About Us
Northeastern University Men’s Club Soccer is a student-led, year-round soccer program that offers undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to compete nationally. While team members study a wide range of subjects, all express the same desire and commitment to continue playing soccer competitively at the collegiate level.
Northeaster University Men’s Club Soccer is a member of NIRSA Region 1 Club Soccer. We currently complete against divisional teams Bryant, Providence, Babson, Boston College, Boston University, and Brown. At the end of each regular season, which typically starts in September and ends in October, we compete in the Region 1 Tournament against the top teams from the Mid Atlantic and New England. Teams that qualify for and win their regional tournaments compete in the National Soccer Championships, which has been held annually in November since 1993.
NUSC plays year round, with a full fall schedule, including league games and several tournaments. The team also plays a condensed spring season, pick-up games during the summer, and has various training sessions in the off-season.
History
The Northeastern University Men’s Soccer Club was founded in 2000 by students Colin Ryan-Hannaway, Andy Butler, and Brian Delgrosso as a way to continue playing competitive soccer while at school, without having the large commitment associated with a varsity program. In the first few years, the club was only able to hold practices and scrimmages. In 2002, with the team growing and the talent increasing, Colin, Andy and Brian took the first steps to legitimize the club by entering to play in the Bay State Soccer League or BSSL as there was no official club league. During this time, NUSC played games at MIT and practiced wherever the team could as field time was extremely limited. Jumping over fences and sneaking onto fields before the lights turned off was a common occurrence in these first years.
In 2004, NUSC gained more legitimacy as the club participated in the Region One Tournament for the first time in Fort Dix, New Jersey featuring other club teams from West Virginia to Maine. In 2005, more club teams began sprouting up in the area which allowed NUSC to play more games against other area schools instead of playing in the BSSL. The club also made it’s first trip to Penn State University for a tournament and the second trip to the Region 1 Tournament in Fort Dix.
Finally in 2006, the first official club soccer league was formed in the area featuring seven teams, called the New England College Club Soccer League or NECCSL. NUSC also continued its tradition of competing at the tournament at Penn State University and the Region One Tournament, which the team still competes in today. In 2007, the NECCSL expanded to 14 teams, featuring two divisions and culminated in the first NECCSL Championship Tournament taking place at Dartmouth College.
By 2009, the NECCSL had expanded to 24 teams throughout New England giving NUSC a chance to play more clubs throughout the area. Then in 2010 after bowing out in the Region One Tournament in the semi-finals, NUSC bounced back to win the NECCSL Championship Tournament, beating Dartmouth College 4-2 in the final to win the first league title for the club. In 2011, NUSC enjoyed one of the best seasons in club history, which eventually culminated in making it to the semi-finals of the Open Division of the NIRSA National Tournament in Phoenix, AZ.
In 2012, all teams competing in Region 1 combined to form the Region 1 Club Soccer League with individual divisions based on geographic location. Although NUSC had an up and down 2012, the team eventually finished the season ranked 10th in the region out of over 100 teams. After a strong regular season in 2013, the club completed it’s Regionals run by beating West Virginia University 3-0 in the final to win the Region 1 Tournament for the first time in team history. This victory ensured that the club would travel to Phoenix, AZ to participate in the Championship Division of the NIRSA National Tournament. Unfortunately, the tournament was called early without a champion being crowned due to excessive rain. Today, NUSC competes in the Providence/Boston Division of the Region 1 Club Soccer League.
Contact Us
neuclubsoccer@gmail.com