Daniel Alvarado joined the Georgia Southern men’s soccer staff prior to the 2016 season as a graduate assistant coach after spending the last two years playing goalkeeper at the University of Wisconsin Green Bay. Alvardao works primarily with the Eagle’s goalkeepers.
In his first season in Statesboro, the Eagles went 8-8-3 overall and 3-1-1 in Sun Belt Conference play, claiming a share of the regular-season league title with newcomer Coastal Carolina and earning a bye into the semifinal round of the Sun Belt Championship. The regular-season title is the first conference title for Georgia Southern in men’s soccer. The Eagles also ended the year 4-1-1 at home and 4-7-2 on the road. The Eagles’ 3-1-1 (.700) conference record was the best since the 2006 season when Georgia Southern went 4-1-2 (.714) in SoCon play. The 4-1-1 (.750) home mark was the best record in Statesboro for the men’s team since the 1997 season. That year, the Eagles went 6-1 at home.
Georgia Southern’s two goalkeepers, Torgeir Fjaer and Chase Herzog, combined for a 1.37 goals against average, a .763 save percentage, 82 total saves and two shutouts. Fjaer’s 1.33 GAA is eighth all-time in program history for lowest GAA in a single season.
During the season, the Eagles competed well against some of the best competition in the southeast. Georgia Southern defeated both Mercer and rival Georgia State on the road and were victorious over four teams that were ranked in the top-10 of the National Soccer Coaches of America Association (NSCAA) Southeast Region Poll. The victories included: 2-1 on the road over Stetson (7th at the time) on Sept. 2, 2-0 at home over North Florida (5th) on Sept. 24, 3-1 on the road at Georgia State (9th) on Oct. 8 and 2-1 at home against Hartwick (5th) on Oct. 22. The Eagles also took South Carolina to overtime, earned a 0-0, double-overtime draw at Coastal Carolina and took Clemson and Duke down to the wire in close, one-goal decisions. Murphy picked up his first win at the helm of the program on Aug. 26 as Georgia Southern easily defeated Houston Baptist 4-1 on the road. His first home win came against North Florida.
Prior to arriving in Statesboro, Alvarado was a goalkeeper for Wisconsin-Green Bay where he appeared in 16 games for the Phoenix, recording 62 saves and four shutouts while boasting a 5-7-3 record.
Before his time in Green Bay, Alvarado spent three years playing at USC Upstate, making 25 starts and recording 113 saves in two seasons of play. He was twice named the Atlantic Sun Defensive Player of the Week in 2012 when he Ranked 18th in the nation with a .830 save percentage, 21st with 5.18 saves per game and 27th with 88 total saves.
One of the top goalkeepers in the A-Sun that year, Alvarado ranked second in the league in save percentage, was third in saves and saves per game, fourth with five shutouts and fifth with a 1.02 goals against average. He was tied for the A-Sun lead by allowing 18 goals as the fewest in the A-Sun. He finished the year with 88 saves and posted double digit save totals on three occasions. He also set the USCU school record for most saves in a single game and led the Spartans to their first-ever playoff appearance in the Division I era.
Alvarado also played for Giovanni Petraglia and the Thunder Bay Chill in the United Soccer League (USL) Premier Development League from 2013 to 2015. In his first season, he boasted a 0.85 goals against average and helped guide the team to the regular season championship. In 2014, he was the top player in the mid-season ranks with a 0.41 goals against average before finishing the year ranked eighth in the nation with a 0.91goals against average. He wrapped up his time in the PDL with nine clean sheets and a 0.94 goals against average.
Alvarado is a native of Leander, Texas and is a 2015 graduate of Wisconsin Green Bay with a degree in Graphic Design.
