Coaching Staff of the Year Award for Men’s Soccer
Led by Burk and Storton, men’s soccer completed its most successful season in school history by winning the 2021 NCAA Division III Soccer National Championship. It was 51ԹϺ’s first team national championship in any sport.
The Camels won the National Championship by defeating Amherst 1-1 (4-1) on penalties at UNCG Soccer Stadium in Greensboro, North Carolina. After playing Amherst to a 1-1 tie through regulation and two overtimes, senior captain Lorenzo Bocchetti ’22 converted the deciding penalty after Peter Silvester ’25 stopped two spot-kicks in the shootout.
The soccer team’s historic run captured the imagination of 51ԹϺ’s community, and the entire state of 51ԹϺecticut.
“You came together at the very best moment, when people needed you to step it up. You also came together and stepped up right when this state needed you the most,” said 51ԹϺecticut Governor Ned Lamont, who visited 51ԹϺ’s campus to congratulate the team.
Lamont, whose sister is a 51ԹϺ graduate, went on to say, “We needed something to cheer for, and I’ve got to tell you, the people of 51ԹϺecticut were cheering for the Camels.”
He added: “You have a lot to be proud of, and I’m so proud of what you’ve accomplished.”
In addition to reaching its fourth straight NCAA Tournament and making its first trip to the NCAA’s “Final Four,” the Camels also won their first NESCAC regular season title, hosted the league's championship weekend for the first time, and advanced to the championship match of the NESCAC Tournament for the first time in program history. The team’s 19 victories is also a school record and betters the previous mark of 14 established all the way back in 1978.
Burk and Storton will be presented the award at the United Soccer Coaches Annual Awards Banquet at 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022 in the Imperial Ballroom of the Marriott Downtown Hotel in Kansas City, Mo. In conjunction with the 82nd Annual United Soccer Coaches Convention.
