Nate Boyden
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Nathaniel Bostwick Boyden | ||
| Date of birth | November 27, 1982 | ||
| Place of birth | Woodland, California, United States | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1997–2000 | Davis Senior High School | ||
| 2001–2005 | UC Santa Barbara Gauchos | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2006–2007 | Seattle Sounders | 13 | (0) |
| Rostocker FC | |||
| 2012 | Michigan Bucks | 15 | (4) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. | |||
Nathaniel Bostwick "Nate" Boyden (born November 27, 1982) is a retired American soccer player.
Amateur career
Youth
Nate Boyden attended Davis High School, where the team compiled an overall record of 80 wins, 2 losses, and 1 draw including two undefeated seasons with his play. The outstanding play by both Boyden and the team led to three consecutive sectional titles. Boyden accumulated numerous awards for his play including being a two-time All-Delta/Capital Athletic League and All-San Joaquin Section First Team. He was also the league and section most valuable player following his senior year in which he scored 21 goals and 15 assists. He was honored as a Navy High School All-American in 2000.
In addition to his high school team, Nate was a member of the Nor-Cal and State ODP Regional squads.
Collegiate
Nate Boyden was recruited to play collegiate soccer for the University of California, Santa Barbara by coach Tim Vom Steeg. Boyden made an immediate impact with the team, playing in 17 games and scoring 4 goals for 8 points. He tied now-professional Tony Lochhead for 4th on the team in scoring.
As a sophomore, Boyden saw an increase in playing time and appeared in 21 games, but only registering 1 point through an assist. However, Boyden led the team to their first ever NCAA playoff appearance.
Nate had to redshirt 2003 due to rehabilitating an injury. For his junior year in 2004, Boyden went straight back into the first team. He appeared in 24 games, starting all of them. He also netted 1 goal, assisted on 4 others for 6 points on the season. With Boyden anchoring the midfield, UCSB soared to new heights and marched unseeded to the 2004 Division I Men's College Cup in Carson, California. UCSB lost in penalties to Indiana University in the championship game.
2005 marked Nate's final season with the Gauchos. He appeared and started in 20 games while scoring 1 goal and assisting on two more for a final point total of 4. After reaching such great heights last year, 2005 paled in comparison. UCSB bowed out of the NCAA playoffs in the 2nd round to Big West Conference rivals Cal State Northridge. Just like UCSB's season, Nate Boyden's collegiate career ended on Matador Field.
Professional career
Nate made himself eligible for the 2006 MLS Supplemental Draft,[1] but was passed over while teammate Ivan Becerra was drafted. The 2006 USL First Division College Draft came and went as well, leaving Boyden without a team for the first time in years.
It wasn't long before teams came calling for his services. USL First Division side Seattle Sounders, the 2005 USL Champions, soon came calling and invited Boyden to training came. He earned a contract and signed with the Sounders as a free agent on April 10, 2006.[2] He was eventually released after playing 1 game in 2007. Following the 2007 season Nate retired from playing professional soccer.
Post-professional career
In 2008 Nate moved to Germany where he was a research assistant at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research. He also spent time at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development. While in Germany Nate played for Rostocker FC in the German Verbandsliga Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Currently Nate is a graduate student at The University of Michigan. He is in the Cognitive Psychology PhD program and is a recipient of a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Nate Boyden is in his first season as an assistant coach at Loyola University Chicago.
His first publication examined the factors affecting career length in Major League Soccer.[3]
Honors
Seattle Sounders
- USL First Division Championship (1): 2007
- USL First Division Commissioner's Cup (1): 2007
Rostocker FC
Player of the Tournament, Rostocker Pils Cup 2011
References
- ↑ Final 2006 Supplemental Draft list announced From http://www.mlsnet.com, Posted January 25, 2006.
- ↑ Sounders Sign UCSB Standout, Defensive Midfielder Nate Boyden From http://seattlesounders.com, Posted April 10, 2006.
- ↑ Boyden NB & JR Carey (2010) From one-and-done to seasoned veteran: A demographic analysis of individual career length in Major League Soccer