University of Connecticut Athletics
Men’s Soccer to Participate in Expanded 2019 Spring College Development Program
2/25/2019 4:23:00 PM | Men's Soccer
STORRS, Conn. – The UConn men's soccer program will compete in the 2019 Spring College Development Program as a member of the North Division, as announced by US Soccer this past Friday. The Huskies will join Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Georgetown, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Providence, Rutgers, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest in the 13 team event.
The participating programs will be split into North and South Divisions. Boston College, Connecticut, Providence, Rutgers and Syracuse will comprise the North Division, while the South Division will be split into two groups: Georgetown, Pitt, Virginia and Virginia Tech in one, and Clemson, Duke, North Carolina and Wake Forest in the other. The Tar Heels took home the inaugural title last year, besting the other five programs during competition.
"I'm excited about the continued relationship between U.S. Soccer and the college game through the Spring College Program" said U.S. Soccer YNT Technical Director Tab Ramos. "The Spring College Program was a tremendous success in its inaugural run last year, as we were able to identify new Youth National Team prospects and follow others we were already tracking. The college program is an important part of Zone 3 development and having top programs participate under international standards makes their integration into our National Teams and the professional game easier."
Commencing last year as an agreement between U.S. Soccer and the six participating NCAA men's soccer programs, this year's event will be ran as an approved U.S. Soccer competition, and will follow the federation's technical framework to outline the best practices for the elite youth development. Additionally, the matches will operate similar to a U.S. Soccer Development Academy match - traditional timekeeping, a maximum gameday roster of 18 players and three substitution moments with no re-entry.
"The growth of the Spring College Program in its second year is a testament to the leaders of these institutions for their work and effort to create the optimal environments for players," said YNT Director Jared Micklos. "It's beneficial to have more players 17 and older participating in standards-based competition. We are proud to support the college game and these institutions in the evolution of the pathway for players transitioning from youth to college."
The South Division teams will play each member of their group once from March 2 to April 6, followed by playoffs on April 13. The top team in each group will face-off, as well as the runner-up, third-placed, and fourth-placed teams in each group. Each team in the five-school North Division will play each other once from March 23 to April 26, and the team with the most points will be crowned as Division champion.
2019 Spring College Program Schedule
All times ET
North Division
March 23
Boston College vs. Syracuse – TBA
March 30
Providence vs. Rutgers – 1:00 p.m.
Boston College vs. Connecticut - TBA
April 6
Rutgers vs. Boston College – 1:00 p.m.
Connecticut vs. Syracuse – 2:00 p.m.
April 9
Connecticut vs. Providence – 7:30 p.m.
April 13
Syracuse vs. Providence – 1:00 p.m.
April 14
Rutgers vs. Connecticut – 1:00 p.m.
April 20
Syracuse vs. Rutgers – 2:30 p.m.
April 26
Providence vs. Boston College – 8:00 p.m.
South Division – Group 1
March 2
North Carolina vs. Duke – 12:00 p.m.
Wake Forest vs. Clemson – 3:00 p.m.
March 30
Clemson vs. North Carolina – 3:00 p.m.
Duke vs. Wake Forest – 4:00 p.m.
April 6
Duke vs. Clemson – 1:00 p.m.
North Carolina vs. Wake Forest – TBA
South Division – Group 2
March 2
Virginia vs. Virginia Tech – March 2, 1:00 p.m.
March 23
Pitt vs. Georgetown – March 23, 3:00 p.m.
March 30
Virginia vs. Georgetown – 1:00 p.m.
Virginia Tech vs. Pitt – 1:00 p.m.
April 6
Pitt vs. Virginia – 12:00 p.m.
Georgetown vs. Virginia Tech – 1:00 p.m.
South Division Playoffs – April 13 at Wake Forest
1st Place Group 1 vs. 1st Place Group 2
2nd Place Group 1 vs. 2nd Place Group 2
3rd Place Group 1 vs. 3rd Place Group 2
4th Place Group 1 vs. 4th Place Group 2
