Thomas Coull
  • chemistry
  • Class of 2018
  • Ripon, England

Ripon native Coull, member of the Warhawk men's soccer program, helped the Warhawks advance to the second round of the NCAA III Championship

2014 Nov 21

Ripon native, Thomas Coull, helped the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men's soccer team to the second round of the NCAA Division III Championship in the program's eleventh tournament appearance and first since 2011.

The Warhawks opened the NCAA tournament on their home field against Carroll University November 13 and advanced with a 3-1 victory over the Pioneers.

Ryan Reid came up big for UW-Whitewater with two goals to lead the Warhawks to the win.

The Warhawks controlled possession for much of the first half. Kody Mjelde put the Warhawks' first shot on goal in the seventh minute, but Nick Drew was there to make the save for the Pioneers. Mjelde put another header on net in the 14th minute but wound up with the same result.

Senior captain John Gottwald took a corner kick in the 18th minute and, after a failed clear by the Pioneer defense, Mjelde found Reid who booted it in for a 1-0 lead. Four minutes later Sam Novak tossed a throw-in into the box and Reid headed it in for a 2-0 UW-Whitewater advantage. This was the first time in Reid's collegiate career that he scored multiple goals in a single game.

UW-Whitewater continued to pressure the Pioneer defense as the half wore on, notching two more shots and two more corners before taking a 3-0 lead in the 39th minute. Michael Salm sent a long throw-in to the front of the Pioneer net that Sam Novak headed in, and the Warhawks carried their 3-0 lead into halftime.

Ty McCoy and Sam Kuchenreuther registered shots in the first seven minutes of the second half as the Warhawks remained relentless. Novak added three more shots in the second half, including two on goal, and UW-Whitewater went on to outshoot the Pioneers 15-6.

A brief lapse in defensive coverage led to a Pioneer goal in the 58th minute, but the defense buckled down and allowed just two shots, one on goal, for the remaining 32 minutes.

Senior captain Josh Rohde needed to make just one save in the game to improve to 11-2-3 this season.

Reid, the team's leading goal scorer (9), marked the third time this season he has stepped up for the team and scored a game-winning goal. In a 1-0 victory over UW-Superior, Reid scored in the final five seconds of the match to propel the Warhawks to the WIAC tournament championship game. Earlier this season he scored the lone goal in the final ten minutes of a 1-0 win over Augustana.

The win sent the Warhawks into the second round of the NCAA tournament for the seventh time in 11 opportunities. UW-Whitewater traveled to Wheaton, Illinois for second round action against the Thunder November 15. Wheaton, ranked eighth in the nation, ended the Warhawks' tournament run with a 3-0 win.

The Warhawks came out of the gates fast, tallying three shots in the first ten minutes. Wheaton responded with three shots of their own in the next five minutes.

The teams traded possessions and shots until the 33rd minute when Wheaton's Stephen Golz found the back of the net to give the home team a 1-0 lead; a lead they carried into halftime.

Wheaton made it 2-0 just 1:13 into the second half with another goal by Golz. The Thunder continued to pepper the Warhawk goal with shots and Josh Rohde did all he could to keep them out of the net.

Ty McCoy put a shot on goal for the Warhawks in the 56th minute but it was stopped by Wheaton goalkeeper Matt Paprocki. John Gottwald had a chance in the 63rd minute but his shot attempt sailed wide and the Warhawks remained down by two.

The Thunder added an insurance goal in the 80th minute and went on to win by a final of 3-0. Wheaton outshot UW-Whitewater 21-7 in the match. Rohde made seven saves for the Warhawks.

UW-Whitewater finished the season 14-5-4, tied for the third most wins in program history.