Men's soccer team breaks into national rankings

An impressive start to the 2013 soccer season has earned national recognition for  the Randolph College men’s soccer team.

Two recent wins pushed the WildCats into the number 17 spot on the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Division III poll, besting the team’s previous record of reaching number 18 on that list. .

The team also ranked as the final team on the D3soccer.com top 25, a list compiled from votes by a panel of coaches, sports information directors, and media members. This is the first time in the program’s history that the team has been ranked in both polls at the same time.

Under the leadership of Head Coach Bryan Waggoner and a large contingent of seniors, the men’s soccer team has amassed 9 wins, zero losses and one tie this season, their longest unbeaten streak. In 2011, they won the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Championship and rose to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Division III playoffs.

Learn more about the team’s accomplishments on the WildCat Athletics Men’s  Soccer page.

Men's Soccer team ready for European tour

Randolph’s men’s soccer team is embarking on a European tour ahead of their fall 2013 season.

The men's soccer team practiced on campus for a week in preparation for their European tour.

Tomorrow, head coach Bryan Waggoner and 21 student-athletes will depart for London where they will spend more than a week seeing sights, competing in matches against international teams, and observing professional soccer games.

The team took a similar trip three years ago, and Waggoner said it was an incredible way for the team to bond, improve their skills, and have an intercultural experience. He looks forward to seeing that happen again.

“We saw our team grow tremendously on our last European soccer tour in 2010. The 2013 tour provides an outstanding opportunity for the team to further develop their team chemistry, and it will be a great way to launch our upcoming season. I am confident that this team with 14 seniors, a strong core of returning players, and energetic first-year student-athletes will continue to excel.”

Throughout the trip, the WildCat Athletics Facebook page will post photos that Waggoner sends in as the group tours England.

WildCat ROOOOARRRRR Heard Across the Country as Fans Send Good Luck Wishes to the Men's Soccer Team!

Friday afternoon WildCat fans gathered in the Quad to send the Randolph men's soccer team good luck wishes and plenty of WildCat spirit. The team left for Redlands, CA earlier in the week and will take on the University of Texas at Tyler Friday night at 8 p.m. EST in the NCAA semi-finals.

Randolph fans are invited to gather in Martin 315 at 8 p.m. for a webcast of the game. Those unable to be on campus can also cheer the WildCats at http://livestats.prestosports.com/redlands
You’ll find the men’s soccer item at the top of the right column—just click the “video” link.

The team, which is just in its fifth season, earned the spot in the Sweet 16 by first defeating Lynchburg College to win the ODAC championship and then toppling No. 2 ranked Christopher Newport 2-1 last weekend. The WildCats also defeated DeSales (PA) 3-2 Sunday to earn the spot at the NCAA Sectional Round.

And the accomplishments keep coming. Coach Bryan Waggoner was named the ODAC Coach of the Year Thursday while Corey Sindle '14 of Gloucester, VA was named the ODAC Player of the Year.

In all, six Randolph WildCat players received awards from ODAC. Sindle earned the squad’s first-ever first-team All-ODAC selection as a forward. Randolph tied for the most All-ODAC selections of any conference team with Roanoke College.

Sindle led the conference in goals and points and was in the top five in assists as well. He currently sits with 15 goals and five assists on the season. Sindle is the first ODAC Player of the Year at the College since 2008 when Lindsay Cross was Player of the Year for softball.

Will Wolf '14 (Goldsboro, NC/Cardinal Gibbons) earned second-team All-ODAC honors in the back for Randolph. Wolf has played in all 22 games this season, starting all but one of those as the captain of the WildCat defense while allowing only 22 goals all season.

Midfielders Jacob Hood '14 (New Market, MD/Linganore), Nick Cornell '13 (Front Royal, VA/Warren Co.) along withforward Timmy Songer '12 (Windsor, VA/Windsor) all earned third team All-ODAC, as did first-year back Coulton Watson '15 (Virginia Beach, VA/Salem). Watson was one of only two first-year players to find his name on the All-ODAC lists.

Waggoner was selected as the league’s top mentor after leading the WildCats to their first-ever ODAC Championship this season along with an 18-5 record. Randolph has posted two win streaks of eight games this year, and also has knocked off two ranked opponents including No. 2 Christopher Newport University in the NCAA Tournament First Round.

Go WildCats!

Men's soccer captures ODAC title, advances to NCAA

Randolph College's men's soccer team was founded only five years ago. Now, it has won a conference title and will advance to the NCAA National Championship Tournament.

The team bested cross-town rival Lynchburg College 2-1 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference finals Saturday night at WildCat Stadium.

This Saturday, they will compete at Christopher Newport University in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Coached by Bryan Waggoner, the WildCats have had an impressive season on the soccer field. Winning the past six games, they have scored a 16-5 record.

For details on last Saturday's championship game against LC, check out coverage in The News & Advance, WSET, and Hill City Sports. Find photos from the game at John Shupe Photography's Facebook page. Also, here is a video showing some game highlights:

WildCats Advance to ODAC Championships!

Randolph College's men's soccer team clinched a spot in the ODAC championship final Tuesday night with a thrilling win over Virginia Wesleyan. On Saturday, the WildCats will face the winner of Wednesday's game between Lynchburg College and Eastern Mennonite.

The men's soccer team is the third team in a year to advance to the ODAC championships. The men's basketball team and women's softball team both made it to the finals last season.

For more coverage, please see

http://web.randolphcollege.edu/newsevents/pressreleases/news_detail.asp?id=1348

http://wildcats.randolphcollege.edu/news/update.asp?id=2075