CCU men’s soccer to open NCAA tournament at home versus Radford

This year was supposed to be a rebuilding year according to Coastal Carolina men’s soccer coach Shaun Docking.

And while it still kind of is in a sense, the Chanticleers have played well this season and still have a shot to keep it up.

It was announced during NCAA Selection Show that the Chanticleers – who had a watch party on campus Monday after wining the Sun Belt Conference tournament championship a day earlier in their debut season in the league – would be back in the NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Tournament for the seventh consecutive year after doing so the previous six seasons as a member of the Big South Conference.

“It has been a rebuilding year. I think the guys have learned together, and one of the biggest things with these guys is they are a very resilient group,” CCU head coach Shaun Docking said. “I thought they fought very hard all year. The results haven’t gone their way, but they just stuck at it and continued along the path in the process. For us, we’ve played some of the better teams in the country and the guys have really come together in terms of playing in big games.”

The Chants will host Radford – which fell to Coastal Carolina 2-1 in a regular-season match – on Thursday afternoon in the first round.

“We know Radford very well; we’ve been in the Big South with them past few years,” CCU head coach Shaun Docking said. “We’re just really pleased to be in NCAA tournament and to have won the Sun Belt, a very difficult conference to win. So I’m just very pleased and proud of the guys for how they did.”

While Docking would prefer not to think much about next season already, it’s hard not to when the vast majority of his team will return as just three seniors are on the roster.

Still, the determination and will of his players to get it done this season has not gone unnoticed as they’ve played tough against some top competition en route to a 9-6-3 overall record, and have won three straight and five of their last six. Coastal Carolina topped Georgia State 1-0 on Sunday in the conference tournament championship.

“We have taken a long-term approach with this group, so whatever we can get out this season we will do. But we are kind of working for next year,” Docking said. “We get pretty much everyone back, and we’re excited about next year and we’ll bring in a few more pieces. It’s definitely the icing on the cake that we won the conference tournament this year, and I’m excited to be hosting.”

As are his players, who had their surprise ruined Monday when Docking came in from the other room to tell them the results of the selection show ahead of time as the TV they were watching on was a few minutes behind.

Nonetheless, the team still celebrated.

“It was unfortunate that he came in as we were going to find out, but stuff like that happens. We’re excited,” junior goalkeeper Braulino Linares-Ortiz said. “I think our bond as a team is at its strongest, and we do everything together as one. It’s helped us during games also; on and off the field we just work together.”

Linares-Ortiz posted a clean sheet throughout the Sun Belt tournament and has allowed just two goals in the past five games.

“I feel like credit is due,” Linares-Ortiz said. “But you just have to do your part and everyone has to help each other out.”

That is exactly what Coastal Carolina plans to do Thursday as it is do or die now for all 48 teams in the NCAA tournament.

“Definitely. All year we’ve been planning to get to the NCAA tournament. Winning the [Sun Belt] championship our first year, that’s obviously huge for the school and for our athletic department,” senior Einar Einarsson said. “But this is a special season for us because we didn’t start off that great, or like we wanted. We kept on building and doing really good the last few games and stepping it up and the team morale is getting really good. We have a good confidence boost after the championship and I think we can keep our heads up and go into the tournament with pride.”

This story was originally published November 14, 2016 at 5:46 PM with the headline "CCU men’s soccer to open NCAA tournament at home versus Radford."