Sunday, November 13, 2011

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – The Atlantic Sun’s version of the new kids on the block takes center stage today, as Florida Gulf Coast University and East Tennessee State University, the league’s two newest programs, face off in the men’s soccer championship final at 1 p.m. at Summers-Taylor Stadium.

The No. 1-seeded FGCU Eagles (11-5-2, 7-1-0) advanced to the championship final by defeating Mercer 2-1 in the semifinals. Participating in postseason play in its first year of eligibility and only its fifth season of existence as a program, FGCU is already the two-time defending regular season champions. The Eagles boast an impressive record of 16-1 in A-Sun play in the past two seasons and a 23-4 mark in their last 27 A-Sun contests. They are currently ranked No. 50 in the latest RPI ratings, and success against some of the nation’s best includes wins against three Top 25 teams in the last two seasons, including a 2-1 win vs. No. 8 UCF on September 24.

For championship host and No. 6 seed ETSU, the journey to the championship final has been quite a rollercoaster ride. The Buccaneers, in only their fourth year as a Division I program, began the season as defending A-Sun Tournament Champions and with the expectations of building on that success in 2011. After getting off to a 6-1-1 start that included a win and a tie against Top-50 RPI teams William & Mary (2-0, 9/11/11) and Furman (0-0, 9/25/11) and securing a spot in several Top-25 polls, the Bucs hit a mid-season slide and began the conference season 1-4. In danger of not making the championship that would be played on their home field, the Bucs rallied with a 2-1 victory against FGCU, handing the Eagles their only conference loss this season.

“Our backs were against the wall,” says ETSU Head Coach Scott Calabrese. “We were running out of time to get things turned around, and our team showed a lot of character. That game was a turning point for us.”

Even with the big win against the Eagles, it wasn’t until a 2-1 victory against USC Upstate in the last regular season game that ETSU clinched the final spot in the championship. ETSU knocked off Jacksonville 2-0 in the first round and outlasted No. 2-seed Stetson 5-4 in a penalty kick shootout to advance to the championship final.

In addition to the recent team successes that FGCU and ETSU bring to today’s match, they also feature players with impressive credentials. Several are ranked in the Top 100 in NCAA statistics, and the teams represent conference honors including five First-Team All-Conference, three Second-Team All-Conference, two Freshman All-Conference, and three Academic All-Conference selections, along with the Coach of the Year, and the Freshman of the Year.

While the success of both programs seems somewhat meteoric, it has not happened without much planning and hard work. FGCU Head Coach Bob Butehorn, a two-time A-Sun Coach of the Year (2009, 2011), began building a program in 2007 with no facilities, lockers rooms or coaches’ offices, and with no guarantee of participating in post-season play. But he was armed with a vision, drawn from more than 20 years’ of experience as an assistant and head coach. The message to prospective players was simple – go to another school and play for four years, or come to FGCU and build something special. Players that lead the Eagles like senior goalkeeper and Lowe’s CLASS Award finalist Adam Glick chose to be a part of something special, opting to work toward building a legacy.

“I bought into everything that coach was telling me about his goals of where he wanted to go,” Glick said. “Starting something new, starting a program that has never existed, it appealed to me because 10 years from now I can say I was a part of starting that.”

The message, however compelling, wasn’t enough. Butehorn credits the growth of the program in large part to not only the team’s hard work, but to the school’s administration and to everyone who chooses to be associated with the program.

“We are very fortunate to be supported by an administration that understands and appreciates what we are trying to accomplish through our program,” says Butehorn. “You don’t achieve this level of success this quickly without complete buy-in from those who play integral roles in the program. From our athletic director Ken Kavanagh down to the other coaches, players and support staff, we are blessed to be surrounded with such supportive and quality individuals.”

In their first year, 2007, the Eagles posted a record of 8-10-1, followed by a 6-10-2 mark in 2008. In 2009, the improvement continued at 8-7-1, but in year four the program’s transformation became apparent. The Eagles boasted a 13-3-2 overall record, including a perfect 9-0-0 in the Atlantic Sun Conference. They upset No. 13 USF and No. 5 Ohio State, and individually Glick, Josey Portillo and Cristian Raudales among others began to make regular appearances in national statistical rankings.

For ETSU, the success story is similar. Beginning as a club team in 2007, the Bucs joined the ranks of Division I in 2008, posting a 6-10-1 record and a 1-7-1 mark in the A-Sun. The team improved particularly in the conference in 2009 with a 4-4-1 mark in the A-Sun and a 6-9-3 record overall. The biggest improvement was evident last season, as the Bucs went 15-6-0 (7-2-0 in the conference), and claimed their first A-Sun men’s soccer championship.

The plan to add men’s soccer was put in motion when ETSU joined the A-Sun in 2005. At the time, ETSU became only the second Division I men’s program at a state-sponsored school in Tennessee, and only the fourth D-I program in the state. Athletic Director Dave Mullins says the school was careful and deliberate in its plan to develop the program.

“We were very committed to doing things the right way from the start,” says Mullins. “We felt soccer was s sport that we could build quickly because it is such a growing sport. We understood the keys to building the program, and one of course was to help with the financial resources, including scholarships and recruiting dollars. Another was to get the right coach, and Scott Calabrese brought great experience and contacts, plus a real vision as to how to grow the program. Because we had no history to draw from, we felt that the facility would give us an advantage, and we were able to secure the funding for Summers-Taylor Stadium thanks in large part to our wonderful soccer community.”

Calabrese came to ETSU as a former assistant men’s coach at Clemson and North Carolina who also served as a goalkeeper’s coach for the United States women’s national team. He echoes Butehorn in his gratitude for a supportive administration.

“We have an administration and supporting cast that completely understands what we are trying to accomplish here,” says Calabrese. “You can see that from the success that we have already been able to achieve. Our Athletic Director Dave Mullins put together a tremendous plan, and now that plan is obviously working. We have a facility that is second to none in our conference. It’s really impressive and showed an incredible commitment to soccer from the university,” Calabrese continues. In addition, we have a tremendous soccer community here, and the university itself is in a beautiful part of the country. If you couple all of those factors together, and then have success, it is an attractive place to be.”

So today two teams share similar stories of success. It is certain that at first touch this afternoon, they will also have an identical mission.

“The fact that these two teams are playing for the A-Sun championship is great for the conference,” says Butehorn. “You see two teams that represent institutional support for the success of men’s soccer, and you also see two teams that identify with the mission of the conference.”

The Championship Final will be broadcasted for free on ASun.TV.