2023 Sun Belt Conference men's soccer season
Sports season
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The 2023 Sun Belt Conference men's soccer season will the 21st season of men's varsity soccer in the Sun Belt Conference (SBC), as part of the 2023 NCAA Division I men's soccer season.
| 2023 Sun Belt Conference men's soccer season | |
|---|---|
| |
| League | NCAA Division I |
| Sport | Soccer |
| Duration | August 24, 2023 - October 31, 2023 |
| Teams | 10 |
| 2024 MLS SuperDraft | |
| Top draft pick | Matthew Bell, 16th overall |
| Picked by | Real Salt Lake |
| Regular Season | |
| Season champions | Marshall |
| Season MVP | Offensive:Matthew Bell Defensive:Morris Duggan Goalkeeper:Gabriel Perrotta |
| Top scorer | Marcus Caldeira (12) Yutaro Tsukada (12)[1] |
| Tournament | |
| Champions | Marshall |
| Runners-up | West Virginia |
| Finals MVP | Álvaro García Pascual |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 8 Marshall ‡ | 7 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 18 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 19 UCF + | 6 | – | 2 | – | 1 | 10 | – | 4 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 3 West Virginia + | 5 | – | 1 | – | 3 | 17 | – | 3 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 18 James Madison + | 4 | – | 2 | – | 3 | 10 | – | 5 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kentucky + | 3 | – | 3 | – | 3 | 8 | – | 8 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Georgia State | 3 | – | 4 | – | 2 | 6 | – | 7 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| South Carolina | 3 | – | 4 | – | 2 | 6 | – | 9 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Old Dominion | 2 | – | 6 | – | 1 | 5 | – | 7 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Georgia Southern | 1 | – | 5 | – | 3 | 2 | – | 9 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coastal Carolina | 1 | – | 6 | – | 2 | 3 | – | 9 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rankings from United Soccer Coaches Source: Sun Belt | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Previous season
Kentucky won both the Sun Belt Conference regular season and tournament championship, marking the first time they have won either of the Sun Belt titles. It was Kentucky's seventh overall regular season championship and their sixth overall tournament championship. Kentucky earned the Sun Belt's automatic berth into the 2022 NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament, and Marshall earned an at-large bid. Kentucky was the top-overall seeded team in the entire tournament while Marshall was unseeded. Both teams reached the third round (Sweet 16) of the NCAA tournament before being eliminated.
Milo Yosef of Marshall was named the SBC Player of the Year. Oliver Semmle of Marshall was the first Sun Belt player to be selected in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft, being drafted in the second round with the 41st overall pick by the Colorado Rapids.
Teams
Stadiums and locations
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coastal Carolina Chanticleers | Conway, South Carolina | Coastal Carolina University Soccer Field | 1,000 |
| Georgia Southern Eagles | Statesboro, Georgia | Eagle Field | 3,500 |
| Georgia State Panthers | Decatur, Georgia | GSU Soccer Complex | 1,892 |
| James Madison Dukes | Harrisonburg, Virginia | Sentara Park | 1,500 |
| Kentucky Wildcats | Lexington, Kentucky | Wendell & Vickie Bell Soccer Complex | 3,368 |
| Marshall Thundering Herd | Huntington, West Virginia | Veterans Memorial Soccer Complex | 1,006 |
| Old Dominion Monarchs | Norfolk, Virginia | Old Dominion Soccer Complex | 4,000 |
| South Carolina Gamecocks | Columbia, South Carolina | Stone Stadium | 5,700 |
| UCF Knights | Orlando, Florida | UCF Soccer and Track Stadium | 2,000 |
| West Virginia Mountaineers | Morgantown, West Virginia | Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium | 1,600 |
Coaches
Lee Squires was hired in December 2022 to become the Head Coach of the Georgia Southern Eagles.[2] Note: All stats current through the completion of the 2022 season
| Team | Head coach | Previous job | Years at school | Overall record | Record at school | SBC record | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coastal Carolina | Shaun Docking | Charleston Southern | 26 | 326–167–52 (.646) | 306–148–50 (.657) | 19–8–6 (.667) | [3] |
| Georgia Southern | Lee Squires | Lander | 0 | 140–56–26 (.689) | 0–0–0 (–) | 0–0–0 (–) | [4] |
| Georgia State | Brett Surrency | Georgia State (asst.) | 14 | 135–92–16 (.588) | 135–92–16 (.588) | 25–13–5 (.640) | [5] |
| James Madison | Paul Zazenski | James Madison (asst.) | 6 | – (–) | – (–) | – (–) | |
| Kentucky | Johan Cedergren | Dartmouth (asst.) | 12 | – (–) | – (–) | – (–) | |
| Marshall | Chris Grassie | Charleston (WV) | 7 | 166–52–26 (.734) | 67–32–18 (.650) | 4–1–3 (.688) | [6] |
| Old Dominion | Alan Dawson | North Carolina (asst.) | 26 | – (–) | – (–) | – (–) | |
| South Carolina | Tony Annan | Atlanta United Academy | 3 | – (–) | – (–) | – (–) | |
| UCF | Scott Calabrese | FIU | 6 | – (–) | – (–) | 0–0–0 (–) | |
| West Virginia | Dan Stratford | Charleston (WV) | 4 | – (–) | – (–) | – (–) |
Preseason
Preseason poll
The preseason poll will be released in late August 2023.
| SBC preseason poll | ||
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kentucky | 93 (6) |
| 2 | Marshall | 91 (2) |
| 3 | West Virginia | 77 (1) |
| 4 | UCF | 68 (1) |
| 5 | South Carolina | 49 |
| 6T | Coastal Carolina | 45 |
| 6T | Georgia State | 45 |
| 8 | James Madison | 40 |
| 9 | Old Dominion | 26 |
| 10 | Georgia Southern | 16 |
Preseason national polls
The preseason national polls were released in July and August 2023.[8]
| United Soccer |
Top Drawer Soccer | |
| Coastal Carolina | — | — |
|---|---|---|
| Georgia Southern | — | — |
| Georgia State | — | — |
| James Madison | — | — |
| Kentucky | 3 (1) | 6 |
| Marshall | 11 | 9 |
| Old Dominion | — | — |
| South Carolina | — | — |
| UCF | — | — |
| West Virginia | — | — |
Preseason awards
All−American Teams
| USC 1st Team | USC 2nd Team | TDS 1st Team | TDS 2nd Team | CSN 1st Team | CSN 2nd Team | |
Preseason All SBC
| Position | Player | Class | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Casper Mols | So. | Kentucky |
| Defender | Anderson Rosa | Sr. | UCF |
| Max Miller | So. | Kentucky | |
| Morris Duggan | Sr. | Marshall | |
| Midfielder | Gavin Williams | So. | Georgia State |
| Alex Karkowiak | R-Jr. | James Madison | |
| Eythor Kjartansson | So. | Coastal Carolina | |
| Andrew Erickson | Sr. | Kentucky | |
| Forward | Casper Grening | Jr. | Kentucky |
| Lucca Dourado | Sr. | UCF | |
| Simon Carlson | Sr. | Georgia State | |
| Matthew Bell | So. | Marshall |
Regular season
National rankings
| Improvement in ranking | ||
| Drop in ranking | ||
| NR | Not Ranked | |
| Pre | Wk 1 | Wk 2 | Wk 3 | Wk 4 | Wk 5 | Wk 6 | Wk 7 | Wk 8 | Wk 9 | Wk 10 | Wk 11 | Wk 12 | Wk 13 | Wk 14 | Wk 15 | Final | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coastal Carolina | USC | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | None released | NR | |||
| TDS | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | |
| Georgia Southern | USC | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | None released | NR | |||
| TDS | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | |
| Georgia State | USC | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | None released | NR | |||
| TDS | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | |
| James Madison | USC | NR | 17 | 8 | 9 | 12 | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | None released | 18 | |||
| TDS | NR | NR | NR | 24 | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | |
| Kentucky | USC | 3 | 2 | 19 | 24 | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | None released | NR | |||
| TDS | 6 | 5 | 9 | 11 | 25 | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | |
| Marshall | USC | 11 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 1 | None released | 8 | |||
| TDS | 9 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 9 | 9 | |
| Old Dominion | USC | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | None released | NR | |||
| TDS | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | |
| South Carolina | USC | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | None released | NR | |||
| TDS | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | |
| UCF | USC | NV | 13 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 12 | None released | 19 | |||
| TDS | NR | NR | 17 | 15 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 14 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | |
| West Virginia | USC | NR | NR | 16 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 5 | None released | 3 | |||
| TDS | NR | NR | NR | 10 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |
Awards
Source:[9]
| 2023 Sun Belt Men's Soccer Individual Awards | ||||||
| Award | Recipient(s) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coach of the Year | Scott Calabrese – UCF | |||||
| Offensive Player of the Year | Matthew Bell – Marshall | |||||
| Defensive Player of the Year | Morris Duggan – Marshall | |||||
| Goalkeeper of the Year | Gabriel Perrotta – Marshall | |||||
| Newcomer of the Year | Saku Heiskanen – UCF | |||||
| Freshman of the Year | Saku Heiskanen – UCF | |||||
| 2023 Sun Belt Men's Soccer All-Conference Teams | ||||
| First Team | Second Team | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Player – School |
Player - School | |||
MLS SuperDraft
The 2024 MLS SuperDraft was held on December 19, 2023.
Total picks by school
| Team | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Comp. | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coastal Carolina | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Georgia State | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Georgia Southern | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| James Madison | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kentucky | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Marshall | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Old Dominion | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| South Carolina | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UCF | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| West Virginia | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
List of selections
| Round | Pick # | MLS team | Player | Position | College | Nationality | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 | Real Salt Lake | Matthew Bell | FW | Marshall |  | [10] |
| 1 | 20 | Minnesota United FC | Marcus Caldeira | FW | West Virginia |  | [11] |
| 1 | 25 | Orlando City SC | Yutaro Tsukada | FW | West Virginia |  | [12] |
| 1 | 28 | Los Angeles FC | Jackson Lee | GK | West Virginia |  | [13] |
| 2 | 43 | Colorado Rapids | Anderson Rosa | DF | UCF |  | [14] |
| 3 | 67 | Minnesota United FC | Morris Duggan | DF | Marshall |  | [15] |
| 3 | 77 | Atlanta United FC | Casper Mols | GK | Kentucky |  | [16] |