2018 American Athletic Conference men's soccer season

2018 American Athletic Conference men's soccer season
LeagueNCAA Division I
SportSoccer
DurationAugust 24, 2018 – November 11, 2018
Number of teams8
2019 MLS SuperDraft
Top draft pickEmil Cuello, 19th overall
Picked byLA Galaxy
Regular Season
Season championsUCF
  Runners-upSMU
Tournament
ChampionsSMU
  Runners-upUCF
Finals MVPOffensive: Emil Cuello
Defensive: Grant Makela
AAC men's soccer seasons
2018 American Athletic Conference men's soccer standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 18 UCF + 5 1 1 13 3 3
SMU ‡+ 5 1 1 10 5 3
South Florida 4 1 2 7 8 2
Connecticut + 3 2 2 12 6 2
Memphis 2 4 1 8 7 4
Temple 2 4 1 5 10 4
Tulsa 2 5 0 6 9 2
Cincinnati 1 6 0 3 14 1
As of December 11, 2018
Rankings from United Soccer Coaches

The 2018 American Athletic Conference men's soccer season was the 6th season of men's varsity soccer in the conference. The season began on August 24 and concluded on November 11, 2018.

The regular season was won by UCF, who finished conference play with a 5–1–1 record, and won on tiebreakers against SMU. SMU won the American Tournament, defeating UCF 5–4 in penalty kicks following a 1–1 draw in regulation and overtime. SMU earned the conference's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament, while UCF and Connecticut received at-large berths into the tournament. In the NCAA Tournament, SMU lost in the first round to Oregon State.[1][2] Connecticut beat rivals, Rhode Island,[3] in the first round, before losing to Indiana in the second round.[4] UCF was one of the 16 seeded teams (seeded 14th),[5] allowing them to earn a bye into the second round. There, they lost in overtime to Lipscomb.[6]

Following the season, Cal Jennings won the Offensive MVP award for the conference. Jacob Hauser-Ramsey of Connecticut won the Defensive MVP. Fellow UCF players, Louis Perez, Yannik Oettl, and Scott Calabrese won the AAC Midfielder, Goalkeeper, and Coach of the Year awards, respectively.[7] Perez and Jennings were also named All-Americans by United Soccer Coaches.[8]

Emil Cuello was the first AAC player to be drafted in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft, when he was selected by the LA Galaxy with the 19th overall pick in the first round of the draft.

  1. ^ Severs, John (November 16, 2018). "Oregon State Men's Soccer: Beavers Beat SMU 2-1 to Advance to Second Round". Building The Dam. Retrieved January 13, 2019.
  2. ^ [email protected], BROOKS HATCH. "OSU men's soccer: Beavers face Gaels in second round". Corvallis Gazette Times. Retrieved January 13, 2019.
  3. ^ ChrisS. "NEW: URI Soccer Falls to UConn 4-3 in Overtime in NCAA Tournament". GoLocalProv. Retrieved January 13, 2019.
  4. ^ "IU men's soccer puts nation on alert with win over UConn: 'You don't want to be in our way right now.'". Indianapolis Star. Retrieved January 13, 2019.
  5. ^ "NCAA soccer: DI men's 2018 tournament bracket released; Wake Forest is No. 1 seed". NCAA.com. November 12, 2018. Retrieved January 13, 2019.
  6. ^ "UCF Knights vs. Lipscomb Bisons - Football Match Stats - November 18, 2018 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 13, 2019.
  7. ^ "UCF, UConn Garner Men's Soccer Regular Season Awards". theamerican.org. Retrieved January 13, 2019.
  8. ^ "UCF's Cal Jennings, Louis Perez Tabbed United Soccer Coaches All-Americans". theamerican.org. Retrieved January 13, 2019.