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There has been a
heightened level of success for the
University of Montevallo men’s soccer
program over the past four years. Over
this period, the Falcons sports an
overall record of 53-19-6 for a winning
percentage of .719. UM posted their
fourth consecutive double-digit winning
season, including eclipsing a
school-record for single-season
victories with 18. The Falcons claimed
the program’s first-ever NCAA Division
II Regional Championship and advanced to
the National Semifinals of the 2007 NCAA
Division II Men’s Soccer Championships.
Montevallo finished the 2007 season
ranked No. 4 in the final NSCAA/Adidas
national poll. It marks the fourth
consecutive year the Falcons have been
ranked in the national top 25 for
Division II men’s soccer. The Falcons
also qualified for their ninth
consecutive (11th overall) Gulf South
Conference Tournament and appeared in
their fourth GSC championship match in
the past five years. A veteran group
returns for 2008 and looks once again to
maintain their status as one of the top
teams in the Gulf South Conference and
NCAA South Region.
Ryan Pratt will begin his eighth
year at Montevallo and had guided the
program from moderate success in his
first three years to a Gulf South
Conference championship and the school’s
first-ever (in men’s soccer) NCAA
Tournament in 2004. The Falcons of 2008
will be loaded with veteran experience,
led by the two-time defending GSC Player
of the Year (Jonathan Maloney). In
addition, the Falcons blend a mixture of
local, regional, and international
student-athletes newcomers.
Pratt, who was also
named GSC Co-Coach of the Year in 2005,
was named the third coach in the history
of the UM men’s soccer program in the
fall of 2001. In his 7 seasons at UM,
Pratt has developed 16 GSC 1st
team members, 20 GSC 2nd team
members, 2 GSC Players of the Year, 13
NSCAA All South Region Team Members, 3
NSCAA All-American, 8 GSC All-Academic
team members, and 1 Major League Soccer
(MLS) draft pick (Melford James, Jr.
2008 supplemental draft pick of the
Chicago Fire).
Pratt came to UM
from GSC rival University of
Alabama-Huntsville, where he served as
an assistant coach for the 2000 season.
Prior to UAH, Pratt was an assistant
coach for the women’s soccer program at
the University of Alabama-Birmingham
from 1997-99. While at UAB, he helped
the Blazers to a 30-28-3 record.
Originally a native
of San Jose, Calif., Pratt graduated
from Franklin High School in Franklin,
Tenn., where he competed for four
seasons. Pratt played at UAB from
1993-96, and helped lead the Blazers to
two consecutive conference championships
in 1994 and 1995 and their first-ever
NCAA Tournament appearance in 1994.
Pratt later earned his bachelor’s degree
in broadcast communications with a minor
in sociology in 1998.
Pratt also has
playing experience at the
semi-professional level, playing for the
Nashville Metros for two years and the
Alabama Saints for three seasons. In
2000, Pratt also served as general
manager for the Saints, responsible for
a majority of the administrative
functions for the team.
He earned his USSF-B
license in 2002.
Pratt, along with
his wife Libby reside in Alabaster. |
