The 2001 edition of MWC soccer featured the bulk of the roster returning from 2000's 12-6 team that advanced to the CAC Championship match. Despite its youth, the Eagles began the season with six consecutive wins to move as high as twentieth in the national poll.
MWC opened the season with an impressive 3-0 win at '00 NCAA qualifier Elizabethtown College, and followed with victories over Maryville College and Villa Julie College in winning the annual MWC Soccer Classic. MWC then took three thrilling matches, winning at North Carolina Wesleyan and at Frostburg by one-goal margins before topping CAC foe St. Mary's College, 1-0, at the Battleground.
The Eagles dropped matches to Roanoke and Virginia Wesleyan before rebounding to top Goucher in league play. After a 3-2 loss at Christopher Newport, the Eagles won three of their next four, with all the victories coming in conference, Late season road losses at Gettysburg and Salisbury kept the Eagles from a higher regional ranking. Those losses would later be avenged. After downing Marymount University, 5-1, in the regular season final, the Eagles faced Goucher in the CAC quarterfinals, downing the Gophers, 2-0. MWC went on to top St. Mary's, 3-0, in the semifinals, setting up a showdown with defending CAC champ Salisbury for the conference championship. The title game was a classic, with the score tied at one after regulation and four overtimes. The Eagles claimed the conference crown with a thrilling 4-1 edge in penalty kicks, earning the right to advance to the NCAA Tournament.
In the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the Eagles hosted Gettysburg, 3-0 winners over MWC in the regular season. This time, the Eagles turned the tables with a 3-0 victory, advancing to the regional semifinal at fourth-ranked Richard Stockton College. The Ospreys proved to be too inuch, ending the Eagles' season with a 3-0 win.
The experience of playing in the NCAA Tournament will prove to be valuable next fall. With as many as nine seniors on the 2002 roster, a quality recruiting class will be asked to contribute immediately, complementing a veteran group that will look to ascend to even greater heights. Heading the list of returnees are All-Capital Athletic Conference performers Michael Nissim-Sabat, Matt Heimerle, Paul Stepanick, Ryan Geib, and Steve Ramos.
Nissim-Sabat led the 2001 team in scoring with nine goals from his midfield position, including a team-high three game winners. An Academic All-America selection, Nissim-Sabat was also honored with first team All-Region recognition on the field. Heimerle, who also repeated as a first team all-conference defender, helped MWC to eleven shutouts as an all-region pick. He scored a penalty kick in the conference championship with an injured knee.
Stepanick emerged late in the season to take second team All-CAC honors. The 6'3" forward scored five goals and added four assists, including the game's only goal in a CAC game at Catholic. Geib had two goals and seven assists from his midfield position, scoring a memorable goal on a free kick against Gettysburg in the NCAA Tournament.
Ramos was named to the second team after scoring six goals with three assists as a midfielder. Other potential returnees at forward include Marc Salotti (seven goals, two assists), Jamie Scully (three goals, three assists), and Adam Benabdallah (two goals, two assists). The midfield welcomes back Nissim-Sabat, Geib, Ramos, and Roberto Morales.
Several underclassmen will join newcomers to provide depth from the midfield. Heimerle will be joined at defender by Paul Kodack, Andrew Shin, Ryan Kish, Adam Hamilton, and Brandon Lamb, as well as a talented incoming class. Liam Garland will look to continue to develop into one of the top goalkeepers in the region, with Brian Hall providing quality minutes as well. Garland registered nine solo shutouts in 2001, tying the school mark for solo shutouts in a season. His two saves of penalty kicks in the CAC title game clinched the Eagles' CAC Championship, and Hall allowed just one goal in 265 minutes of action.