With a state championship and a 12-3-5 record, Mary Washington College established the 1984 soccer season as their standard of excellence. The MWC Blue Tide team lost only once in their last 14 games. They were ranked as highly as third regionally, notched ten shutouts, and earned an invitation to the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) regional tournament.
In Virginia Intercollegiate Soccer Association (VISA) play, MWC took the East Division title for the second consecutive year, ousted Division II Liberty Baptist College in the semifinals, then tied Division II Longwood College in the championship match to earn the co-championship in the 12 team, statewide league. Individual achievement matched the team's success as junior forward Bill Lohr (Alexandria, VA) was named VISA Player of the Year and Gordon, VISA Coach of the Year. No MWC player or coach had previously merited such awards.
The honors continued as Chris Hamil (Alexandria, VA) joined Lohr on the All VISA team, the first MWC players in that lineup. Both Shawn Carson (Woodbridge, VA) and Don Eckenrode (Wheaton, MD) were All VISA, second team, and all four were two time All VISA East Division selections. Forwards Lohr and Eckenrode, both juniors, and Chris Pack (Sterling, VA), a freshman, led a scoring attack that left opponents breathless.
While the team managed a 53-18 scoring advantage, Lohr, MWC's co-Most Valuable Player, captain, and game, season and career scoring record holder, tallied 17 goals plus five assists. Pack followed with 12 goals and five more assists. Eckenrode set MWC season and career assist marks with nine assists in 1984 and now 20 in his career, to go with eight season goals.
Defenders junior captain Hamil, at stopper, junior Luis Riasco (Wall, NJ), sweeper and co-MVP Scott Rebein (Annandale, VA) played ahead of sophomore qoalkeeper John Agnew (Manassas, VA) to anchor a defense which allowed opponents an MWC record low goal total and a record high shutout total. Agnew now holds season (5) and career (7) shutout marks.
MWC is a Division III, nonscholarship member of VISA, the ECAC, and the NCAA. Although the team's 12 wins nearly brought the Tide their first NCAA berth, it handed them a second ECAC regional position. The Tide finished second in the ECAC region in 1982, but saw their 12 game streak without a loss ended in semifinal play in 1984.