MSOC Head Coach Matt Nelson contract not renewed

[Highbeam]

BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State University has elected to not renew the contract of men’s soccer head coach Matt Nelson, director of athletics Doug Gillin announced on Tuesday.

“I thank Coach Nelson for all that he has done for Appalachian State University over the past eight years,” Gillin said. “We will conduct a national search to bring in the best coach for Appalachian State, our men’s soccer program and our student-athletes.”

Appalachian State compiled a 36-35-18 record in Nelson’s five seasons at the helm, including a 9-14-7 mark in conference play.

Nelson came to Appalachian as an assistant coach in 2008. He took the reins as head coach during the 2011 season.

Jeff Bilyk, who has served as an assistant coach at Appalachian State for the past four seasons, has been named interim head coach.

Associate athletics director Brittney Whiteside will chair the search for a new head coach, which will begin immediately.
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[Rekdiver]

I hate for anyone to lose their job...but it was time to find a new coach or end the program... I'm glad it was the former and not the latter. Time to return to being relevant!

[Boone Goon]

There is, and always has been, enough talent in NC who want to come to App that the program should always been competitive.

[dubs21]

To be relevant you better be getting talent from places other than just NC

[asu66]

There is, and always has been, enough talent in NC who want to come to App that the program should always been competitive.

Careful, now. Do you have any idea how many soccer-playing Division I colleges and universities exist in NC? There aren't enough NC players with Division I skills and fine academic credentials to go around.

The Hartwick Hawks, the two-time Sunbelt Conference champions (in their only two years of membership), have run the table in the Sun Belt tourney. They've yet to be scored upon in a Sun Belt Tourney match; two matches last season plus two matches last week - four shutouts! I invite you to take a look at the player home towns on Hartwick's roster.

http://www.hartwickhawks.com/roster.aspx?path=msoc

The newest team in the Sun Belt is Coastal Carolina. They'll play for the Sun Belt title next season (2016). That team spent the entire 2015 season in the NCAA Top 25; and most of the season in the Top 10. I further invite you to take a look at the player home towns on their roster.

http://www.goccusports.com/sports/m-soc ... r-mtt.html

These are the two teams we'll have to compete with to become relevant. We won't do so until we can recruit outside of the NC boundary; and, indeed, off of the North American continent. There's a *not-all-that-new normal* in collegiate soccer that we'll have to face rather quickly. Coach Pendleton knew that and began his program at ASU with four players from his native England.

The same is now true for our women's soccer program. South Alabama has changed all the rules and everyone is going to have to sit back and watch them roar by or power up themselves. USA has a direct pipeline to jolly 'ol England.

[BUTCH1991]

I hate for anyone to lose their job...but it was time to find a new coach or end the program... I'm glad it was the former and not the latter. Time to return to being relevant!

I like the latter, let's just end the program.

[Apps Forever!]

There is, and always has been, enough talent in NC who want to come to App that the program should always been competitive.

Careful, now. Do you have any idea how many soccer-playing Division I colleges and universities exist in NC? There aren't enough NC players with Division I skills and fine academic credentials to go around.

The Hartwick Hawks, the two-time Sunbelt Conference champions (in their only two years of membership), have run the table in the Sun Belt tourney. They've yet to be scored upon in a Sun Belt Tourney match; two matches last season plus two matches last week - four shutouts! I invite you to take a look at the player home towns on Hartwick's roster.

http://www.hartwickhawks.com/roster.aspx?path=msoc

The newest team in the Sun Belt is Coastal Carolina. They'll play for the Sun Belt title next season (2016). That team spent the entire 2015 season in the NCAA Top 25; and most of the season in the Top 10. I further invite you to take a look at the player home towns on their roster.

http://www.goccusports.com/sports/m-soc ... r-mtt.html

These are the two teams we'll have to compete with to become relevant. We won't do so until we can recruit outside of the NC boundary; indeed, off of the North American continent. There's a *not-all-that-new* normal in collegiate soccer that we'll have to face rather quickly. Coach Pendleton knew that and began his program at ASU with four players from his native England.

The same is now true for our women's soccer program. South Alabama has changed all the rules and everyone is going to have to sit back and watch them roar by or power up themselves. USA has a direct pipeline to jolly 'ol England.

I agree with your comments about the Men's Recruiting. We need to recruit nationwide and internationally to become competitive. Remember the days in the late seventies and early eighties when we were a top twenty team and had a pipeline of players coming in from Nigeria among other location.s

However, it is possible to become very competitive in women's soccer by just recruiting well in the United States. US women's soccer is some of the best in the world. Look at the roster of UNC and other perennial US college soccer powers and they are full of the best US players and not that many foreign players.

Don't need to drop Soccer. Just need to get someone who can recruit!

[Boone Goon]

Note to self...2 sentence posts will be over-simplified...

My statement was intended to to say, our Mountaineers can be a .500 team if we recruit stronger from inside the state, because there are enough high level players who come to App or want to come to App.

I was at App in the early 90's and the coach then went to the islands to recruit. During my sophomore year we played a Spring scrimmage against the varsity team. We were winning for 60 minutes. We just weren't in as good a shape as they were for 90 (especially on the stadium turf)...or maybe it was the beer...not sure . After the game, the coach asked if I'd be interested in trying out for the team. My point is, we were all NC products, and at least half of us would have walked on and started.

Yes, the game has evolved over the last 20 years, but so has soccer in NC. UNC has 10+ NC players, NC State has 14, and there are others on their team with direct ties to our state. Next year's class for UNC will have multiple "out of state" players who's parents are from NC. No reason why the same couldn't be the case for App.

I'll concede UNC, Duke, NCState, UNCG, Davidson, and others will have the first crack at top in-state talent. I'll also concede there are great players from around the country and internationally, but we're walking by our own, who would come for partial scholarships or would even walk-on, but are being passed over. Myself and many others included!

[asu66]

Note to self...2 sentence posts will be over-simplified...

My statement was intended to to say, our Mountaineers can be a .500 team if we recruit stronger from inside the state, because there are enough high level players who come to App or want to come to App.

I was at App in the early 90's and the coach then went to the islands to recruit. During my sophomore year we played a Spring scrimmage against the varsity team. We were winning for 60 minutes. We just weren't in as good a shape as they were for 90 (especially on the stadium turf)...or maybe it was the beer...not sure . After the game, the coach asked if I'd be interested in trying out for the team. My point is, we were all NC products, and at least half of us would have walked on and started.

Yes, the game has evolved over the last 20 years, but so has soccer in NC. UNC has 10+ NC players, NC State has 14, and there are others on their team with direct ties to our state. Next year's class for UNC will have multiple "out of state" players who's parents are from NC. No reason why the same couldn't be the case for App.

I'll concede UNC, Duke, NCState, UNCG, Davidson, and others will have the first crack at top in-state talent. I'll also concede there are great players from around the country and internationally, but we're walking by our own, who would come for partial scholarships or would even walk-on, but are being passed over. Myself and many others included!

You're so off-base, you're making me dizzy...

When you crunch the actual (right now...today) numbers of "in-state" players at #1 Wake (4 of 29), #4 UNC (10 of 34), #34 NC State (12 of 27) and #156 ASU (14 of 24), I'd conclude that the higher the percentage of NC players on a roster, the lower the team's end-of-season ranking.

Also...

"After the game, the coach asked if I'd be interested in trying out for the team. My point is, we were all NC products, and at least half of us would have walked on and started."

"...but we're walking by our own, who would come for partial scholarships or would even walk-on, but are being passed over. Myself and many others included!"

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm, something doesn't fit. Which of your statements is correct? Did the coach invite you to try out? Or did he pass you over. I'm unable to comprehend how you can have it both ways.

[DoubleA]

NC certainly puts out it's share of talent, but not enough to stock the many D1 programs in state. the privates don't care so much, but the public's seem to rely pretty heavily on in state talent. UNCC, for example, has 20:27 in-state, including the two leading goal scorers, Kyle Parker (Charlotte, 12 goals) and Brandt Bronico (High Point, 7 goals).

[DoubleA]

As for as international players go, you need to focus on high impact players. Noticed that UNCC has just 6 inernationals, one who started every game, one who did not play at all and the rest who saw limited action. UNCC scored 31 goals this year, with only two goals scored by internationals. But, this formula seems to work well for the 49ers

[DoubleA]

sorry for the fat fingers on the i-phone. I UNCC has 10 in-state players on their 27 man roster

[asu66]

sorry for the fat fingers on the i-phone. I UNCC has 10 in-state players on their 27 man roster

10 of 27 is the correct number for UNCC. I've been following them on and off all season. They always seem to get good goal-attack pieces with their scholarships. That's been a sore spot for us for longer than I care to repeat. Bad karma. Gotta hope that gets better with a new coach and staff; and hopefully some additional resources.

Many of our own folks are probably unaware that our men's soccer program is not fully funded. By not fully funded, I mean granting fewer than the NCAA scholarship maximum of 9 (nine) scholarships. They also may not be aware that even in power conferences, the typical soccer player is an invited walk-on or a "discovery walk-on" from student try-outs. I hope to address the "additional resources" question in a new thread early next week.

[Boone Goon]

ASU66, I'm not arguing whether we would be the best team in the state if we had 100% NC players. I'm not even arguing. I'm simply stating that there is plenty of talent in NC for us to be better than we've been. And we've consistently missed out on recruiting in state.

As for my experience, I'm saying I was passed over as a HS senior, but during my sophomore year at App after playing an official scrimmage against the team the coach asked me to try out. If he had asked me to walk on, I would have...by my second year, I had found beer and fraternity life. Didn't want to give up the fun at that time.

[asu66]

Cool beans! Understood. Art Rex's program was in the dumpster by the time you came along. Part of his decline was self-inflicted; but another part involved him getting the rug unceremoniously jerked from under his feet by his AD. More on this whole soccer program meltdown sometime this weekend when I have more time.

[Rick0714]

I served on a committee with one of our former soccer greats. Just talking about the good 'ole days and he mentioned that many of our former players are still coaching across the state, country and globe and that many had mentioned they had little to no contact from the staff at App. Seems like that would be an inside track to, at the least, some ideas on who may be worth a look. I don't know that much about soccer recruiting, but ...

[Apptiger]

Always sorry to hear news like this but we just weren't getting any better. I was in Boone during our glory years in soccer and I long for a return to the days of App soccer excellence. We could see dramatically quick improvement with an infusion of 3-4 international student athletes and a couple of JUCO transfers.