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University of Massachusets Athletics
UMass To Celebrate 10th Anniversary Of Men's Soccer College Cup
October 06, 2017 | Men's Soccer
A look back at one of the most magical seasons in UMass sports history.
Cinderella stories in sports usually come to mind when referencing March Madness and the NCAA Basketball Tournament. But in 2007, there was a magic of a special kind surrounding the UMass men's soccer team. Truly a 'feel-good' story, the Minutemen went from a program that had only reached the NCAA Tournament once before in its 75-year history and had nearly been disbanded 16 years prior to a team on a run to the largest stage against some of the best in the sport.
Truly a David-vs-Goliath tale, the run that led to a berth in the NCAA national semifinals for the Minutemen saw a cast of characters, a bit of good luck, and a lot of belief that this program could not only take on the best in the country – but survive and advance.
UMass was coming off an 8-8-3 year in 2006 with no postseason berth. With the 2007 season starting at 2-4-0 it seemed like another year where the Minutemen might be able to pull off some gutsy wins with the aim of reaching the Atlantic 10 Tournament for some experience in postseason play.
A narrow 2-1 loss at No. 11 Harvard, ironically, sparked the turn-around. With some early injuries, notably one that limited Stuart Amick, early in the season, the Minutemen won nine of their next 11 matches as the first indicator that something special may be starting on Rudd Field. The Minutemen ended the regular-season with a double-overtime loss at Temple – a team that before then had not won a league game all year. That served as a wake-up call for UMass heading into the Atlantic 10 Tournament.
The Minutemen earned the No. 3 seed drawing tournament host and sixth-seeded Dayton which closed the year on a strong note – particularly at home. The Flyers opened the scoring in the 28th minute, but as they did all season long, the Minutemen found a way to equalize. A flurry of chances to start the second half bore fruit when Chris Brown tied the match in the 50th minute. Both defenses settled in from there setting up a dramatic overtime session. Each team had several chances in the OT sessions, but after 110 minutes, the match was settled on penalty kicks. All-American Zack Simmons made a pair of saves during the shutout while Brown converted UMass' fourth attempt to advance the Minutemen into the A-10 Semifinals.
From there, UMass shutout Rhode Island 1-0, avenging a 3-1 loss during the regular season, and shutout Charlotte 2-0 in the title match to bring home the first Atlantic 10 Championship title since 2001. Simmons was named the A-10 Most Outstanding Player of the tournament, while Kenny Cook was named to the All-Tournament Team as well.
From the start of the NCAA Tournament, it seemed as if the Minutemen had a date with destiny. UMass drew an advantageous home match in the first round against Harvard which saw Michael Jejna tally what stood as the game-winning goal – the first goal scored in his career. Later in the 87th minute, Harvard scored to cut UMass' lead to 2-1. With 40 seconds to go, the Crimson had a shot on an open net only to have the ball strike off the right post.
Five days later, UMass pulled off the most startling upset in the NCAA Tournament with a 2-1 win over No. 1 seed Boston College in Chestnut Hill. After trailing 1-0 at halftime, UMass tied the game on a goal by Bryan Hogan in the 51st minute before DeSantis converted on a corner kick in the 85th minute launching the Minutemen into the national limelight.
The win over Boston College was nothing but magical. The Eagles had been one of the top programs throughout the year. The win was uncharted waters for UMass which did not advance out of the first round in its only other NCAA tournament appearance. It was the highest ranked win ever in program history. That became the national story in the collegiate soccer world. It put the Minutemen, and their program's story, on the pages of the New York Times, the Boston Globe, and USA Today just to name a few.
As much as the win over Boston College became the impetus for the magical Cinderella story, it was the way the bracket worked that year that really added fuel to the fire. In most NCAA Tournament scenarios, UMass would continue to play on the road in advancing stages. Fate, it seemed, wanted to see what the Minutemen could do. And so, thanks to Central Connecticut State upsetting 16th-seeded Tulsa and UIC upsetting 8th-seeded Creighton, UMass became the host site for both the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight rounds of tournament.
Against Central Connecticut State, nearly 1,200 fans packed into Rudd Field on a blisteringly cold December day. After ten minutes of play to open the match, it was delayed an hour with the Blue Devils coaching staff concerned over the 'frozen tundra'. CCSU did not bring turf shoes for the match, only spikes, and wanted to move the game from Amherst to New Britain to play on astroturf. The NCAA relented to the change and Bryan Hogan tallied a pair of second half goals while Prince Ofosu scored an insurance tally.
A week later, the crowd of 1,200 grew to nearly 2,000 fans tailgating and cheering on the Minutemen against Illinois-Chicago. Amick and DeSantis were the heroes of the 2-1 win while Simmons continued his All-American year with five key saves. Fans stormed the field at the final horn to celebrate UMass first-ever trip to the College Cup.
Five days later, UMass found itself in Cary, North Carolina, to take on Ohio State in the national semifinals. The story became one of David vs. Goliath. A team with 2.5 scholarships and a school with a 33 million dollar budget for athletics against a fully funded program with a then-120 million dollar athletics budget.
Despite all of that, the Minutemen pushed the Buckeyes for the full 90.
Even the goals scored by Ohio State was one that needed a nearly super-human effort – or at the very least, the first two chances were stopped by a super-human effort. Ohio State took advantage of a misplayed clear before sending a through ball that snuck past the UMass defense. On the first shot from 10 yards on the left flank, Simmons charged off his line to make a sliding kick save. The rebounded landed at the feet of another Ohio State player five yards back – his shot from nearly the same space was then saved by Simmons as he dove backwards at the top of the six yard box. The Buckeyes found the third rebound and roofed the shot to take the 1-0 lead in the 53rd minute.
The Minutemen continued to battle, looking for an equalizer, but the magic came to a close.
In the postgame press conference, Sam Koch spoke eloquently and with fondness over the match, the journey there, and how the season would be looked upon for years to come. Media members, NCAA staffers and others in the room remarked afterward that it was the most inspirational postgame press conference, for a winning or losing team in any sport, they had ever heard.
UMass finished the year with 17 wins – the most in program history – and was ranked No. 4 in the country in the final national poll. Simmons was named the UMBRO National Player of the Year and earned Third-Team All-America honors.
Sam Koch lived one of his dreams – he got to throw out the first pitch at a Red Sox game in May and received a standing ovation from the crowd. Even as excited as he was about being on that sacred baseball diamond of his beloved Red Sox, the fact that Jon Lester threw a no-hitter that night against Kansas City ended up being the real highlight for him.
The Minutemen reached the NCAA Tournament again in 2008, but the magic of 2007 wasn't quite in the cards. There have been some glimmers on the horizon recently of what could be, but in some respects, the run to the 2007 College Cup should forever be cherished by itself as one of the truly special moments in the history of UMass athletics.
Truly a David-vs-Goliath tale, the run that led to a berth in the NCAA national semifinals for the Minutemen saw a cast of characters, a bit of good luck, and a lot of belief that this program could not only take on the best in the country – but survive and advance.
UMass was coming off an 8-8-3 year in 2006 with no postseason berth. With the 2007 season starting at 2-4-0 it seemed like another year where the Minutemen might be able to pull off some gutsy wins with the aim of reaching the Atlantic 10 Tournament for some experience in postseason play.
A narrow 2-1 loss at No. 11 Harvard, ironically, sparked the turn-around. With some early injuries, notably one that limited Stuart Amick, early in the season, the Minutemen won nine of their next 11 matches as the first indicator that something special may be starting on Rudd Field. The Minutemen ended the regular-season with a double-overtime loss at Temple – a team that before then had not won a league game all year. That served as a wake-up call for UMass heading into the Atlantic 10 Tournament.
The Minutemen earned the No. 3 seed drawing tournament host and sixth-seeded Dayton which closed the year on a strong note – particularly at home. The Flyers opened the scoring in the 28th minute, but as they did all season long, the Minutemen found a way to equalize. A flurry of chances to start the second half bore fruit when Chris Brown tied the match in the 50th minute. Both defenses settled in from there setting up a dramatic overtime session. Each team had several chances in the OT sessions, but after 110 minutes, the match was settled on penalty kicks. All-American Zack Simmons made a pair of saves during the shutout while Brown converted UMass' fourth attempt to advance the Minutemen into the A-10 Semifinals.
From there, UMass shutout Rhode Island 1-0, avenging a 3-1 loss during the regular season, and shutout Charlotte 2-0 in the title match to bring home the first Atlantic 10 Championship title since 2001. Simmons was named the A-10 Most Outstanding Player of the tournament, while Kenny Cook was named to the All-Tournament Team as well.
From the start of the NCAA Tournament, it seemed as if the Minutemen had a date with destiny. UMass drew an advantageous home match in the first round against Harvard which saw Michael Jejna tally what stood as the game-winning goal – the first goal scored in his career. Later in the 87th minute, Harvard scored to cut UMass' lead to 2-1. With 40 seconds to go, the Crimson had a shot on an open net only to have the ball strike off the right post.
Five days later, UMass pulled off the most startling upset in the NCAA Tournament with a 2-1 win over No. 1 seed Boston College in Chestnut Hill. After trailing 1-0 at halftime, UMass tied the game on a goal by Bryan Hogan in the 51st minute before DeSantis converted on a corner kick in the 85th minute launching the Minutemen into the national limelight.
The win over Boston College was nothing but magical. The Eagles had been one of the top programs throughout the year. The win was uncharted waters for UMass which did not advance out of the first round in its only other NCAA tournament appearance. It was the highest ranked win ever in program history. That became the national story in the collegiate soccer world. It put the Minutemen, and their program's story, on the pages of the New York Times, the Boston Globe, and USA Today just to name a few.
As much as the win over Boston College became the impetus for the magical Cinderella story, it was the way the bracket worked that year that really added fuel to the fire. In most NCAA Tournament scenarios, UMass would continue to play on the road in advancing stages. Fate, it seemed, wanted to see what the Minutemen could do. And so, thanks to Central Connecticut State upsetting 16th-seeded Tulsa and UIC upsetting 8th-seeded Creighton, UMass became the host site for both the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight rounds of tournament.
Against Central Connecticut State, nearly 1,200 fans packed into Rudd Field on a blisteringly cold December day. After ten minutes of play to open the match, it was delayed an hour with the Blue Devils coaching staff concerned over the 'frozen tundra'. CCSU did not bring turf shoes for the match, only spikes, and wanted to move the game from Amherst to New Britain to play on astroturf. The NCAA relented to the change and Bryan Hogan tallied a pair of second half goals while Prince Ofosu scored an insurance tally.
A week later, the crowd of 1,200 grew to nearly 2,000 fans tailgating and cheering on the Minutemen against Illinois-Chicago. Amick and DeSantis were the heroes of the 2-1 win while Simmons continued his All-American year with five key saves. Fans stormed the field at the final horn to celebrate UMass first-ever trip to the College Cup.
Five days later, UMass found itself in Cary, North Carolina, to take on Ohio State in the national semifinals. The story became one of David vs. Goliath. A team with 2.5 scholarships and a school with a 33 million dollar budget for athletics against a fully funded program with a then-120 million dollar athletics budget.
Despite all of that, the Minutemen pushed the Buckeyes for the full 90.
Even the goals scored by Ohio State was one that needed a nearly super-human effort – or at the very least, the first two chances were stopped by a super-human effort. Ohio State took advantage of a misplayed clear before sending a through ball that snuck past the UMass defense. On the first shot from 10 yards on the left flank, Simmons charged off his line to make a sliding kick save. The rebounded landed at the feet of another Ohio State player five yards back – his shot from nearly the same space was then saved by Simmons as he dove backwards at the top of the six yard box. The Buckeyes found the third rebound and roofed the shot to take the 1-0 lead in the 53rd minute.
The Minutemen continued to battle, looking for an equalizer, but the magic came to a close.
In the postgame press conference, Sam Koch spoke eloquently and with fondness over the match, the journey there, and how the season would be looked upon for years to come. Media members, NCAA staffers and others in the room remarked afterward that it was the most inspirational postgame press conference, for a winning or losing team in any sport, they had ever heard.
UMass finished the year with 17 wins – the most in program history – and was ranked No. 4 in the country in the final national poll. Simmons was named the UMBRO National Player of the Year and earned Third-Team All-America honors.
Sam Koch lived one of his dreams – he got to throw out the first pitch at a Red Sox game in May and received a standing ovation from the crowd. Even as excited as he was about being on that sacred baseball diamond of his beloved Red Sox, the fact that Jon Lester threw a no-hitter that night against Kansas City ended up being the real highlight for him.
The Minutemen reached the NCAA Tournament again in 2008, but the magic of 2007 wasn't quite in the cards. There have been some glimmers on the horizon recently of what could be, but in some respects, the run to the 2007 College Cup should forever be cherished by itself as one of the truly special moments in the history of UMass athletics.
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