American Athletic Conference Men’s Soccer Report November 6, 2018 Megan Erbes, Director of Communications ([email protected] • 401.453.0660) 15 Park Row West • Providence, RI 02903 TheAmerican.org • Twitter: @American_MSoc • Facebook: fb.com/AmericanConf 2018 STANDINGS SEASON AWARDS AMERICAN OVERALL Offensive Player of the Year Cal Jennings, Jr., UCF SCHOOL TP W L T W-L PCT H A N STREAK *UCF 7/6 16 5 1 1 12-2-2 .813 7-1-2 5-1-0 0-0-0 W4 Midfielder of the Year *SMU RV/- 16 5 1 1 9-4-2 .667 6-3-1 3-1-1 0-0-0 W4 Louis Perez, So., UCF *USF 14 4 1 2 7-7-2 .500 5-2-0 2-5-2 0-0-0 W2 Defensive Player of the Year *UConn RV/- 11 3 2 2 10-4-2 .688 9-1-1 1-2-1 0-1-0 L2 Jacob Hauser-Ramsey, Sr., UConn *Temple 7 2 4 1 5-9-4 .389 2-1-3 3-8-1 0-0-0 L2 Goalkeeper of the Year *Memphis 7 2 4 1 7-6-4 .529 2-3-1 3-2-3 2-1-0 L1 Yannik Oettl, So., UCF Tulsa 6 2 5 0 6-9-2 .412 3-5-1 3-4-1 0-0-0 LW Rookie of the Year Cincinnati 3 1 6 0 3-14-1 .194 2-7-1 1-7-0 0-0-0 L7 Felix Metzler, Fr., M, UConn * qualified for postseason tournament (United Soccer/TopDrawerSoccer rankings) Coaching Staff of the Year THIS WEEK’S SCHEDULE THE AMERICAN TODAY UCF CHAMPIONSHIP VIBES Team Fair Play Award Tuesday marks the beginning of the sixth annual UConn American Athletic Conference Men’s Soccer Championship. The top six teams in the regular First Team All-Conference season standings kick off in a single-elimination F - Cal Jennings, Jr., UCF* tournament, with the top two seeds receiving F - Abdou Mbacke Thiam, Sr., UConn* byes to Thursday’s semifinals. The tournament F - Tomasz Skublak, Sr., USF champion will receive The American’s automatic M - Louis Perez, So., UCF* bid to the 2018 NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer M - Yoni Sorokin, So., UCF Championship. 2018 AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE M - Emil Cuello, Sr., SMU MEN’S SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP FIRST ROUND D - Jacob Hauser-Ramsey, Sr., UConn* Host: UCF No. 3 USF vs. No. 6 Memphis D - Talen Maples, So., SMU 4:30 p.m. ET • American Digital Network D - Ben Roberts, Jr., Memphis Regular Season: USF 2, Memphis 0 (Nov. 2) GK - Yannik Oettl, So., UCF First Round • Tuesday, Nov. 6 Championship Records: At-Large - David Zalzman, Sr., M, Memphis American Digital Network USF (5-1-4) Memphis (0-3) GM 1: No. 3 USF vs. No. 6 Memphis ......... 4:30 p.m. Second Team All-Conference Series History: USF leads, 3-16-4 GM 2: No. 4 UConn vs. No. 5 Temple ...............7 p.m. Grant Makela, Jr., GK, SMU No. 4 UConn vs. No. 5 Temple Yanis Leerman, Fr., D, UCF Dylan Greenberg, R-Sr., D, UConn Semifinals • Thursday, Nov. 8 7 p.m. ET • American Digital Network Regular Season: UConn 2, Temple 1 (Oct. 20) Dayonn Harris, R-Jr.., M, UConn American Digital Network Championship Records: Robin Lapert, So., D, UConn GM 3: Winner Game 1 vs. No. 2 SMU ....... 4:30 p.m. UConn (5-2-3) Felix Metzler, Fr., M, UConn GM 4: Winner Game 2 vs. No. 1 UCF ................7 p.m. Temple (0-4) Avionne Flanagan, So., D, USF Series History: UConn leads, 0-7-1 Alex Zis, Jr., M, USF Garrett McLaughlin, Jr., F, SMU Championship • Saturday, Nov. 10 Akean Shackleford, Jr., F, SMU ESPN3 A TIGHT HISTORY Since the first American Athletic Conference Lukas Fernandes, Jr., M, Temple Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4 .................7 p.m. Championship in 2013, six matches have Chase Bromstedt, So., M, Tulsa reached penalty kicks. Four of those six have been title matches. The first championship to All-Rookie Team All times ET and subject to change be determined without PKs was last season’s Andres Hernandez Betancur, Fr., D, UCF title match between UCF and SMU, which the Yanis Leerman, Fr., D, UCF* Mustangs won by a 2-1 score in overtime. Ibrahima Diop, Fr., F, UConn Felix Metzler, Fr., M, UConn* AMERICAN CHAMPIONS Gurman Sangha, Fr., M/F, Memphis 2013 - USF 2014 - Tulsa Henrique Gallina, Fr., D, USF 2015 - Tulsa Knut Ahlander, Fr., M, SMU 2016 - Tulsa Lane Warrington, Fr., M, SMU 2017 - SMU Andres Charles-Barrera, Fr., M, Temple Jalen Campbell, Fr., M, Temple Gilles Kuhler, Fr., F, Tulsa* *denotes unanimous selection AMERICAN NOTEBOOK WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS SETTING THE STANDARD UCF and SMU were crowned the 2018 Regular Season UCF junior Cal Jennings broke the American Athletic Champions on Friday, Nov. 2. The teams, the No. 1 and No. Conference single-season points record on Oct. 6 with 2 seeds for the Championship, respectively, shared the his two-goal outing against Tulsa. With 42 points so far title as both accumulated 16 points during conference this season, Jennings snapped the previous record of play. SMU earns the honor for the third time in the past 31 held by three standouts: UConn’s Cyle Larin (2013), four years, while UCF’s regular season title became the Temple’s Jorge Gomez Sanchez (2015, 2016) and SMU’s program’s first since the Knights earned the honor in Garrett McLaughlin (2017). Conference USA in 2004. THE AMERICAN IN MLS Jennings then became The American’s single-season Name College 2018 Club SUPER SCORERS goal recordholder on Oct. 16 when the Knights downed The American Athletic Conference boasts two of the FGCU 5-1. With his third hat trick of the season, Jennings Kwame Awuah UConn NYCFC nation’s most prolific goal-scorers this season in UCF’s surpassed the previous record of 14 goals in a season Andre Blake UConn Philadelphia Cal Jennings and UConn’s Abdou Mbacke Thiam. The held by UConn’s Cyle Larin, Temple’s Jorge Gomez Jordan Cano SMU FC Dallas forwards both rank in the top 10 nationally in points and Sanchez and SMU’s Garrett McLaughlin. Marcus Epps USF Philadelphia goals: Jennings is currently second with 19 goals and 42 Jake McGuire Tulsa Philadelphia points, while Mbacke Thiam is seventh with 13 goals and FIRST CAP FOR COUNTRY Michael Nelson SMU Houston fifth with 32 points. Former USF Bull Ben Sweat, a 2013 American Athletic Conference First Team selection, made his debut for the Jake Nerwinski UConn Vancouver POWER PLAYERS U.S. Men’s National Team on Oct. 11. The defender earned Ben Sweat USF NYCFC Five of the six American Athletic Conference tournament his first cap in Tampa, his hometown, and saw 14 minutes Romario Williams UCF Atlanta teams are well-positioned in the RPI rankings, and look of action. Sweat was a member of the 2013 American to move up even further this week. Memphis (74), USF Athletic Conference championship squad before being 2018 MLS SUPERDRAFT SELECTIONS (83) and SMU (54) all sit in the top 100, while UCF (13) selected in the 2014 MLS SuperDraft. He currently plays Name College Selected By and UConn (24) are in the top 25. for NYCFC and has made 53 MLS appearances. 20. Michael Nelson SMU Houston FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING WELCOME TO THE AMERICAN 29. Mauro Cichero SMU FC Dallas For the first time in American Athletic Conference The conference welcomes Brian Rowland to Temple history, UCF earned top billing in the Preseason in 2018 in his first season as head coach of the Owls. 2017 MLS SUPERDRAFT SELECTIONS Coaches’ Poll, released on August 14. The Knights Rowland joined Temple after eight seasons as an Name College Selected By received a league-best four first place votes to edge assistant coach at the University of Maryland, with 7. Jake Nerwinski UConn Vancouver SMU by five points. UCF advanced to the conference the last three as Associate Head Coach. As a four-year championship match last season against the Mustangs, starter at UMBC, Rowland is the career and single- 16. Kwame Awuah UConn NYCFC and placed a conference-best three players on the season record holder for shutouts in net and was 25. Marcus Epps USF Philadelphia American Preseason All-Conference Team (Cal Jennings, inducted into the Retrievers’ Hall of Fame in 2014. 28. Lindo Mfeka USF San Jose Yoni Sorokin, Andreas Steineger). Rowland was tabbed as one of seven new Division I 30. Jake McGuire Tulsa Houston men’s head coaches to watch by TopDrawerSoccer in 51. Jorge Gomez Sanchez Temple Houston MCLAUGHLIN FOR MAC HERMANN TROPHY the preseason. 73. Nazeem Bartman USF Vancouver American Athletic Conference Preseason Offensive Player of the Year Garrett McLaughlin was the lone conference player to make the 2018 Preseason MAC TOP DRAWER SOCCER TIDBITS 2016 MLS SUPERDRAFT SELECTIONS Hermann Trophy Watch List as announced by United Name College Selected By Soccer Coaches. McLaughlin was one of just 31 Division National Team of the Week 13. Hadji Barry UCF Orlando I men’s players tabbed to the list on August 9. 2018 Cal Jennings, UCF (Sept. 18) 15. Emmanuel Appiah Cincinnati Colorado marks the third-straight season SMU has seen a player Cal Jennings, UCF (Oct. 9) 56. Brendan Hines-Ike USF Montreal named to the Preseason Watch List, as Mauro Cichero Jacob Hauser-Ramsey, UConn (Oct. 16) was recognized the past two seasons. Cal Jennings, UCF Oct. 23) 63. John Manga Cincinnati Colorado Tom Haney, SMU (Oct. 30) 78. Jacob Speed SMU FC Dallas McLaughlin led The American with 31 points (14 goals, three assists) in 2017, ranking 10th nationally.