The NCAA National Soccer Tournament is in full swing and Real Salt Lake’s vaunted Academy is well-represented in the 32 teams from around the country remaining in the tournament. Nine different schools still alive in the tournament feature players from the Arizona-based academy, which will be making the move to Herriman, Utah, in 2017.
Here is a glance at the players still contending for the NCAA title and how those players have fared in the 2016 season.
Maryland (18-0-2, No. 1, Sun. vs. Providence)
Amar Sejdic – With seven goals and nine assists he ranks second on the team in goals and first in assists. Still just a sophomore, the midfielder has started all 20 matches for the unbeaten Terrapins.
Miles Stray – The freshman defender started in one of his six appearances thus far this year.
Diego Silva – The sophomore defender has started in seven of his eight appearances, logging two assists.
Creighton (12-6-3, Sun. vs. Kentucky)
Evan Waldrep – The sophomore midfielder has started in two of his 15 appearances in his second season with the Blue Jays.
Riggs Lennon – After transferring from Virginia, the senior forward shares the team lead with 10 goals.
Stanford (11-3-4, No. 5, Sun. vs. Pacific)
Corey Baird – The junior forward is third on the team with three goals and leads the Cardinal with six assists. Now he looks to help Stanford repeat after winning College Cup in 2015.
Trevor Hyman – The senior midfielder appeared in a career-high 12 matches this year, all off the bench.
UCLA (10-7-2, Sun. vs. Louisville)
Jose Hernandez – The 2015 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year is second on the team in both goals (five) and assists (six) in his sophomore season, earning Pac-12 Co-Player of the Year honors, sharing the award with Stanford’s Foster Langsdorf.
Erik Holt – The sophomore defender started all 19 matches so far for UCLA, helping the Bruins keep a string of 33 consecutive tournament berths alive.
Louisville (12-5-2, No. 4, Sun. vs. UCLA)
Jack Gayton – The junior midfielder continued his progress with two goals while starting all 19 matches for Louisville.
Tate Schmitt – Is third for the Cardinals with three goals this season, also adding two assists in 19 appearances. The sophomore forward has started every game this season.
Wake Forest (15-2-3, No. 2, Sun. vs. Coastal Carolina)
Alex Knox – A freshman defender, Knox has one assist in 13 appearances for the Demon Deacons this season, seven of which have come in a starting role.
New Mexico (12-6-3, Sun. vs. Washington)
Aaron Herrera – The well-regarded defender has two goals and two assists in 21 starts for the Lobos, continuing to make progress in his sophomore season.
Josh Goss – The senior midfielder has 19 starts in his 21 appearances, notching one assist to give him nine helpers in his four-year career.
Sam Gleadle – Leads the Lobos with five assists despite starting in just 10 of his 21 appearances. The junior forward has career highs in games, starts, assists and minutes played.
Lucas Seligman – The junior defender has 11 appearances, all off the bench, this season.
Washington (13-6-0, No. 11, Sun. vs. New Mexico)
Elijah Rice – The freshman forward has two goals and one assist in 16 appearances, five of them in a starting role.
Danny Gavin – The junior midfielder saw action in seven matches, starting three times for the Huskies.
Clemson (12-3-5, No. 3, Sun. vs. South Carolina)
Tanner Dieterich – The freshman defender has one goal in 16 appearances for the third-ranked Tigers.
South Carolina (11-7-1, Sun. vs. Clemson)
Ive Burnett – A senior defender, Burnett has two assists in 18 matches for the Gamecocks
UNLV (10-11-2, Sun. vs. Denver)
Jason Eng – A freshman midfielder, Eng has 19 starts in his 21 appearances this season, tallying two assists to help UNLV to the WAC title and a tournament berth.
