asst ---->0	<	-- Points -->0	<	-- Shots --->0	<	-- Shot% --->0%	<	-- SOG ----->0	<	-- SOG% ---->0%	<	-- GW ------>0	<	-- Pk-Att -->0-0	<	-- GA ------>0	<	-- Saves --->0	<	-- SO ------>0
style=white-space:nowrap	Graham, Austin	<	-- App ----->0	<	-- Goals --->0	<	-- Asst ---->0	<	-- Points -->0	<	-- Shots --->0	<	-- Shot% --->0%	<	-- SOG ----->0	<	-- SOG% ---->0%	<	-- GW ------>0	<	-- Pk-Att -->0-0	<	-- GA ------>0	<	-- Saves --->0	<	-- SO ------>0
style=white-space:nowrap	Roberts, R. J.	<	-- App ----->0	<	-- Goals --->0	<	-- Asst ---->0	<	-- Points -->0	<	-- Shots --->0	<	-- Shot% --->0%	<	-- SOG ----->0	<	-- SOG% ---->0%	<	-- GW ------>0	<	-- Pk-Att -->0-0	<	-- GA ------>0	<	-- Saves --->0	<	-- SO ------>0
style=white-space:nowrap	Shimazaki, Ryo	<	-- App ----->0	<	-- Goals --->0	<	-- Asst ---->0	<	-- Points -->0	<	-- Shots --->0	<	-- Shot% --->0%	<	-- SOG ----->0	<	-- SOG% ---->0%	<	-- GW ------>0	<	-- Pk-Att -->0-0	<	-- GA ------>0	<	-- Saves --->0	<	-- SO ------>0
Goalkeepers
style=white-space:nowrap	Gardan, Pierre	<	-- App ----->0	<	-- Goals --->0	<	-- Asst ---->0	<	-- Points -->0	<	-- Shots --->0	<	-- Shot% --->0%	<	-- SOG ----->0	<	-- SOG% ---->0%	<	-- GW ------>0	<	-- Pk-Att -->0-0	<	-- GA ------>0	<	-- Saves --->0	<	-- SO ------>0
style=white-space:nowrap	Rice, Joseph	<	-- App ----->0	<	-- Goals --->0	<	-- Asst ---->0	<	-- Points -->0	<	-- Shots --->0	<	-- Shot% --->0%	<	-- SOG ----->0	<	-- SOG% ---->0%	<	-- GW ------>0	<	-- Pk-Att -->0-0	<	-- GA ------>0	<	-- Saves --->0	<	-- SO ------>0
style=white-space:nowrap	Team	<	-- App ----->	<	-- Goals --->	<	-- Asst ---->	<	-- Points -->	<	-- Shots --->	<	-- Shot% --->	<	-- SOG ----->	<	-- SOG% ---->	<	-- GW ------>	<	-- Pk-Att -->	<	-- GA ------>	<	-- Saves --->	<	-- SO ------>
<	-- Player -->Total	<	-- App ----->	<	-- Goals --->	<	-- Asst ---->	<	-- Points -->	<	-- Shots --->	<	-- Shot% --->	<	-- SOG ----->	<	-- SOG% ---->	<	-- GW ------>	<	-- Pk-Att -->	<	-- GA ------>	<	-- Saves --->	<	-- SO ------>
<	-- Player -->Opponents	<	-- App ----->	<	-- Goals --->	<	-- Asst ---->	<	-- Points -->	<	-- Shots --->	<	-- Shot% --->	<	-- SOG ----->	<	-- SOG% ---->	<	-- GW ------>	<	-- Pk-Att -->	<	-- GA ------>	<	-- Saves --->	<	-- SO ------>

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]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Men's Soccer Wins Atlantic 10 Championship in Shootout. Fordham Rams. January 26, 2017. November 13, 2016.
2. Web site: College soccer: Men's DI soccer committee selects championship field. National Collegiate Athletic Association. NCAA.com. January 26, 2017. November 15, 2016.
3. Web site: Wilson. Adrian. Barnathan drafted, leaves behind legacy. The Commonwealth Times. November 17, 2017. January 30, 2017.
4. Web site: Husinger. Nathan. FC Dallas completes draft by selecting former SMU player Marco Carrizales. The Dallas Morning News. A. H. Belo. November 17, 2017. January 17, 2017. VCU midfielder Dakota Barnathan was taken six picks later. He started every game in his last three seasons..
5. Web site: VCU's Barnathan Selected in Third Round of MLS SuperDraft by FC Dallas. Atlantic 10 Conference. November 17, 2017. January 17, 2017.
6. Web site: FC Dallas selects four in 3rd & 4th rounds of MLS Superdraft. FC Dallas. November 17, 2017. January 17, 2017.
7. Web site: Epperley. Drew. FC Dallas ties Racing Club in pair of scrimmage. Big D Soccer. SB Nation. November 17, 2017. February 11, 2017.
8. Web site: Bergabo. Patrick. Swope Park Rangers signs 2017 MLS SuperDraft selection Dakota Barnathan. Sporting Kansas City. sportingkc.com. November 17, 2017. February 24, 2017.
9. Web site: Men's Soccer Adds Siad Haji to 2017 Signing Class. vcuathletics.com. November 17, 2017. June 22, 2017.
10. Web site: Turner. Mark. Nine Fresh Recruits, Coach Giff Brings New Faces to VCU Men's Soccer. VCUSports.com.
11. Web site: Bruk Fekade. TopDrawerSoccer.com. November 17, 2017.
12. Web site: 2017 Men's Soccer Roster. vcuathletics.com.
13. Web site: NCAA DI Men's National Rankings. National Soccer Coaches Association of America. June 12, 2017. November 17, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20160914054734/http://www.nscaa.com/web/Rankings/College_Rankings/NCAA_DI_MEN/web/Rankings/NCAA/DI_MEN.aspx. September 14, 2016. dead.
14. Web site: College Soccer National Rankings. TopDrawer Soccer. June 12, 2017.
15. Web site: CSN Top 30 Polls. CollegeSoccerNews.com. November 17, 2017.
16. Web site: 2018 MLS SuperDraft Tracker. mlssoccer.com. Major League Soccer. January 19, 2018. January 19, 2018. January 19, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180119040213/https://www.mlssoccer.com/superdraft/2018/tracker. dead.
17. Web site: United select Afonso Pinheiro and Rafael Andrade Santos in the 2018 MLS SuperDraft. dcunited.com. D.C. United. January 22, 2018. January 21, 2018.