Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference (C2C)

[SierraFD3soccer]

I was wondering why there is no discussion of the reason that UVA is scheduling Mary Washington again this fall.  It seems extremely rare that a Division I soccer program would schedule a Division III program during the regular season.  I can understand an exhibition match or a spring match but not a regular season match.  Does anybody have any insight on this in spite of them doing this already in 2021?  What does UVA gain from this? Kudos to Mary Washington participating in this again.   

Maybe just to keep sharp before the ACC tournament. About a week and a half in between.

[Kuiper]

Mary Washington advances to the C2C finals over Salisbury in PKs after the two teams tie 1-1 in regulation and two OT periods.  The Salisbury keeper was great in PKs.  His teammates just skied a few balls.

I think there will be a few coaches studying the tape of this game in preparation for how to deal with Mary Washington in the NCAA tournament because Salisbury clearly was on it.

UC Santa Cruz v. Christopher Newport is the other semifinal game.  I don't have a full-blown preview, but UCSC has a certain brand of size and chaos ball that can catch teams off guard (EDIT:  and by "brand" I mean they have a decent amount of technical skill and passing mixed in).  We'll see how it translates on the east coast.  It's probably more common there than on the west coast.

[eaglesoccerdad]

CNU up 2-0 with 30 left in 2nd
Captains have controlled the game for the most part

[Kuiper]

CNU up 2-0 with 30 left in 2nd
Captains have controlled the game for the most part

UC Santa Cruz gets a consolation goal in the 90th minute, but Christopher Newport wins 2-1.

[Kuiper]

HALF:  Christopher Newport 1 - Mary Washington 1

A nice, tight, affair turned into a goal fest in a minute.  CNU scored in the 27th minute on a strong run through several defenders and then a slip ball into the box that Drew McWhinney hit past the onrushing GK to the far post.  Mary Washington answered less than a minute later, though, with a slip ball of its own where Carter Berg evaded the sliding GK and shot it just hard enough so that the CNU defender was only able to deflect it after it snuck past the near post.

UPDATE:  Mary Washington 2 - Christopher Newport

UMW's Joel Albritton scored in the 47th minute on a give-and-go that left Albritton 1 v. 1 on the GK and he hit it one time to give UMW the lead.

It's now 5:44 to go and UMW is lucky not to be down a man on a take-down from behind that looked like a WWE move

UPDATE:  CNU 2 - UMW 2

McWhinney scores again in the 89th minute to equalize on a great cross and header

It's going to OT!

FINAL:  Mary Washington 3 - Christopher Newport 2

Berg scores on a set piece in the 93rd minute for the golden goal to win the C2C

[eaglesoccerdad]

Berg with the Golden Goal!!!
C2C 3 peat

[Kuiper]

Not surprisingly considering that Christopher Newport serves as its sponsor on its application to DIII, exploratory DIII member Regent University will be joining the Coast-to-Coast conference starting in 2025-2026.

The Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference (C2C) is excited to welcome Regent University as its newest member institution following unanimous support from the C2C Board of Directors. Regent will become the conference's sixth core member and begin competition during the 2025-2026 academic year.

"The C2C is delighted to welcome Regent University as the latest addition to the league," said University of Mary Washington President Dr. Troy Paino, Chair of the C2C Board of Directors. "We eagerly anticipate the Royals' continued growth and success in the years ahead."

Regent University is a private Christian institution located in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Regent is currently in its Exploratory Year with the NCAA prior to submitting application for the NCAA Division III Provisional Membership process in January. The Royals will be immediately eligible to compete in all C2C championships and are on pace to become a full NCAA Division III member for the 2028-29 academic year.

"Regent University is pleased to join the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference," said Gordon Robertson, Chancellor of Regent University. "Conference membership is an important milestone in the strategic growth of the Regent Royals athletic program. We look forward to this new partnership as we continuously pursue Regent's values of excellence, innovation, and integrity."

Regent men's soccer competed in the NCCAA this past season and had a record of 5-7-1.  Among D3 opponents, it had wins against Greensboro (2-0), Gallaudet (2-0), and Mary Baldwin (2-1), tied North Carolina Wesleyan (1-1), and lost to Virginia Wesleyan (0-3), Guilford (0-5), Randolph-Macon (0-1)

[jknezek]

A bird told me they were sniffing around the ODAC for a sponsor originally but couldn't get any takers. The ODAC is so big already, unless you are bringing football it's hard to justify more members.

I do wonder if a few more teams in the area will cause a split, but with the losses of Ferrum and E&H to D2 I think that possibilty faded.

[Kuiper]

Coast-to-Coast Conference Announces Johnson & Wales Charlotte as its Newest Member

The Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference (C2C) is excited to welcome Johnson & Wales University (JWU) Charlotte as its newest member institution following unanimous support from the C2C Board of Directors. JWU Charlotte will become the conference's seventh core member and begin competition during the 2025-2026 academic year.

"The C2C is thrilled to welcome JWU Charlotte as the newest member of the conference," said University of Mary Washington President Dr. Troy Paino, Chair of the C2C Board of Directors. "We look forward to the Wildcats' continued growth and success in the years to come."

JWU Charlotte is a private institution located in Charlotte, North Carolina. JWU Charlotte is currently in its Exploratory Year with the NCAA prior to submitting an application for the NCAA Division III Provisional Membership process later this month. The Wildcats will be immediately eligible to compete in all C2C championships and are on pace to become a full NCAA Division III member for the 2028-29 academic year.

"Joining the C2C will elevate JWU Charlotte by giving our student-athletes the opportunity to compete against teams nationwide, excel in academics and leadership, and strengthen our impact while reflecting our core values," said Richard Mathieu, Ph.D., president, Charlotte Campus, Johnson & Wales University.

JWU Charlotte will sponsor the following C2C sports: men's cross country, women's cross country, men's soccer, women's soccer, men's basketball, women's basketball, women's volleyball, men's tennis, women's tennis, men's baseball, women's softball and women's outdoor track and field. The Wildcats currently compete as a member of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) where they have won the last two Director's Cup titles.

"We are excited to join the Coast-to-Coast Conference, a top-notch NCAA Division III athletic conference. Not only will membership provide our student-athletes with the opportunity to compete for championships, but it also demonstrates how the philosophies of the other member universities align closely with JWU's values," said Trudi Lacey, director of JWU Charlotte athletics.

The C2C will consist of seven full-time members in 2025-26: University of California-Santa Cruz, Christopher Newport University (Va.), Johnson & Wales University Charlotte (N.C.), University of Mary Washington (Va.), Regent University (Va.), Salisbury University (Md.) and Warren Wilson College (N.C.).

This team could be reasonably competitive in D3.  They were USCAA DII Nat'l Champions two years ago.  Last season, J&W Charlotte men's soccer was 6-4-5.  Among D3 opponents, it lost to Pfeiffer 2-1, tied NC Wesleyan 1-1, beat Greensboro 2-0, and beat Methodist 2-1.  I assume they will continue to play USA South members and Warren Wilson from the C2C, plus some ODAC teams.

[Ron Boerger]

I wish them better luck than their defunct location in Denver which went bellyup in the middle of their first or second year in the SCAC.

[jknezek]

The C2C is a southeastern member or two away from being able to cut loose UCSC and become an actual conference that does more than just conference tournaments and player awards. Don't get me wrong, it's still a conference tied together only because no one else wants them, but it would be nice to have full conference seasons.

They are still long road trips, Salisbury to Warren Wilson is almost 10 hours I think, and JW-C can't be much better, but it might be better than having to find a million non-conference games in every sport every year.

[Kuiper]

The C2C is a southeastern member or two away from being able to cut loose UCSC and become an actual conference that does more than just conference tournaments and player awards. Don't get me wrong, it's still a conference tied together only because no one else wants them, but it would be nice to have full conference seasons.

They are still long road trips, Salisbury to Warren Wilson is almost 10 hours I think, and JW-C can't be much better, but it might be better than having to find a million non-conference games in every sport every year.

After Regent and JW-C are full DIII members in 2028-2029, I think C2C will have the required 6 members for a men's soccer AQ without UC Santa Cruz, assuming they don't lose anyone in the interim.

By then, C2C might have picked up some more new members from Texas if the last remaining ASC schools decide they need to join for the benefit of their non-football sports getting access to an AQ option.