The

Evansville Purple Aces The Evansville Purple Aces are the intercollegiate sports teams and players of the University of Evansville, located in Evansville, Indiana. The Aces athletic program is a member of the Missouri Valley Conference and competes at the NCAA's Divis ...

men's soccer team represents the

University of Evansville The University of Evansville (UE) is a private university in Evansville, Indiana. It was founded in 1854 as Moores Hill College. The university operates a satellite center, Harlaxton College, in Grantham, England. UE offers more than 80 differ ...

in the

Missouri Valley Conference The Missouri Valley Conference (also called MVC or simply "The Valley") is the third-oldest collegiate athletic conference in the United States. The conference's members are primarily located in the midwest. History The MVC was established ...

(MVC) of

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

Division I soccer. The Purple Aces play their home matches on Black Beauty Field at Arad McCutchan Stadium on the north end of the university's campus in

Evansville, Indiana Evansville is a city in, and the county seat of, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States. The population was 118,414 at the 2020 census, making it the state's third-most populous city after Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, the largest city in ...

. The team is currently coached by Marshall Ray.

History

The program began in 1974, under head coach Bill Vieth. Since then, the Purple Aces have made the

NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament The NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament, sometimes known as the College Cup, is an American intercollegiate soccer tournament conducted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and determines the Division I men's national champi ...

11 times.

1985

Evansville first made the Final Four in 1985, under head coach Fred Schmalz. After going 21-1-2 in the regular season, the Purple Aces qualified for the NCAA tournament, a feat the program has accomplished twice up to this point. During the tournament, Evansville beat the likes of

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

(3-0), and Penn State (1-0). It was

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...

who bested them in the Final Four, by a score of 3 to 1. The Bruins would eventually beat American to win the tournament.

1990

Still under head coach Schmalz, the program reached the NCAA tournament for the sixth year in a row. Going 24-1-2 in the regular season, the team won the MCC championship and topped the regular season standings. During the NCAA tournament, Evansville bested

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

and Indiana, both by a score of 1–0.

Rutgers Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and w ...

would go on to beat them in the Final Four, and advance to the championship, where they lost to UCLA.

Notable players

Through the years, many Purple Aces have gone on to play professionally, and twelve have been named All-Americans for their play at Evansville.

Professional players

(Years in parentheses denote years playing for the Purple Aces) *

Marc Burch Marc Burch (born May 7, 1984 in Cincinnati, Ohio) is an American soccer player. Career College and amateur Burch played college soccer at the University of Evansville for three seasons from 2002–2004, scoring seven goals and assisting on 22 ...

(2002-2004), currently plays for

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* Scott Cannon (1986-1990), last played for the

Tampa Bay Mutiny Tampa Bay Mutiny was a professional soccer team based in Tampa, Florida. They were a charter member of Major League Soccer (MLS) and played from 1996 to 2001. They played their home games at Tampa Stadium and then at Raymond James Stadium. The ...

in 2001 * Frank D'Amelio (1978-1979), last played for New York United in 1981; assistant coach of

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soccer from 1998 to 2005 *

Alec Dufty Alec Dufty (born March 11, 1987) is a former American soccer player and current coach. He is currently a goalkeeper coach with Sporting Kansas City in Major League Soccer. Career College and Amateur Dufty grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina, ...

(2006-2008), last played for Chicago Fire; current goalkeeper coach for Sporting Kansas City * Cory Elenio (2004-2007), currently plays for the

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* Mark Anthony Gonzalez (2012-2015), last played for

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in 2018 * Diego Gutiérrez (1992-1993), last played for Chicago Fire in 2008;

United States national Citizenship of the United States is a legal status that entails Americans with specific rights, duties, protections, and benefits in the United States. It serves as a foundation of fundamental rights derived from and protected by the Constituti ...

* Michael LaBerge (1994-1996), last played for the

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in 2000 * Brian Loftin (1993-1994), last played for the

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in 2003; United States futsal national *

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(2014-2017), currently playing for

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side

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* Richard Menjívar (2008-2009), last played for

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in 2018; current El Salvador national * Mike Mikes (1983-1986), last played for the

Colorado Foxes The Colorado Foxes were a professional soccer team, based in Commerce City, Colorado, that played in the American Professional Soccer League, and later in the A-League, between 1990 and 1997. The Foxes won two APSL titles, in 1992 and 1993. In 19 ...

in 2005 * Robert Paterson (1989-1990), last played for Portland Timbers in 1990 *

Troy Perkins Troy Perkins (born July 29, 1981) is an American former soccer player. During his career, he played for clubs in the United States, Canada, and Norway. The 2006 Major League Soccer Goalkeeper of the Year award winner earned seven caps with th ...

(2003), last played for Seattle Sounders FC in 2015; 2006

MLS Goal of the Year Award Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

winner;

* David Weir (1988-1992), last played for Scottish Premier League side

Rangers F.C. Rangers Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the Govan district of Glasgow which plays in the Scottish Premiership. Although not its official name, it is often referred to as Glasgow Rangers outside Scotland. The fou ...

in 2012; Managed Sheffield United F.C. in 2013; Scotland national

All-Americans

* Shawn Beyer 1996 * Scott Cannon 1990 * Trey Harrington 1990 & 1992 * Just Jensen 1982 * Mick Lyon 1987 * Dan McHugh 1985 * Graham Merryweather 1991 * Mike Mikes 1985 & 1986 * John Nunes 1982 * Andrew Norton 1985 * Robert Paterson 1989† * David Weir 1990 † = National Player of the Year

Record by year

Current Team

References

External links

* {{Missouri Valley Conference men's soccer navbox Missouri Valley Conference men's soccer 1974 establishments in Indiana Association football clubs established in 1974 Soccer clubs in Indiana