Men's Soccer at the USCAA National Championships

The men's team came into the tournament as a No. 9 seed, receiving an at-large bid. Despite being the HVIAC regular season champions, the squad hobbled into Virginia Beach with a rash of injuries to several starters. To add insult to injury, ESF found itself in a difficult group in pool play.

In the first match, the Mighty Oaks faced No. 4 seed Florida College. The Falcons came into the game with a 12-1 record. Senior Chris Lawrence gave ESF an early lead with a goal six minutes into the game with an assist from sophomore Joseph Kulikowski. The Falcons answered at the 38-minute mark with a goal by Josh Valverde. Florida College forward Groutchov Pierre netted another goal for the Falcons a minute before the halftime break, giving Florida College a 2-1 lead. Five second-half goals by the Falcons overwhelmed the Mighty Oaks (including a hat-trick by Pierre) as ESF fell 7-1.

In the next game of pool play, ESF was defeated by No. 5 seed Dean College, 4-1. Lawrence scored early once again for ESF four minutes into the game off a pass from senior Jean Carlo Barrientos. The Bulldogs answered with three straight goals in the first half to go into halftime with a 3-1 lead. A misplay by the ESF goal keeper gave the Bulldogs another goal in the second half in a match that was very physical and featured four yellow cards and 26 combined fouls. The men's soccer team finished its season with a 12-6-1 overall record.

"It was an excellent season. Both teams won some tremendous games. All the team members, especially the seniors, showed great character and heart to achieve all the success they did. It is something the entire campus community should be very proud of," said Dan Ramin, head coach of both teams.