Virginia Beach Submariners - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Virginia Beach Piranhas is an American soccer team based in Virginia Beach, Virginia

Virginia Beach, Virginia

Virginia Beach is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia, on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. Founded in 2006 as the Virginia Beach Submariners as part of the development system of the now-defunct USL First Division

USL First Division

The United Soccer Leagues First Division was a professional men's soccer league in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico....

franchise, the Virginia Beach Mariners

Virginia Beach Mariners

The Virginia Beach Mariners were an American soccer club, who formerly played in the USL First Division of the United Soccer Leagues, the second division in the US Soccer hierarchy behind Major League Soccer...

, the team plays in the USL Premier Development League

USL Premier Development League

The USL Premier Development League is the amateur league of the United Soccer Leagues in the United States, Canada, and Bermuda, forming part of the American Soccer Pyramid...

(PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid

American Soccer Pyramid

The United States soccer pyramid is a term used in soccer to describe the structure of the league system in the United States. The country's governing body for the sport, the United States Soccer Federation , oversees the system but does not operate any of its component leagues—with one temporary...

, in the South Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. From 2007 to 2010 the team was known as the Hampton Roads Piranhas.

The team plays its home games at Virginia Beach Sportsplex

Virginia Beach Sportsplex

-External links:[]Category:Sports venues in Hampton RoadsCategory:United Football League venuesCategory:Soccer venues in VirginiaCategory:Sports in Virginia Beach, VirginiaCategory:Visitor attractions in Virginia Beach, Virginia...

, where they have played since 2006. The team's colors are red and white.

The team has a sister organization, the Hampton Roads Piranhas Women

Hampton Roads Piranhas

Hampton Roads Piranhas is an American women’s soccer team, founded in 1995. The team is a member of the United Soccer Leagues W-League, the second tier of women’s soccer in the United States and Canada...

, who play in the women's USL W-League, and also fields a team in the USL’s Super-20 League

Super-20 League

The United Soccer Leagues Super-20 League is an American-Canadian soccer league for players 17 to 20 years of age. Introduced in 2006 it took the place of the U-19 age bracket in the Super Y-League....

, a league for players 17 to 20 years of age run under the United Soccer Leagues

United Soccer Leagues

The United Soccer Leagues is the organizer of several soccer leagues with teams in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. It includes men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Leagues currently organized are the USL Pro, the USL Premier Development League, the W-League, and...

umbrella.

History

The Virginia Beach Submariners

Virginia Beach Submariners

Virginia Beach Piranhas is an American soccer team based in Virginia Beach, Virginia, United States. Founded in 2006 as the Virginia Beach Submariners as part of the development system of the now-defunct USL First Division franchise, the Virginia Beach Mariners, the team plays in the USL Premier...

entered the PDL in 2006 as the new development arm of the Virginia Beach Mariners

Virginia Beach Mariners

USL First Division

The United Soccer Leagues First Division was a professional men's soccer league in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico....

franchise. The Submariners were hot from the get-go; the team rattled off four straight wins in their first four competitive games, highlighted by a dominant 3-0 win over Ocean City Barons

Ocean City Barons

Ocean City Nor'easters is an American soccer team based in Ocean City, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1996, the team plays in the USL Premier Development League , the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Mid-Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference.The team plays its home...

in their home debut. The Submariners' excellent early form also took them to the US Open Cup for the first time, but they lost first time out, 3-1 to USL Second Division

USL Second Division

The United Soccer Leagues Second Division was a professional men's soccer league in the United States, part of the United Soccer Leagues league pyramid...

side Wilmington Hammerheads

Wilmington Hammerheads

Wilmington Hammerheads is an American professional soccer team based in Wilmington, North Carolina. Founded in 1996, the team plays in the American Division of the new USL Professional Division, the third tier of the American Soccer Pyramid....

. June was almost as good as May, winning four of their five games, and putting six goals past Northern Virginia Royals

Northern Virginia Royals

Northern Virginia Royals is an American soccer team based in Woodbridge, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1998, the team plays in the USL Premier Development League , the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the South Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference.The team plays its home...

off goals by Edson Elcock

Edson Elcock

Edson Elcock is an American soccer player who currently plays for Richmond Kickers in the USL Professional Division.-College and Amateur:...

and Daniel Haywood, but towards the end of the year the team stuttered a little, crawling over the finish line off the back of a 3-2 final day loss to West Virginia Chaos

West Virginia Chaos

West Virginia Chaos is an American soccer team based in Charleston, West Virginia, United States. Founded in 2003, the team plays in the USL Premier Development League , the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the South Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference.The team plays its home...

, and having lost two of their previous four games. Despite this, the Submariners still finished top of the Mid Atlantic Division, three points ahead of second place Williamsburg Legacy

Williamsburg Legacy

Virginia Legacy was an American soccer team based in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. Founded in 2002, the team played in the USL Premier Development League , the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, until 2009, after which the franchise folded and the team left the league.The team...

, and into the playoffs at the first attempt. Unfortunately, their late season poor form continued into the post season, as they were beaten 3-1 by the Westchester Flames

Westchester Flames

Westchester Flames is an American soccer team based in New Rochelle, New York, United States. Founded in 1999, the team plays in the USL Premier Development League , the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Mid Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference.The team plays its home games...

in the conference semi-finals. Caetano Lima, Daniel Haywood and Edson Elcock

Edson Elcock

Edson Elcock is an American soccer player who currently plays for Richmond Kickers in the USL Professional Division.-College and Amateur:...

all posted impressive scoring tallies, netting 19 times between them, while Jared Kent registered 7 assists.

On March 30, 2007, it was announced that the Virginia Beach Mariners

Virginia Beach Mariners

, the parent club of the Submariners, had folded due to lack of local ownership; at the time, the fate of the Submariners remained unclear. One week later, on April 6, 2007, the Hampton Roads Piranhas

Hampton Roads Piranhas

W-League

The USL W-League is a national women's soccer league in the United States on the 2nd level of women's soccer in the United States soccer pyramid, alongside the Women's Premier Soccer League and below Women's Professional Soccer....

club took control of the Submariners, and renamed them to reflect the new ownership.

The newly-named Piranhas were magnificent in 2007. The team was unbeaten the entire season, winning 14 of their 16 games, and finishing the year with the overall best regular season record in the country. The Piranhas utterly dominated their opponents; they didn't concede a goal until 11th game of the season, a 1-1 tie with Reading Rage

Reading Rage

Reading United A.C. is an American soccer team based in Reading, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1996, the team plays in the USL Premier Development League , the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Mid-Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference....

, and only let in 7 goals all season, with goalkeeper Evan Newton

Evan Newton

Evan Newton is an American soccer player.-College and Amateur:Newton played college soccer at Old Dominion University. He started all 17 games his freshman year, and finished with a .97 GAA, 52 saves and 10 shutouts. In his sophomore year in 2007, he started every single game again and finished...

having the best stats of any shot-stopper in the year. In front of goal the Piranhas were no less potent, beating Northern Virginia Royals

Northern Virginia Royals

4-0 in May, putting 5 goals past them in the return fixture in June, and destroying Delaware Dynasty

Delaware Dynasty

Delaware Dynasty was an American soccer team, founded in 2006. The team was a member of the United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League , the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, until 2007, when the team left the league and the franchise was terminated.The team played its home games at...

7-1 on the road in July, when Aaron Wheeler

Aaron Wheeler

Aaron Wheeler is an American soccer player currently playing for Fort Lauderdale Strikers in the North American Soccer League.-College and Amateur:...

and Zach Kinney both scored hat tricks. A strong run through the playoffs seemed inevitable, but the Piranhas were shockingly beaten on penalties by Brooklyn Knights

Brooklyn Knights

Brooklyn Knights is an American soccer team based in New York, New York, United States. Founded in 1999, the team plays in the USL Premier Development League , the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Mid Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference.The team plays its home games at the...

after a 1-1 tie in the conference semi-final. Andrew Wheeler

Andrew Wheeler

Andrew Wheeler is a member of the Southland Sharks basketball team in the New Zealand National Basketball League. Wheeler is a local from Invercargill and signed with the club in 2009...

was the club's top scorer, with 14 goals.

After being virtually unbeatable in 2007, the Piranhas slumped in 2008; their unbeaten home record was taken in the first game of the new season following their shock 1-0 loss to Northern Virginia Royals

Northern Virginia Royals

, and they lost their second home game 2-0 to the Fredericksburg Gunners

Fredericksburg Gunners

Fredericksburg Gunners was an American soccer team based in Fredericksburg, Virginia, United States. Founded in 2006, the team played in the USL Premier Development League , the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, until 2009, after which the franchise folded and the team left the league.The...

before finally notching up their first win, 3-0 over New Jersey Rangers

New Jersey Rangers

New Jersey Rangers is an American soccer team based in Denville, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 2007, the team plays in the USL Premier Development League , the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Mid Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference.The team plays its home games in...

at the end of May. Inconsistency plagued the Piranhas, who would win one, then lose one, then win one, then lose one, all year long. The high points were the victories over Richmond Kickers Future

Richmond Kickers Future

Richmond Kickers Future was an American soccer team based in Richmond, Virginia, United States. Founded in 2002 as part of the development system of the Richmond Kickers USL Second Division franchise, the team played in the USL Premier Development League , the fourth tier of the American Soccer...

in the James River Cup - 3-1 away and 2-0 at home - whereas the low points included a disappointing 1-0 loss to bottom-of-the-table New Jersey Rangers

New Jersey Rangers

in early June, and a 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Fredericksburg Gunners

Fredericksburg Gunners

in the penultimate game of the season. Having defeated all-comers in 2007, the Piranhas finished 2008 a disappointing third in the Mid Atlantic Division, out of the playoffs; Tom Woolard was the team's top scorer, with 5 goals, while Daniel Haywood and Josh Nolz

Josh Nolz

Josh Nolz, born April 13, 1980 in Onancock, Virginia is a midfielder who played for former USL First Division side Virginia Beach Mariners. He made 16 league appearances for the franchise in the 2005 season. In 2009, he played for the United States national beach soccer team.-References:...

each contributed 3 assists.

Current roster

As of June 4, 2011.

Notable former players

This list of notable former players comprises players who went on to play professional soccer after playing for the team in the Premier Development League, or those who previously played professionally before joining the team.

Corey Ashe

Corey Ashe

Corey Ashe is an American soccer player who currently plays for Houston Dynamo in Major League Soccer.-College:...

Stephen Danbusky

Stephen Danbusky is an American soccer player who currently plays for Hampton Roads Piranhas in the USL Premier Development League.-College:...

Edson Elcock

Edson Elcock is an American soccer player who currently plays for Richmond Kickers in the USL Professional Division.-College and Amateur:...

Jakob Fenger-Larsen

Jakob Fenger-Larsen was a Danish association football player who played professionally in Denmark and in the lower U.S. divisions....

Bobby Foglesong

Robert "Bobby" Foglesong is an American soccer player currently playing for Richmond Kickers in the USL Professional Division.-Youth and College:...

John Gilkerson

John Gilkerson is an American soccer player.-College and Amateur:Gilkerson was a standout defender during his college career at Winthrop University. He was named to the All-Big South first team in his junior and senior years. In 2006, he was named to the NSCAA All-South Atlantic Region Team...

Kevon Harris

Kevon Harris is a Jamaican footballer who last played for Hampton Roads Piranhas in the USL Premier Development League.-Career:...

David Horst

David Horst is an American soccer player currently playing for Portland Timbers in Major League Soccer-College and Amateur:...

Henry Kalungi

Henry Kalungi is a Ugandan footballer who currently plays for Proline FC of the Ugandan Super League, on loan from Richmond Kickers of the American USL Professional Division.-College and Amateur:...

Joseph Nane Evan Newton

Evan Newton

Chad Smith

Chad Smith (soccer)

Chad Smith is an American soccer player who currently plays for Charlotte Eagles in the USL Professional Division.-College:Smith played college soccer at Midwestern State University from 2003 to 2006...

Tony Tchani

Tony Tchani is a Cameroonian footballer who plays for Columbus Crew in Major League Soccer.-Amateur and college:...

Yomby William

Yomby William is a Cameroonian footballer who currently plays for Richmond Kickers in the USL Professional Division.-Youth and College:...

Year-by-year

Year	Division	League	Regular Season	Playoffs	Open Cup
2006	4	USL PDL	1st, Mid Atlantic	Conference Semifinals	1st Round
2007	4	USL PDL	1st, Mid Atlantic	Conference Semifinals	Did not qualify
2008	4	USL PDL	3rd, Mid Atlantic	Did not qualify	Did not qualify
2009	4	USL PDL	4th, Mid Atlantic	Did not qualify	Did not qualify
2010	4	USL PDL	8th, Mid Atlantic	Did not qualify	Did not qualify
2011	4	USL PDL	5th, South Atlantic	Did not qualify	Did not qualify

Honors

USL PDL Regular Season Champions 2007
USL PDL Mid Atlantic Division Champions 2007
USL PDL Mid Atlantic Division Champions 2006

James River Cup

The James River Cup was an annual competition held between the Richmond Kickers

Richmond Kickers

The Richmond Kickers are an American professional soccer club based in Richmond, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1993, the team plays in the American Division of the USL Professional Division, the third tier of the American Soccer Pyramid...

and the Virginia Beach Mariners

Virginia Beach Mariners

(formerly Hampton Roads Mariners) in which the team with the most points at the conclusion of all scheduled matches between the two teams. The Cup was held every year since 1996 with the exception of 1997 and 2001 when Virginia Beach did not field a team. In 2007, the Virginia Beach team was disbanded.

For the 2008 season, the James River Cup was contested between the Richmond Kickers

Richmond Kickers

organization and the Hampton Roads Piranhas organization. The cup went to the organization that had the most points in games between their PDL and W-League teams. The series ended up tied 2-2-1, with the Piranhas winning the Cup on goal difference

Goal difference

In sports such as ice hockey and association football, goal difference is often the first tiebreaker used to rank teams which finish a league competition with an equal number of points....

.

Winners

2008: Hampton Roads Piranhas
2007: Not Held
2006: Virginia Beach Mariners
2005: Richmond Kickers
2004: Richmond Kickers
2003: Richmond Kickers
2002: Richmond Kickers
2001: Not Held
2000: Richmond Kickers
1999: Richmond Kickers
1998: Richmond Kickers
1997: Not Held
1996: Hampton Roads Mariners

Head coaches

Jon Hall (2006–2009) Leroi Wilson (2010) Cesar Rizzo (2011–present)

Stadia

Virginia Beach Sportsplex
Virginia Beach Sportsplex
-External links:[]Category:Sports venues in Hampton RoadsCategory:United Football League venuesCategory:Soccer venues in VirginiaCategory:Sports in Virginia Beach, VirginiaCategory:Visitor attractions in Virginia Beach, Virginia...

; Virginia Beach, Virginia
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Virginia Beach is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia, on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay...

(2006–2007, 2010–present)
Foster Field; Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....

(2008–2009)

Average attendance

Attendance stats are calculated by averaging each team's self-reported home attendances from the historical match archive at http://www.uslsoccer.com/history/index_E.html.

2006: 221
2007: 441
2008: 482
2009: 411
2010: 441

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.