Eleven teams, made up of 24 New York Red Bulls Academy products, qualified for the NCAA Soccer Championship which kicked off on Nov. 19. Since then, five teams with Academy products remain in the tournament: Akron (Adam Najem), Georgetown (Brandon Allen, Arun Basuljevic, Alex Muyl, Christopher Lema, Ethan Lochner, Kyle Zajec), Maryland (Mael Corboz), UCSB (Dugan Zier) and Wake Forest (Steven Echevarria, Kevin Politz).
2015 NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Championship Bracket
Some of the top performers include former New York Red Bulls II forward Juan Sebastian Sanchez (Tulsa), MAC Hermann Watch List player Adam Najem (Akron), Mael Corboz (Maryland) and Brandon Allen (Georgetown). Sanchez scored his first career postseason goal in the First Round and found the back of the net again in the Second Round. Najem tallied two assists in Akron’s opening victory, Corboz provided the game-winning assist to send home defending National Champions Virginia, and Allen recorded his 50th career goal for the Hoyas, setting a new program record.
The following is a list of New York Red Bulls Academy products in the 2015 NCAA Soccer Championship:
No. 4 Akron: Adam Najem (MID) – Adam Najem and Akron hosted Rutgers in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament after earning a First Round bye. Najem recorded two assists in a rout, 6-1. The Zips will take on SMU in the Third Round on Nov. 29.
Boston University: Anthony Viteri (MID) – Anthony Viteri started and played 84 minutes in Boston’s First Round matchup with UCONN, but fell on the road, 3-1. The midfielder recorded three shots in the game, enough for second most on the team.
Charlotte: Harrison Steadman (FWD) – Charlotte won their First Round matchup with Radford, 2-1, to advance to the Second Round against No. 1 seed Wake Forest. Although Harrison Steadman did not play in the First Round, he played 14 minutes as a substitute against the Demon Deacons. Charlotte battled, but Wake Forest edged out the 49ers with an 83rd minute goal, 1-0.
No. 3 Georgetown: Brandon Allen (FWD), Arun Basuljevic (MID), Alex Muyl (MID), Christopher Lema (MID), Ethan Lochner (FWD), Kyle Zajec (MID) – Georgetown, who earned a First Round bye, defeated Hofstra in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament, 3-0. Arun Basuljevic opened the scoring for the Hoyas against Hofstra in the 5th minute, a lead they took into the break. Brandon Allen doubled Georgetown’s advantage in the 87th minute with his 50th career goal for Georgetown, a new program record. Alex Muyl finished off the scoring in the 90th minute to put his side through to the next round. Georgetown will face Boston College in the Third Round on Nov. 29.
No. 10 Maryland: Mael Corboz (MID) – Maryland kicked off their College Cup campaign on a high note, earning a win against defending National Champions Virginia in the Second Round, 1-0. Mael Corboz started and played the full 90 minutes, earning the game-winning assist in the 38th minute. Next up for the Terps are No. 7 seed Notre Dame on Nov. 29.
Rutgers: Erik Sa (MID), Brandon Tetro (DEF/MID), Dante Perez (MID/FWD), Ross Tetro (DEF/MID) – Erik Sa and Brandon Tetro started for Rutgers in the First Round shootout victory against LIU Brooklyn. After playing out a draw, 1-1, through double overtime, the Scarlet Knights won in penalty kicks, 3-2. Brandon Tetro converted the fourth and final penalty for Rutgers. Ross Tetro also saw action in the match, coming on as a substitute. In the Second Round game against Akron, Rutgers was eliminated from the tournament, 6-1. Brandon Tetro and Sa both started in the match.
Tulsa: Juan Sebastian Sanchez (FWD) – Tulsa, fresh off winning the American Conference Championship, earned a First Round victory against FIU, 3-2. Juan Sebastian Sanchez started and played 76 minutes, scoring Tulsa’s opening goal in the 52nd minute. In the Second Round, the Hurricanes took on No. 7 seed Notre Dame. After conceding an early goal, Sanchez leveled the match for Tulsa in the 62nd minute, his second goal of the tournament. The match remained tied, 1-1, after double overtime and headed into a shootout. Notre Dame prevailed in penalty kicks, 3-0. Sanchez did not shoot in penalty kicks.
UCONN: Jacob Wagmeister (GK) – UCONN opened up in the First Round with a win against Boston University, 3-1. They were eliminated in the next round against No. 16 Indiana, 1-0. Wagmeister, a redshirt senior, did not play in the NCAA Tournament.
No. 15 UCSB: Dugan Zier (DEF) – Dugan Zier’s UCSB hosted South Carolina in the Second Round of the College Cup. Scoreless after 90 minutes, the match headed into overtime and was ended early when UCSB scored the game-winning goal in the 93rd minute. Zier, a freshman, did not play in the match.
Virginia: Derrick Etienne (MID), Nate Odosute (DEF), Wesley Wade (FWD), Scott Thomsen (DEF), Malcolm Dixon (FWD) – The defending National Champions kicked off their NCAA Tournament with a First Round victory against Rider, 2-0. Derrick Etienne, Nate Odosute and Scott Thomsen all started in the win. In the Second Round, Virginia traveled to College Park to take on Mael Corboz and Maryland. The Cavaliers fell on the road, 1-0. Odosute and Thomsen started, while Etienne came off the bench and played 45 minutes.
No. 1 Wake Forest: Steven Echevarria (MID), Kevin Politz (DEF) – The top-seeded Demon Deacons began their College Cup campaign with a Second Round win against Charlotte, 1-0. Steven Echevarria came off the bench and played 30 minutes in the victory. Wake Forest will face No. 16 seed Indiana in the Third Round on Nov. 29.
* – Eliminated from NCAA Tournament
