University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Fall Flashback – 2001 Men’s Soccer
10.28.2020 | Men's Soccer
Prior to the 2001 UNC Asheville men's soccer season, Bulldog head coach Steve Cornish wasn't sure what to expect from this squad.
The Bulldogs had graduated some talented players from the previous season and had some talent back but Cornish was unsure of what would happen in 2001.
"I knew I liked the lads we had back but we had just lost so much from the previous season," admitted Cornish. "We weren't sure who was going to score goals for us and what our defense would look like. I had a great deal of uncertainty going into 2001."
The Bulldogs opened the season with crosstown foe Warren Wilson. And stunningly the Owls scored on their first shot of the game and led 1-0 early. Asheville was dominating the match but simply couldn't score.
But the Bulldogs finally erupted and it was a huge eruption. Asheville scored four times in the final 20 minutes of the half to roar to a 4-1 lead. The Dogs tallied three more times in the second half to win comfortably, 7-1.
Asheville would play again just two days later and this opponent would be a far cry from Warren Wilson. National power Evansville entered Greenwood Field for the first time on a cloudy Sunday afternoon. The Purple Aces were coached by future Hall of Famer Fred Schmalz. The veteran head coach had helped Cornish get the Asheville job just 10 years earlier and was a mentor to him.
But on this day the pupil would beat the teacher. The Bulldogs scored midway through the second half and pulled off a stunning 2-1 upset of the Purple Aces to improve their record to 2-0 on the young season.
"The Evansville result was a great one for our program," admitted Cornish. "Our lads played well for 90 minutes against a well-coached team and executed a great game plan."
The Bulldogs would face a tough non-conference schedule over the next four games and lose all four to fall to 2-4-0.
But when league play began, Asheville was ready to play. The Bulldogs welcomed Big South newcomer Birmingham-Southern to Greenwood Field for the Panthers' first match in league play. BSC believed it could compete for a conference championship right away.
They didn't think that after their first match as Asheville rolled 6-1. Birmingham native Colin Barnes would have a game to remember against his hometown team with two goals and two assists as Asheville opened league play with an easy win.
The Dogs nipped Wofford on the road, 2-1 and next up was a strong Liberty squad. The Flames had won in their last four trips to the Land of the Sky. This game would be different. An early goal from Mike Roach put the Dogs in front. Mike Kachan scored again to make it 2-0 as the Bulldog defense shut down the potent Liberty offense. The Flames would score late but that was the only consolation for LU as Asheville went to 2-0 in league play with the impressive triumph.
The following Saturday would bring a first-place showdown with league kingpin Coastal Carolina. The Chanticleers were the defending Big South champs and preseason favorites like normal. But once again the Dogs rose to the challenge. With the match tied 1-1 at intermission, the Bulldogs dominated the second led by Greg Garrison. Garrison scored twice in the second half as Asheville remained unbeaten in Big South Conference action with a 3-1 victory.
A heartbreaking 4-3 overtime loss at Winthrop gave the Dogs their first Big South Conference loss but that did not stop Steve Cornish's club.
Asheville went on the road in its next game against another league titan in soccer – Radford. The Bulldogs had never won against the Highlanders in Radford losing all nine times they had played there. But once again this was a different Asheville team. The Dogs scored once in each half to take a 2-0 lead and that was more than enough for goalkeeper Andrew Heath. The future judge stopped all 10 of Radford's shots to record the shutout.
Asheville finished up its home schedule in impressive fashion with a 4-0 blanking of High Point. The Dogs then sealed their first ever Big South Conference regular-season title with 1-0 shutout of Charleston Southern.
Asheville would finish the season with a 9-8-0 overall record and 5-2-0 mark in Big South play. Not bad for a team picked to finish in last place. The Dogs recorded impressive wins over Evansville, Liberty, Coastal Carolina and Radford.
For his efforts, Cornish would be named Big South Conference Coach of the Year for the second time in his career.
The Bulldogs would place four players on the first team All-Conference team for the first time in school history. Colin Barnes, Kyle Britton, Greg Garrison and Mike Kachan would be tapped on the first team.
Andrew Heath and Nick Sands would make the second team. Britton would be named Big South Rookie of the Year for his play in the back.
Mike Roach was named Big South Scholar Athlete of the Year. And the senior midfielder was not through getting awards. He was named as an Academic All-Region performer and then made first team Academic All-American. Roach maintained a 4.0 GPA while majoring in chemistry.
"The 2001 season will always be a special one for me. We won a championship and it also showed me that you just never know how a season will play out. The lads on the 2001 squad were determined to have a great year and they accomplished that," stated Cornish.
