Remembering a Great Season

by Joe Galbraith
The Maroon & White

As they piled onto the bus after playing in their final collegiate game, the five seniors on the UMass men's soccer team were as upset as you would imagine.

But there was something different in the dejection following a 1-0 loss to St. John's (N.Y.) in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

This team had accomplished so much, worked so hard, reached so many goals, that even in the moments following a season-ending loss, the seniors held their heads up with pride.

"We've gone through a lot this season," said three-year captain J.R. Pouncey. "The guys on this team battled every day to get to this point."

Pouncey, who was named Atlantic 10 Tournament Most Outstanding Player earlier in the month, closed out his career with an impressive list of accomplishments. He was the first UMass player since 1995 to earn first team all-conference honors in back-to-back seasons. Last year, Pouncey became the first Minuteman to be named to the All-New England Region team since 1995, and is likely to be the first UMass player in eight seasons to be named to the team in consecutive seasons.

Yet despite the long list of accolades that Pouncey has accumulated during his career, one accomplishment stands out in his mind.

"Being the first UMass team to go to the NCAA Tournament was really special, but the fact that we won a game and proved that we belong here is something that we will remember, and be remembered for, for a long time."

Senior goalkeeper and co-captain Bryan O'Quinn, who set a school record with his 16 career shutouts, claims that his success came from the defense that was led by Pouncey and fellow seniors Fred Kinateder and Shawn Green.

"The guys in the back (defensively) did a great job all season," O'Quinn said. "I got credit for a lot of things that we did because I was in net, but they did the hard work most of the time."

Kinateder, who moved from the offensive end to the backfield this season, said that O'Quinn and Pouncey set the tone for a team that excelled on the defensive end.

"They did a great job, not only on the field, but off the field as well," Kinateder said. "They laid the groundwork for us as a team, and we were successful because of their leadership."

The UMass defense finished the season ranked third in the A-10, allowing just 1.2 goals per contest behind the senior laden backfield, but the offense did its part in securing the best season in school history.

Behind junior Jeff Deren's 16 goals, the Minuteman offense tallied 49 scores and 41 assists on the year. Deren's 16 goals were the second highest, single-season total in school history, and he led the next highest scorer in the A-10 by a staggering six goals. Honored as the A-10 Offensive Player of the Year, Deren also picked up A-10 Player of the Week and UMass Athlete of the Week honors for his two goal, two assist performance on the weekend of Oct. 26-28. Deren joined O'Quinn and Pouncey on the conference all-tournament team, as the junior scored two goals in the semifinal.

But Deren was not the only offensive threat for the Minutemen. Junior Yuri Morales finished the year ranked seventh nationally with 12 assists. He was just the second player in school history to reach double-digits in that category, and he, Deren and sophomore Ptah Myers all finished the season ranked among the conference's top 10 scorers.

"We had a great offensive attack this season," head coach Sam Koch said. "We were constantly putting pressure on our opponent and, more times than not, we capitalized. It was a great team effort on the offensive end."

Behind the offensive superiority exhibited by Deren, Morales and Myers, the Minutemen had the most prolific attack in the A-10, outscoring their opponents by 22 goals on the year. UMass' 49 tallies were the second most in school history, and the most in the A-10 by nine. The Minutemen finished a top the conference in shots, goals, assists, points and corner kicks.

But Deren, like the rest of the team, defers all self-recognition, focusing on team accomplishments.

"We scored a lot of goals this season, and I scored a lot of goals this year, but it wouldn't have mattered a bit if we didn't go as far as we did (in the NCAA Tournament). The fact that we reached a point where no other UMass team has reached is far more important than me scoring a bunch of goals, I'm just glad I helped the team succeed."

Morales, a first team All-Atlantic 10 selection, takes the same tone when asked of his personal achievements.

"Sure, it's wonderful to be ranked nationally in assists, but that stuff isn't important. The important thing is that it makes the team better. Individual awards and recognition only mean something if the team is performing well."

The Minutemen certainly performed well throughout the season. After a crushing double-overtime defeat to nemesis Rhode Island on Sept. 29, UMass put together a school-record nine-game winning streak, rolling through the month of October without a defeat.

"I think that said a lot about the character of this team," Koch said. "We could have hung our heads and felt sorry for ourselves after that Rhode Island game, but instead, we came together and said 'We're better than this, we can accomplish the goals that we set at the beginning of the year.'"

Accomplishing goals was something that the 2001 edition of UMass men's soccer had no problem doing.

"We went into the year with a goal of getting into the A-10 Tournament, being one of the top four teams. After we clinched a spot in the tournament, we moved onto the next goal. Holding that (championship) trophy up," Pouncey said.

The second goal, winning the A-10 Tournament, was something that no other UMass team had been able to accomplish. The Minutemen had been in the field six times, and advanced to the finals three times since Koch's arrival in Amherst in 1991, but no Minuteman team had been able to reach the next level.

"I wasn't going to pick up that second-place trophy," Koch said. "I had a feeling we would win. Our team worked too hard to get to this point.

After winning the championship in a thrilling 4-3 shootout victory after 150 minutes of scoreless soccer, the Minutemen had to set a new goal.

"That was the wonderful part of this team, and the leadership that J.R. and Bryan set," Koch said. "Each time we reached a point where we needed a new goal, they stepped up and explained to the team what we were trying to do."

The next goal was a win in the NCAA Tournament.

"We had an opportunity to show people that we belonged here, that it wasn't a fluke," O'Quinn said.

When the opportunity arrived in the form of a first-round contest with 2000 NCAA Tournament finalist Creighton, the Minutemen knew that it wouldn't be easy.

"They were the second-best team in the country last year, they're obviously talented and well coached," Pouncey said. "We just had to go out and show that we can play too."

And play they did. UMass dominated Creighton for 90 minutes, outshooting the Blue Jays, 16-9, and winning the game 1-0.

"That was as important a game as we played since I've been here," Koch said. "We needed to show that we weren't just happy to be here, we still had things to accomplish."

One accomplishment of the first-round victory was Koch's 123rd win at the helm of the UMass men's soccer program, tying the school record set by Lawrence Briggs (1930-67). Koch is the only Minuteman mentor to average more than 10 wins in a season, and his 181 wins (57 at Stanford) rank 44th nationally among active coaches.

But Koch, with an attitude he has obviously imparted on his players, deflected all questions about his personal achievement.

"We've been able to put together a good run behind some great players and great people," Koch said.

The latest run may have come to a close in a 1-0 loss to St. John's, but the Minutemen will be back, with loftier goals set.

"This team laid the groundwork, but it's just that," Pouncey said. "The younger guys on this team know where we need to be to go further next year, and it'll be up to them to work hard enough to get there."

The goals are already being set.

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics

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