University of Connecticut Athletics
UConn to Play SMU in NCAA Final Four
12/5/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
- Game Notes (.pdf)
On UConn:
No. 7 Connecticut is making its 21st appearance in the NCAA Tournament and its third consecutive...The Huskies are making their second trip in as many years to the NCAA national semifinals... This is the programs 43rd NCAA tilt in school history... UConn carries a 23-19 overall NCAA record into the battle with SMU.
UConn vs. SMU Series:
The Huskies and the Mustangs will be meeting for the third time... The series is tied 1-1... SMU took a 4-2 win in 1983 in Dallas, the Huskies evened the series in 1984 with a 4-0 win at home in Storrs... This is the first contest in postseason play between the two teams.
Head Coach Ray Reid:
UConn head coach Ray Reid is in his 18th year of coaching, the 12th as a head coach and his 4th as the head coach at the University of Connecticut. His career mark as a head coach is 211-36-19 (.829). At UConn, Reid is 65-19-4 (.761). Reid reached the 200 career-win plateau with a 3-0 win over St. Peters on September 27. In 1999, he led the Huskies to the NCAA national semifinals for the first time since 1983, and posted 19 wins, the most wins since 1981 when the Huskies went 20-3-2 en route to a national championship. He brought the BIG EAST Tournament Championship back to Connecticut for the first time since 1989, and led the Huskies to a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament and a No. 4 national ranking in the final polls. In 1998, under his direction, the Huskies earned their first No. 1 national ranking since 1982, holding the top spot for a record-setting four consecutive weeks, and earned UConn's first NCAA appearance since 1989. In the last three years, the Huskies have captured back-to-back-to-back regular season BIG EAST titles. Coach Reid was named the 1998 BIG EAST Coach of the Year and the 1999 Northeast Div. I Regional Coach of the Year.
211 and Counting:
The Sept. 27, 3-0 rout of visiting St. Peters was the 200th career win for UConn head coach Ray Reid. Reid has been a head coach since 1989 when he took over the reigns at Southern Connecticut State University. Reid went 146-17-15 during his eight-year tenure at the school. He led SCSU to six trips to the NCAA Division II "Final Four", winning the National Championship in 1990, 1992 and 1985.... In the midst of his fourth year at UConn, Reid boasts a 65-19-4 record. In 1999, he led the Huskies to the NCAA semifinals for the first time since 1983... The Huskies are currently 18- 3-2 on the season and ranked No. 7 nationally... Win No. 211 was on Dec.3 over Brown (1-0).
UConns Fifth Trip To The "Final Four":
Connecticuts advance to the 2000 NCAA Division I Mens Soccer College Cup is UConns fifth trip to the "Final Four" and its second consecutive appearance in the national semifinal round of play... Connecticut won the 1981 NCAA Division I National Championship in its first trip to the "Final Four" (defeating Eastern Illinois 2-1 in the semifinals and Alabama A&M 2-1 in the championship game - played in Palo Alto, California)... UConn also advanced to the NCAA "Final Four" in both 1982 and 1983... The Huskies returned to the national semifinals in 1999, dropping a four overtime 2-1 decision to to Santa Clara.
UConn Games On Radio and TV:
Connecticuts play in the 2000 NCAA Division I Mens Soccer College Cup will be broadcast live on radio and will also be televised nationally... UConn radio station WHUS (91.7FM) will carry live all of Connecticuts play in the NCAA "Final Four" with John Tuite handling the play-by-play... The Connecticut-SMU national semifinal matchup will also be televised nationally on a tape-delay basis by espn2... The UConn -SMU game, which will be played at 7:30 p.m. Friday (Dec. 8), will be televised on a tape delay basis from 2:30-4:30 p.m. on Saturday (Dec. 9)... The other national semifinal match, between Indiana and Creighton, will be televised on a tape delay basis from 12:30-2:30 p.m. on Saturday (Dec. 9)... The national championship game, at 1 p.m. on Sunday (Dec. 10) will be televised live nationally by ESPN.
Last Time Out:
The University of Connecticut mens soccer team used a first half goal by senior All-American Brent Rahim to down Brown University 1-0 in an NCAA Division I national quarterfinal round matchup... The win, achieved before a crowd of 5,204, advanced the Huskies to the NCAA Mens College Cup national semifinals the trip is second in as many years for the Huskies... UConn, which improved its overall record to 18-3-2 with the win over Brown, got the only goal of the match 19:10 into the first half. Freshman Cesar Cuellar received a long ball from junior Mansour Ndiaye and delicately passed to Rahim, who was breaking in from the right, ahead of a Brown defender... Rahim calmly rifled a shot from 18 yards out past the lunge of charging Brown keeper Matt Cross into the left corner of the net... Other than UConns one goal, defensive play dominated the contest... UConn held a slim 8-6 edge in shots on goal and both clubs managed three corner kicks apiece... Connecticut junior goalie Bryheem Hancock made three saves in goal to record the shutout, his 13th of the season.
Coincidence?:
The last time there was no ACC representation in the national semifinal and finals for two consecutive years was in 1981 when the Huskies won the National Championship.
An Interesting Fact:
The last time SMU coach Schellas Hyndman coached in the "Final Four" was in 1981... Hyndman led Eastern Illinois to the national semifinals in Eastern Illinois first season at the Division I level... Connecticut took a 2-1 win over Hyndmans team en route to the National Championship.
Spreading The Wealth:
Each of the Huskies six postseason goals have been scored by a different player... In UConns 3-0 win over Dartmouth, Rui Fernandes scored the gamewinner before Lindon Pecorelli and Eddie Rivera added insurance goals... Donny Mark scored just his second goal of the season to tie Clemson, Cesar Cuellar scored the gamewinner in overtime as UConn took a 2-1 win... Senior All-American Brent Rahim scored the gamewinner in UConns 1-0 win over Brown.
Coming From Behind:
The Huskies 2-1 overtime win over Clemson was their first come-from-behind win of the season... The win also marked just the second overtime win in six overtime games.
The Unseeded:
The only remaining seeded team in the 2000 NCAA Championship is No. 6 seed Southern Methodist.
The Senior Class:
The nine student-athletes that make up the Huskies senior class got of to a rocky start as they began their soccer careers... They went 2-6-1 in their first nine games of the 1997 campaign... Since then they have gone 63-13-3.
New England Soccer:
The Dec. 3 quarterfinal game between the Huskies and Brown marked the first time in NCAA Tournament history that two New England teams have met in the third round of the NCAA Tournament... It also assured New England represenation in the College Cup semifinals.
BIG EAST Accolades:
Four Huskies were honored by the BIG EAST conference upon conclusion of the regular season... Seniors Darin Lewis and Brent Rahim as well as junior Chris Gbandi were named to the All-BIG EAST First Team... Freshman Cesar Cuellar collected Second Team honors and was on the All-Rookie Team... Rahim was named the inaugural BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year... Gbandi collected his second BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year award... Cuellar was not only a unanimous pick to the All-Rookie Team but he was also lauded the BIG EAST Rookie of the Year.
BIG EAST Hardware:
Junior Chris Gbandi has collected much hardware over the course of just three seasons... He was the 1998 BIG EAST Rookie of the Year... He is a two-time BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year... And he has been a three-time selection to the All-BIG EAST First Team... He is the only player to win the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year Award in consecutive years.
Hartwick/Neptune Classic:
The Huskies won the Hartwick/Neptune Soccer Classic after defeating Hartwick (3-1) and New Hampshire (1-0) in Oneonta, NY on September 15 &16. Marist rounded out the competition... Senior Darin Lewis and junior Chris Gbandi were named MVPs of the tourney... Lewis was named the Offensive MVP and Gbandi collected defensive honors.
In The Scoring Column:
The Huskies have outscored their opponents 45-13... UConns leads in goals against average as well, giving up just 0.54 while opponents yield 1.88.
The BIG EAST in the NCAA:
UConn was one of three BIG EAST teams included in the field of 32... Boston College and St. Johns also received bids... The ACC had four teams in this years tourney while the BIG EAST was one of three conferences with three teams qualifying.
Ranked Opponents:
Connecticut is 5-2-1 against ranked opponents... The Huskies opened the regular season with back-to- back matches vs. then No. 11 Wake Forest (L,2-1 ot) followed by a contest with then No. 7 Duke (W, 4-1) at the Bobs Stores/UConn Soccer Classic on Sept. 1&2 in Storrs, CT... UConn shutout then No. 18 Seton Hall, 4-0, Sept. 10... The Huskies defeated then No. 14 Pittsburgh (1-0) on the road... Connecticut played No. 4 St. Johns to a 0-0 tie in Jamaica, NY on Sept. 30... UConn handed then No. 21 VCU a 1-0 loss in Storrs on Oct. 7... The Huskies fell to No. 15 Seton Hall 3-2 in overtime... Most recently, UConn defeated No. 10 Clemson 2-1 in overtime.
Bobs Stores/UConn Soccer Classic All-Tourney Team:
UConns Darin Lewis, Chris Gbandi and Will Thornton were named to the Bobs Stores/UConn Soccer Classic All-Tournament Team. The team consisted of 12 student-athletes from participating schools.
National Polls:
The 2000 Connecticut mens soccer squad finished the regular season ranked No. 7 in the NSCAA poll and No. 5 in the Soccer America Top 20 released on November 14.
UConns Players of the Week:
On 12 different occasions, a Connecticut mens soccer player was honored by the conference office as the Player of the Week or Co-Player of the Week, that number is good enough for tops in the league... St. Johns was second with eight awards while Boston College came in third after being honored seven times.
Weekly BIG EAST Honors:
Offensive Player of the Week:
Darin Lewis (Sept. 4, Oct. 9)
Cesar Cuellar (Sept. 11) Defensive Player of the Week:
Chris Gbandi (Sept. 11, Sept. 25, Oct. 2, Oct. 9) Goalkeeper of the Week:
Bryheem Hancock (Sept. 25, Oct. 2, Oct. 23) Rookie of the Week:
Cesar Cuellar (Oct. 9, Oct. 30)
Soccer America Team of the Week:
A UConn mens soccer player has appeared on Soccer Americas Team of the Week five times this season ... Senior Max Zieky was named to the team on Oct. 25 after helping UConn to wins over Georgetown and West Virginia... Junior Chris Gbandi was named to the team after leading a UConn defense to two shutouts vs. St. Peters and St. Johns... Junior goalkeeper Bryheem Hancock was named to the team the week of September 18-24 after recording two shutouts vs. then No. 14 Pittsburgh and Notre Dame... He recorded a penalty kick save in preserving the win over the Panthers... Freshman Cesar Cuellar was named to the team on Sept. 13 after recording his first career hat trick vs. then No. 18 Seton Hall... Senior Darin Lewis was chosen to Soccer Americas 11-member mens college team of the week on September 6... His selection was based on his performance vs. Duke when he registered his first career hat trick.
Lewis Honored With National Award:
Senior Darin Lewis was honored by Soccer Times.com as the National Player of the Week for Sept. 1-4...Lewis scored three goals in a 4-1 win over then No. 7 Duke... It was his first hat trick as a Husky.
Lewis, Rahim,Gbandi: Preseason All-Americans:
Seniors Darin Lewis and Brent Rahim as well as junior Chris Gbandi were named to the College Soccer Online All-America First Team... UConn was the only school to have three players named to the top squad and one of only two squads to have multiple players placed on the first team as Indiana placed two.
Gbandi and Rahim,Finalists for Collegiate Player of the Year:
Senior Brent Rahim and junior Chris Gbandi were selected as candidates for the 15th annual Missouri Athletic Club Sports Foundation Collegiate Player of the Year award on Oct. 2... The award is also the official National Soccer Coaches Association of America/adidas award for Division I Players... Rahim and Gbandi join 13 of the most talented mens collegiate soccer players in the United States on the ballot.
Gbandi and Rahim, In Top Five For Hermann:
Junior Chris Gbandi and senior Brent Rahim are among 5 finalists for the Hermann Trophy award as voting was closed on Nov. 27... Connecticuts Maurizio Rocha was the runner-up for the honor in 1998 ... The winner will be announced at the 2000 Mens Soccer NCAA Tournament in Charlotte, NC... Joe Morrone, who won the award in 1980, is the only Hermann Trophy winner in UConns history.
National Statistics:
As of December 3, Connecticut is currently No. 3 nationally in GAA, giving up just 0.54 per game... The Huskies rank fourth in shutout average with 13 shutouts in 23 games (.565) and are No.7 in winning percentage (.826)... Individually, junior Bryheem Hancock is third in GAA with 0.55.
Penalty Kicks:
UConn has had much success over the course of the season when it comes to penalty kicks... The Huskies are 4-for-4 on penalty kick attempts, all taken by junior back Chris Gbandi... The Huskies have not been scored upon on a penalty kick as junior keeper Bryheem Hancock has stopped all three attempts... Two were in regular season play vs. then No. 14 Pittsburgh and Syracuse while the third stop was in exhibition play vs. Clemson.
Crowding In:
Not only does the UConn mens soccer program boast perhaps the largest media following in college soccer, but it can also boast some of the best-attended soccer games in the nation...UConn led the nation in total attendance in 1999 (36,344) and 1998 (33,830)... The 2000 version of the Huskies have surpassed those numbers with a total attendance of 38,804.
May I Assist You:
Senior Brent Rahim has moved into ninth place on the career assists list... With 22 to his credit entering the season Rahim recorded his fourth of the year vs. Hartfrod bringing his career total to 26.
Not Much Gets Past Him:
Junior Bryheem Hancock has had his best season to date, helping him to the No. 2 spot in career GAA with 0.65... He has been hard to score on this season as he boasts a goals against average of 0.55... That average would rank Hancock fifth for lowest GAA in a single season in the UConn record book... He trails Matt Chavlovich (0.34), James Renehan (0.44) and Terrance McSherry (0.44) as well as Robert Ross (0.50)... Hancock already made the list in 1998 when he allowed just 0.78 goals a game, ranking eighth.
Shutout:
With 18 career shutouts, junior Bryheem Hancock is sixth on the all-time shutout list... His 13 shutouts this season put him in a tie for second for most shutouts in a single season.
More on Shutouts:
The Huskies have registered 13 shutouts this season, putting them in second place for most shutouts in a single season... The 2000 team has also recorded 12 shutout wins, placing it in a two-way tie for third place.
A Proven Winner:
Bryheem Hancocks 27 career wins rank him No. 8 in most games won in a career... He needs four more wins to move in to a three-way tie for sixth place.
A Helping Hand:
Senior Darin Lewis played a part of both goals in UConns 2-1 NCAA overtime win over Clemson, Lewis assisted on Donny Marks equalizer... He then was fighting for the ball with a Clemson defender as the ball was deflected to Cesar Cuellar for the winning bicycle kick goal... He has 23 points on eight goals and seven assists.
Rookie Sensation:
Freshman Cesar Cuellar led the league in BIG EAST scoring with 21 points on nine goals and three assists...He is the first freshman to lead the league in points in BIG EAST games and the second to lead in goals... The last to lead in goals was Greg Strohmann of Seton Hall in 1998... He was part of a five-way tie for the lead with seven goals, so Cuellar is the first freshman to lead the league outright... The records started in 1990 when the BIG EAST began playing a full round-robin schedule.
