UMass soccer gets a new life donated - The Boston Globe (Boston, MA)

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AMHERST -- The University of Massachusetts men's soccer officehad been vacant since mid-November, when the team lost to Rutgers inthe first round of the Atlantic 10 tournament.

The program, instituted in 1929, had been terminated because ofstate budget cuts.

That changed yesterday when it was disclosed at a State Housepress conference that Jeffrey A. Ryan, president of Boston-basedWorld Class Soccer Camp, will donate $780,000 over the next fiveyears so the program can continue.

A 1982 UMass graduate, Ryan, a soccer promoter who hopes the areais one of the venues for the 1994 World Cup, will raise the capitalthrough an eight-week coed camp to be held at the school June 21-Aug.22. Nearly 300 campers per week are expected.

Ryan, who met with Gov. Weld and his Sports Advisory Council toreveal his plan, hopes demonstrating support for soccer inMassachusetts will help persuade World Cup officials to choose thestate for the finals. The Cup sites are expected to be announced inMarch.

The demise of the UMass program upon the close of the 1991 seasonwas announced last May. 'Everyone wins under this plan,' said UMass chancellor RichardO'Brien. 'We get our soccer team back, World Class Soccer Camp getsa boost and the university may once again be of benefit to the stateif World Cup sees this move as a show of support for soccer.'

Coach Sam Koch, who took over on a part-time basis last season,said, 'I knew something was going on when I got permission about aweek and a half ago that I could start putting together a schedulefor next season -- in pencil. I'm very excited for the players.'

A Concord native, Koch was head coach at Stanford from 1984-89(58-53-1 record). He has called a meeting of players today todetermine whether any have transferred.

Six of the 23 members of last year's roster were seniors. One ofthe seniors, captain Dan Lawrence of Columbia, Conn., says no one hasleft.

'The players wanted to stay because they have a lot of friendshere and wanted to stick it out until the end,' Lawrence said.

'There was no pressing urgency to leave because you could do soat any time and step in right away somewhere else because the sportwas to be dropped here.'

Team members were cautious about the news until the pressconference was confirmed.

'Last year there was a rumor around campus of a $100,000donation,' Lawrence said, 'so this time we waited before gettingexcited. I saw about half the team members {yesterday}, andeveryone's pretty psyched.'

With Ryan's donation, UMass would have a yearly budget of $156,000-- below the $172,000 the typical Atlantic 10 team receives, but muchmore than the $85,000 the Minutemen had last fall, $31,000 of whichwas raised through donations.

UMass has had 1 1/2 scholarships the last several years, whileRutgers, the class of the league, has the full allotment of six. Inhealthier fiscal years, the Minutemen had three scholarships.

It is not known how the budget will be split among coaches'salaries, operating costs and scholarships, said athletic directorFrank McInerney. The money can be used only for soccer.

With its new funding, the program will employ a full-time headcoach. Koch, who has one semester remaining before he gains amaster's degree in sports management from the University ofConnecticut, said he would be interested in the position, although hehas not spoken to anyone about it.

The Pacific-10 Coach of the Year in 1987 while at Stanford, Kochled the Minutemen to their first Atlantic 10 postseason appearance.They lost, 2-1, to Rutgers, a club that had been ranked No. 1 in thecountry at one point during the season.

UMass was 11-5-4 overall, and Koch was named New England Coach ofthe Year by his peers. The team had been 3-11-3 in 1990 and hadn'tfinished above .500 since 1985, when it was 15-6.

'One of the reasons we might have done so well last season wasthat our players became closer because it was looked upon as thefinal year of the program,' Lawrence said. 'We felt as though wewere playing to reprieve the program.'

McInerney says he is buoyed by the news of the donation. 'I'mabsolutely delighted about it,' he said. 'It's the first positivething I've seen here in the last three years. Everything has beencut, cut, cut.

'The last three years have been grim. We've constantly beenbeaten on and batted on. I knew there was no public money available.This assistance by the private sector may be the wave of thefuture.'

McInerney added that a donation of $70,000-$80,000 would be neededto gain the 10 football scholarships the college recently lostthrough budget cuts.

Weld expressed hope that private donors would surface to providefinancial support for high school as well as collegiate sportsthroughout the state.