Top 5 of ’14: Lower-Division & College Stories

By Brian O'Connell
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Updated: December 28, 2014

Photo credit: Providence College Athletics

The New England Revolution may have made most of the headlines in and around the region, but there were plenty of intriguing storylines at the lower division and collegiate levels.

Let’s take a look back at some the most compelling lower division and college soccer stories of 2014.

1. Providence College wins BIG EAST, push UCLA to brink in Final Four. PC has long been one of the region’s stronger soccer programs, as evidenced by seven NCAA tournament appearances. But their 2014 campaign undoubtedly raised the bar for future squads. In November, they claimed the school’s first BIG EAST title, then made their Final Four debut, where they faced storied soccer powerhouse UCLA. The Friars forced the Bruins to overtime, but a fluke own goal ended their magical season. Despite the heartbreaking loss, Providence undoubtedly established themselves as a squad to be reckoned with in 2015.

Photo credit: Providence College Athletics

2. Western Mass goes unbeaten in return to pro soccer. After a four year absence, Western Mass returned to the pro game in August with the establishment of the new American Soccer League (ASL). And what a return it was. The Lusitanos went unbeaten (6-0-4), boasted the one of the league’s top defenses (nine goals allowed), and regularly drew healthy home crowds during the Fall 2014 season. To say they set benchmark for ASL squads would be understatement. With that initial success, it wouldn’t be surprising Western Mass clinches the league’s inaugural championship during the Spring 2015 season.

Photo credit: David Henry/sweetdogphotos.com

3. The Azul reach PDL playoffs. Twenty-fourteen was full of new frontiers for the Azul. Prior to 2014 PDL campaign, the CFC organization cut ties with the Connecticut-based outfit, and the club operated as simply as AZUL PDL. The new moniker wasn’t the only development, though. The front office moved the club west to Danbury. But amid all the changes, coach David Kelly guided the team to a 9-2-3 record, good enough for second place in the Northeast Division. In the play-in game, they upset perennial PDL powerhouse Reading United FC before falling to eventual Eastern Conference champion Jersey Express. Following the season, the club was renamed AC Connecticut, and will look to continue their success next season.

Photo credit: Azul PDL

4. Anthony Grant’s sensational season. While most of the attention may have been trained on local goal artist Alencar Junior, Seacoast United’s Anthony Grant was certainly a revelation. In only 10 games for the Phantoms, the Jamaica International scored a conference-best 14 goals, leading his squad to a first place finish. Not surprisingly, he was named a finalist for PDL MVP. Look for Grant, who graduated from Bowling Green University in 2013, to try to parlay his stellar season into a pro contract at the USL-PRO or NASL level.

Photo credit: Brian O’Connell

5. Tufts University wins Division III championship. Talk about a Cinderella run for the Jumbos. After losing to Connecticut College in the NESCAC Quarterfinal, an NCAA tournament invitation was anything but a certainty. But they nevertheless earned a bid, then proceeded to upset the likes of Messiah College and Ohio Wesleyan before meeting the heavily-favored Wheaton College in the title game. The odds, though, were little more than an afterthought after Tufts jumped out to a 3-0 lead going into halftime, and at the final whistle, a 4-2 win assured them of an unlikely, but well-deserved, championship.

Photo credit: Tufts University

Honorable mention: The return of the Rhode Island Oceaneers. Forty years after the original O’s hoisted the ASL trophy, the second generation of the R.I.-based outfit was intent to carry on the legacy of their forefathers in the new ASL. It wouldn’t be easy, though. Coach Jasir Charris used a number of different players looking for the right combination, which eventually came into focus toward the end of the Fall 2014 season. The new O’s finished with a 2-3-3 record, good enough for third in the Northeast Conference. With a solid core in place, Charris could have one of the league’s stronger sides going into the 2015 Spring campaign.