Season Recap - three-match winning streak
The University of Cincinnati men's soccer team saw the second half of its season be highlighted by a three-match winning streak and a pair of outstanding performances against nationally ranked teams.
The Bearcats won back-to-back non-conference games against IUPUI and Belmont before welcoming No. 6 Louisville to Gettler Stadium for senior day. John Manga netted a goal in the 12th minute before Will Diebold followed in the 24th. The Bearcats allowed only six shots as Alex Gill recorded the clean sheet in the upset.
That followed with a trip to No. 8 UConn where Gill made three saves to force the Huskies into overtime before falling, 1-0.
UC concluded the season with a loss to Rutgers in the American Athletic
Conference Tournament. The Bearcats are currently slated to return over 80% of their goal scoring from last season and will face spring season tests against Dayton, Notre Dame College, Kentucky, the USL Pro's Dutch Lions FC and Eastern Illinois.
All-OHIO
Post season honors Ashani Walker, Matt Remaley, Jonathan Cottrell
Three Bearcats earned postseason honors from the coaches in the Ohio Collegiate Soccer Association.
Ashani Walker earned first team All-Ohio honors after leading UC with 12 points on five goals and two assists, while Matt Remaley was named second team All-Ohio after starting 18-of-19 matches and helping UC record three clean sheets on the year. Sophomore Jonathan Cottrell earned Academic All-Ohio honors. He carries a 3.80 GPA as a finance major and saw action in all 16 matches last season, registering a pair of assists. Cottrell was also named a TopCat by the UC athletic department as one of 25 student-athletes to post a perfect 4.0 GPA during the fall 2013 semester.
Bearcat Spotlight - Sam Miller
Sam Miller's family always steered him towards two things - athletics and the University of Cincinnati. The Cincinnati native followed in the footsteps of his grandfather, Joe, who was inducted into the UC Hall of Fame in 1991 after playing both football and baseball, and his father, Bill, who was a goalkeeper on the soccer team at UC, to become a four-year starter at midfield for the Bearcats. For Miller, whose sister followed him as a Bearcats soccer player, the one passion that may be greater than his love for UC, is that for soccer.
Following his standout career on the pitch under head coach Hylton Dayes, Miller went on to be an assistant coach at Northern Kentucky before serving as a volunteer assistant at UC for two years. He then became intimately involved in the youth soccer scene in Cincinnati where he stayed until the start of 2014.
Starting this year, Miller will be reunited with former UC assistant coach Dan Ensley at the club program SOCA (Soccer Organization Charlottesville Albemarle) in Virginia, continuing to teach the beautiful game.
Miller credits his time both playing and coaching at UC for instilling a passion to teach soccer to future generations. "I learned so much about the process of planning sessions and recruiting and all that goes into it working with Hylton and Dan. That knowledge and experience really furthered my interest in coaching," he says.
Alumni Weekend
The men's soccer team invites all alumni to return to campus the weekend of April 12-13 for the annual golf outing and alumni soccer match. The golf outing, which is open to the public for registration, will be held on Saturday, April 12 (site TBD). Alumni will then be invited to cap the team's spring schedule with a match played Sunday, April 13, at 1:00 p.m. at Gettler Stadium. For more information on the golf outing and the match, contact assistant coach Jeremy Bonomo at jeremy.bonomo@uc.edu.
Men's Soccer Goal Club
GOAL CLUB & UCATS
- Your best opportunity to directly support men's soccer at UC.
- A great way to maintain active membership in UCATS, priority points, and a subscription to the Bearcat Fans Advantage.
- Your gift is incremental to your UCATS requirement should you have men's basketball or football season tickets.
- Your gift may be fulfilled all at once or over a period of time.
YOUR CONTRIBUTION WILL HELP FUND:
- Team building exercises
- Travel abroad
- Digital media upgrades
- Non-budgeted general upgrading needs
MEMBERSHIP LEVELS
- Red Bearcat Level $100
- Black Bearcat Level $250
- Silver Bearcat Level $500
- Gold Bearcat Level $1,000
- Kean Society $2,500