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2019 Recap: Reliving Men’s Soccer’s Historical Season
12/17/2019 11:47:00 AM | Men's Soccer
BOCA RATON, Fla. – The 2019 Florida Atlantic University men's soccer squad has come off a historical year, marking the best season yet for head coach Joey Worthen. Whether it was qualifying for the Conference USA Tournament, earning four All-Conference selections or knocking off two ranked opponents, the team has made tremendous strides in the right direction.
Worthen has been able to turnaround the team, improving upon back-to-back two win seasons (2-14 in 2017 and 2-13 in 2018) to seven victories, posting a 7-7-1 record prior to the C-USA Tournament.
"When we came into this program, one of the first things we needed to address was the culture," said Worthen. "We put our core values in place and talked to the team about buying into them and putting the team first… To see the guys make that adjustment and see the progress from year to year and then get the results has been really rewarding. I credit the guys and their buy-in."
The Owls knocked off two ranked opponents this year. FAU started off on an exciting note in their home opener by shutting out No. 17 James Madison, 1-0. Newcomer Ivan Mykhailenko delivered the game-winning goal off a header to elevate the Owls past the Dukes. This marked the first time since 2011 FAU opened up the season with a win and the first time since 2002 the program opened with a shutout. Hagay Jalon was credited with the blank sheet and as a result, was named C-USA Defensive Player of the Week.
"I think [wins over ranked opponents] starts to create some momentum for our program, certainty that first win against James Madison, who is a very good team and had a great previous year," said Worthen. "For us to be able to get into that game and get the result we did in a shutout gave the guys a lot of confidence and momentum for the season."
To keep the momentum rolling, the Owls beat Florida Gulf Coast for the first time since 2013 by a 3-1 decision at FAU Soccer Stadium. Mykhailenko tallied five points in the contest off two goals and an assists. His five points marked the most scored by an Owl in a single match since 2014. He was awarded C-USA Offensive Player of the Week for his performance.
The Owls captured their first C-USA win in thrilling fashion, defeating No. 15 Marshall in overtime in South Florida. Mykhailenko was fouled inside the penalty box at the 93rd minute of the contest to set up for a penalty kick. The Kyiv, Ukraine native converted and the Owls delivered their biggest upset over a ranked opponent since 2000. The Thundering Herd came into the match outscoring their opponents in goals 37-12, but the Owls handed them their first shutout loss of the season. Goalkeeper Jalon was credited with the blank sheet and won C-USA Defensive Player of the Week for the second time of the season.
In a must-win game, the Owls tallied an important road win in Birmingham, Alabama over UAB. As it looked like the game was going into overtime, Jean Paul Rafols delivered his first goal of the year off an assist by Alex Alexis, and the Owls came home with a 1-0 victory.
With the Owls' win over the Blazers, the team set itself up for a huge contest at FAU Soccer Stadium against Old Dominion. If the Owls won on Senior Night, they would clinch their first ever C-USA Tournament berth and play as the No. 5 seed. The Friday night game started in ODU's favor, as the Monarchs scored two goals within the first 13 minutes of play. Alexis and Andres Macias then delivered their first goals of the season to tie the game at the 52nd minute. After the Monarchs scored at the 80th minute for what they hoped would be the game-winning goal, Joe O'Sullivan answered with time ticking down to the 88th minute to come up with the equalizer.
At the 95th minute in overtime, an Owl fouled an ODU player in the box to set up for a penalty kick try. The Monarch's try hit the crossbar to keep the game rolling. Less than two minutes later, Jose Alastuey capitalized on an indirect free kick and the Owls not only clinched a spot to the conference tournament, but knocked off ODU for the first time in school history after previously holding a 0-7-0 against the Monarchs. This win also marked three straight conference wins for the Owls in one of the most competitive leagues in the NCAA.
FAU squared off against No. 15 Kentucky in the C-USA Championship Quarterfinals. The game was scoreless and looked to be approaching extra time, but two goals struck by the Wildcats in the 89th minute of the contest slid them past the Owls. Against a tough Kentucky backline, the Owls outshot the Wildcats 10-6 in the second half, exemplifying their fight all season long.
FAU saw four players make the All-C-USA Team, denoting the most selections for the program since 2007. Alonso Coello Camarero was the first Owl in the program's days of belonging in C-USA to make the First Team. The sophomore tallied the second most minutes played in the regular season (1,130) despite missing the last two games. He was a difference maker on both sides of the ball to pick up where he left off from his notable freshman season.
The Owls also had two Second Team choices in Mykhailenko and Alexis. Mykhailenko led the team in goals (seven) and points (17). In the conference, Mykhailenko ranked second in goals, second in goals per game (0.44) and third in game-winning goals with three. Alexis finished No. 9 in the NCAA in assists per game (0.50) after capturing seven on the season. The midfielder set a program record for most consecutive games with an assists, as he played four straight games with at least one assists.
Tom Abrahamsson rounded out the Owls' selections to the All-Conference Team, making the Third Team and All-Freshman Team nods. The young defender started in all 15 games he appeared in, while scoring his first goal against FIU and tallying an assists versus FGCU.
"I'm really happy for them, said Worthen. "I think they certainty deserve it and we have a lot of players who deserve awards… For the guys to be able to be selected to those All-Conference teams says a lot about them and our team in moving in the direction that we are."
The Owls' three Conference Player of the Week awards marked the most for the program since 2003. Jalon's honor at the first week of the season became the first weekly award for the Owls since 2013, the first season for FAU in C-USA.
"I think we are really competitive, added Worthen. "Our guys want to win and have something to prove. We also have a fantastic staff that works hard and constantly wants to get the most out of the guys."
The Owls are not done yet. They hope to improve on this year and continue to make a run for the C-USA Championship. The team will be returning nine of the 11 most frequent starters in their effort to continue re-writing the program record book.
For complete coverage of FAU men's soccer during the rest of the offseason and during spring play, follow us on Twitter (@FAUMensSoccer), Instagram (@FAUMensSoccer_) and Facebook (FAU Men's Soccer).
Worthen has been able to turnaround the team, improving upon back-to-back two win seasons (2-14 in 2017 and 2-13 in 2018) to seven victories, posting a 7-7-1 record prior to the C-USA Tournament.
"When we came into this program, one of the first things we needed to address was the culture," said Worthen. "We put our core values in place and talked to the team about buying into them and putting the team first… To see the guys make that adjustment and see the progress from year to year and then get the results has been really rewarding. I credit the guys and their buy-in."
The Owls knocked off two ranked opponents this year. FAU started off on an exciting note in their home opener by shutting out No. 17 James Madison, 1-0. Newcomer Ivan Mykhailenko delivered the game-winning goal off a header to elevate the Owls past the Dukes. This marked the first time since 2011 FAU opened up the season with a win and the first time since 2002 the program opened with a shutout. Hagay Jalon was credited with the blank sheet and as a result, was named C-USA Defensive Player of the Week.
"I think [wins over ranked opponents] starts to create some momentum for our program, certainty that first win against James Madison, who is a very good team and had a great previous year," said Worthen. "For us to be able to get into that game and get the result we did in a shutout gave the guys a lot of confidence and momentum for the season."
To keep the momentum rolling, the Owls beat Florida Gulf Coast for the first time since 2013 by a 3-1 decision at FAU Soccer Stadium. Mykhailenko tallied five points in the contest off two goals and an assists. His five points marked the most scored by an Owl in a single match since 2014. He was awarded C-USA Offensive Player of the Week for his performance.
The Owls captured their first C-USA win in thrilling fashion, defeating No. 15 Marshall in overtime in South Florida. Mykhailenko was fouled inside the penalty box at the 93rd minute of the contest to set up for a penalty kick. The Kyiv, Ukraine native converted and the Owls delivered their biggest upset over a ranked opponent since 2000. The Thundering Herd came into the match outscoring their opponents in goals 37-12, but the Owls handed them their first shutout loss of the season. Goalkeeper Jalon was credited with the blank sheet and won C-USA Defensive Player of the Week for the second time of the season.
In a must-win game, the Owls tallied an important road win in Birmingham, Alabama over UAB. As it looked like the game was going into overtime, Jean Paul Rafols delivered his first goal of the year off an assist by Alex Alexis, and the Owls came home with a 1-0 victory.
With the Owls' win over the Blazers, the team set itself up for a huge contest at FAU Soccer Stadium against Old Dominion. If the Owls won on Senior Night, they would clinch their first ever C-USA Tournament berth and play as the No. 5 seed. The Friday night game started in ODU's favor, as the Monarchs scored two goals within the first 13 minutes of play. Alexis and Andres Macias then delivered their first goals of the season to tie the game at the 52nd minute. After the Monarchs scored at the 80th minute for what they hoped would be the game-winning goal, Joe O'Sullivan answered with time ticking down to the 88th minute to come up with the equalizer.
At the 95th minute in overtime, an Owl fouled an ODU player in the box to set up for a penalty kick try. The Monarch's try hit the crossbar to keep the game rolling. Less than two minutes later, Jose Alastuey capitalized on an indirect free kick and the Owls not only clinched a spot to the conference tournament, but knocked off ODU for the first time in school history after previously holding a 0-7-0 against the Monarchs. This win also marked three straight conference wins for the Owls in one of the most competitive leagues in the NCAA.
FAU squared off against No. 15 Kentucky in the C-USA Championship Quarterfinals. The game was scoreless and looked to be approaching extra time, but two goals struck by the Wildcats in the 89th minute of the contest slid them past the Owls. Against a tough Kentucky backline, the Owls outshot the Wildcats 10-6 in the second half, exemplifying their fight all season long.
FAU saw four players make the All-C-USA Team, denoting the most selections for the program since 2007. Alonso Coello Camarero was the first Owl in the program's days of belonging in C-USA to make the First Team. The sophomore tallied the second most minutes played in the regular season (1,130) despite missing the last two games. He was a difference maker on both sides of the ball to pick up where he left off from his notable freshman season.
The Owls also had two Second Team choices in Mykhailenko and Alexis. Mykhailenko led the team in goals (seven) and points (17). In the conference, Mykhailenko ranked second in goals, second in goals per game (0.44) and third in game-winning goals with three. Alexis finished No. 9 in the NCAA in assists per game (0.50) after capturing seven on the season. The midfielder set a program record for most consecutive games with an assists, as he played four straight games with at least one assists.
Tom Abrahamsson rounded out the Owls' selections to the All-Conference Team, making the Third Team and All-Freshman Team nods. The young defender started in all 15 games he appeared in, while scoring his first goal against FIU and tallying an assists versus FGCU.
"I'm really happy for them, said Worthen. "I think they certainty deserve it and we have a lot of players who deserve awards… For the guys to be able to be selected to those All-Conference teams says a lot about them and our team in moving in the direction that we are."
The Owls' three Conference Player of the Week awards marked the most for the program since 2003. Jalon's honor at the first week of the season became the first weekly award for the Owls since 2013, the first season for FAU in C-USA.
"I think we are really competitive, added Worthen. "Our guys want to win and have something to prove. We also have a fantastic staff that works hard and constantly wants to get the most out of the guys."
The Owls are not done yet. They hope to improve on this year and continue to make a run for the C-USA Championship. The team will be returning nine of the 11 most frequent starters in their effort to continue re-writing the program record book.
For complete coverage of FAU men's soccer during the rest of the offseason and during spring play, follow us on Twitter (@FAUMensSoccer), Instagram (@FAUMensSoccer_) and Facebook (FAU Men's Soccer).
2019 Program Feats
- Upset No. 17 James Madison and No. 15 Marshall
- The Marshall win marked the biggest win over a ranked opponent since 2000 when the Owls took down No. 4 UAB
- Qualified for the Conference USA Tournament for the first time in the program's days of belonging to C-USA as a fifth-seed
- Finished with seven wins, which is more than the previous two seasons combined
- Seven wins marks the most for the program since 2013
- Hagay Jalon became the program's first CoSIDA Academic All-American
- Beat ODU for the first time in program history after holding an 0-7-0 record
- Scored five goals against Keiser, the most scored by the program in a single game since 2013
- Saw four student-athletes make the All-Conference Team, which is the most for the program since 2007
- Alonso Coello Camarero was selected to the First Team, marking the first Owl to do so since FAU joined C-USA
- Ivan Mykhailenko scored five points against FGCU, marking the most points scored by an Owl in a single match since 2014
- Alex Alexis' 0.50 assists per game currently sits at No. 9 in the NCAA
- Senior Alexis played four consecutive matches with an assists, which is a new program record and is sixth in program history with the most assists in a single season
- The Owls were awarded with C-USA Player of the Week three times this season
Players Mentioned
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