VCU Rams men's soccer

Beginning in 1978, Virginia Commonwealth University fielded an NCAA Division I men's varsity soccer program that competed independently,[2] joining the Sun Belt Conference in 1979.[3] Ben Satterfield was the team's initial head coach and was at the helm until the end of the 1982 season. Ben Satterfield's teams got progressively better, and in 1981, was ranked #1 in the Mid-Atlantic Region, and was in the NCAA Division I Top 25 in the nation. VCU had a bye going into the 1981 Sun Belt Tournament with a 12–5–3 record, and lost a heart-breaker to University of South Alabama 2–1, ending their season. Roosevelt Lundy took over in 1983, and struggled to do well in the conference.

Following Steuckenschneider's departure in 1994, Tim Sullivan took over the head coaching job. It was also the same year VCU left the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference to join the Colonial Athletic Association. Under Sullivan's tenure, the team enjoyed their most success both in conference play and in NCAA play, earning their first ever berth in the NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship.

Initially, the young team had struggles in the Colonial Athletic Association, finishing towards the bottom of the conference standings in its first two years. In 1997, the team vastly improved, earning a third-place regular season record and earning the CAA championship that year. In the 1997 Championship, the Rams defeated American University 9–8 in a penalty kick shootout after drawing 2–2 in regulation time.[3]

Since then the team won the CAA championship in 2002 and 2003, as well as winning the regular-season title those same years as well as winning the honor in 2004.[3]

The team's most successful run in the College Cup, the men's NCAA Division I Soccer Tournament, came in 2004, where the Rams entered the tournament as ranked 16th in the nation, earning a bye to the second round proper. In the second round, the Rams defeated George Washington, before upsetting the number-one seeded, Wake Forest Demon Deacons in penalty kicks. Reaching the regional finals, or quarterfinals in the entire tournament, VCU lost to eventual national finalists, the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos.

Following the end of the 2009 season, VCU hit a team nadir, falling to last place in the CAA, their worst in the history. Following the conclusion of the season, 15-year head coach, Tim O'Sullivan was fired to be replaced by David Giffard, thus making Giffard the sixth head coach in VCU men's soccer history.[4] Giffard's facelifting of the team was credited in their finishing as regular season runners-up in 2010.[5]

The Giffard-led program began play in the Atlantic 10 Conference during the 2012 NCAA Division I men's soccer season, where the Rams finished fourth in the Atlantic 10 table, and reached the final of the 2012 Atlantic 10 Men's Soccer Tournament, only to lose to Saint Louis in the final. The Rams secured an at-large bid to the 2012 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship, making it the first time since 2004 the Rams qualified. In the tournament, VCU was seeded fourteenth in the tournament. They lost to Syracuse Orange in the second round proper of the tournament, 3–2 after extra time.

The team uses the school colors of black and gold.

Along with the women's soccer and the track & field teams, the Virginia Commonwealth men's soccer team plays at the 3,250-seat Sports Backers Stadium. Located three miles north of the Monroe Park Campus, the stadium is adjacent to The Diamond ballpark, where the baseball team plays. Since its completion in 1999, the stadium has served as the primary venue for the team.

Like all VCU Rams sports teams, the men's soccer team's main fan group is the Rowdy Rams. The Rowdy Rams are situated in the bleachers in front of the nets, and switch sides each half to invoke intimidation on the opposing sides goalkeeper. They sit with the university's marching band. The Rowdy Rams at games refer to themselves as Rowdy FC.

As of 29 Dec 2022[10]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 0 GK  USA Max Dunphy 00 GK  USA John Ermini 1 GK  USA Cory Taylor 2 DF  USA Yugo Suzuki 3 DF  USA Blaize Hardy 5 MF  SEN Moussa Ndiaye 7 MF  USA Damian Gallegos 8 MF  NED Philip Klomp 10 FW  SEN Papa Toure 11 FW  ARG Camilo Comi 12 FW  USA Lance Christmas 13 FW  USA Maverick McGann 14 DF  USA Ethan Manheim 15 MF  USA William Hitchcock 16 MF  USA Andres Rodriguez 17 MF  UGA Jonathan Kanagwa 18 DF  USA Jared Valdes 19 DF  CRC Gerardo Castillo

No. Pos. Nation Player 20 MF  USA Mouhamed Tucker 21 MF  USA Ndayizeye Bonere 22 MF  USA Tariq Moutaouakil 23 MF  USA Lucas White 24 MF  USA Graham Dougald 25 DF  USA Justice Campbell 26 DF  JPN Hayato Miyano 27 DF  JAM Scott McLeod 28 DF  USA Nick Barahona 29 FW  USA Wladimir Gasant 30 MF  CGO Sadock Kilosho 31 MF  CGO Pacific Ibanzi 33 FW  CGO Nolan Coetzee 36 MF  USA David Hughes 37 DF  USA Ethan Bayer 51 GK  JPN Ittetsu Hirai 99 FW  USA Jean-Claude Bilé

This is a list of the most recent seasons at VCU.

Source for CAA record: NM Athletics[11]
Source for Metro and Sun Belt record: VCU Athletics[12]

• NCAA Men's Soccer Region 1
  • Runners-up (1): 2004
• Atlantic 10 Conference Regular Season
  • Winners (1): 2018
  • Runners-up (1): 2017
• Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament
  • Runners-up (3): 2012, 2015, 2016
• Colonial Athletic Association Tournament
  • Champions (3): 1997, 2002, 2003
  • Runners-up (2): 1999, 2001
• Colonial Athletic Association Regular Season
  • Winners (4): 1998, 2002, 2003, 2004
  • Runners-up (2): 1999, 2010
• Metro Conference Regular Season
  • Winners (1): 1993

• Official website