Nate Boyden
Encyclopedia
Nathaniel "Nate" Boyden (born 27 November 1982, in Woodland, California
) is an American
soccer midfielder
who last played for Seattle Sounders
of the USL First Division
. He previously played for the University of California, Santa Barbara
's Men's Soccer team as well.
, 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.
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
.
, but was passed over while fellow 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 10 April 2006. He was eventually released after playing 1 game in 2007. Following the 2007 season Nate retired from playing professional soccer.
.
Graduate Research Fellowship.
His first publication examined the factors affecting career length in Major League Soccer.
Woodland, California
Woodland is the county seat of Yolo County, California, located approximately northwest of Sacramento, and is a part of the Sacramento - Arden-Arcade - Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 55,468 at the 2010 census.Woodland's origins trace back to 1850 when California...
) is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
soccer midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
who last played for Seattle Sounders
Seattle Sounders (USL)
Seattle Sounders was an American professional soccer team founded in 1994 as a member of the American Professional Soccer League. In 1997, the team became a member of the USL First Division, the second tier of the United States soccer pyramid, until 2008, after which the majority of the team's...
of the 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....
. He previously played for the University of California, Santa Barbara
University of California, Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara, commonly known as UCSB or UC Santa Barbara, is a public research university and one of the 10 general campuses of the University of California system. The main campus is located on a site in Goleta, California, from Santa Barbara and northwest of Los...
's Men's Soccer team as well.
Pre-UCSB
Nate Boyden attended Davis High SchoolDavis Senior High School
Davis Senior High School is one of four high schools located in Davis, California, in the United States. DHS is a WASC accredited, 3-year, public comprehensive high school covering grades 10-12. The campus opened its current location in 1961. Enrollment for school year 2004-2005 was 1,831 students...
, 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.
At UCSB
Nate Boyden was recruited to play collegiate soccer for the University of California, Santa BarbaraUniversity of California, Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara, commonly known as UCSB or UC Santa Barbara, is a public research university and one of the 10 general campuses of the University of California system. The main campus is located on a site in Goleta, California, from Santa Barbara and northwest of Los...
by coach Tim Vom Steeg
Tim Vom Steeg
Timothy Harold "Tim" Vom Steeg is an American collegiate soccer head coach who is currently with the University of California, Santa Barbara men's soccer team. He has been with the Gauchos since 1999 and is the most successful coach in the history of UC Santa Barbara...
. 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
Tony Lochhead
Tony James Lochhead is a New Zealander football defender who currently plays for Wellington Phoenix of the A-League.-Club career:Lochhead went to America to play college soccer for UC Santa Barbara in 2001...
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
Redshirt (college sports)
Redshirt is a term used in American college athletics that refers to a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen his or her period of eligibility...
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
2004 Division I Men's College Cup
The 2004 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship was a tournament of 48 teams from NCAA Division I. This year's College Cup Final Four was held at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California. All the other games were played at the home field of the higher seeded team. The final was held on...
in Carson, California
Carson, California
Carson is a city in Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2010 census, Carson had a total population of 91,714. Located south of downtown Los Angeles and approximately 14 miles away from the Los Angeles International Airport, it is known as a suburb of the city....
. UCSB lost in penalties
Penalty shootout (football)
A penalty shoot-out, referred to as kicks from the penalty mark in the Laws of the Game, is the FIFA official term for a method used in association football to decide which team progresses to the next stage of a tournament following a tied game...
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
Big West Conference
The Big West Conference is an NCAA-affiliated Division I mid-major college athletic conference. When the conference began in 1969, its name was the Pacific Coast Athletic Association . After nineteen years, in 1988, its name was changed to the Big West Conference. The conference stopped...
rivals Cal State Northridge
California State University, Northridge
California State University, Northridge is a public university in Northridge, a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles, California, United States....
. Just like UCSB's season, Nate Boyden's collegiate career ended on Matador Field
Matador Soccer Field
Matador Soccer Field is an 1,550 seat soccer stadium on the campus of California State University, Northridge in Northridge, California.It is currently the home to the Cal State Northridge Matadors men's soccer and Cal State Northridge Matadors women's soccer teams.Matador Soccer Field was host to...
.
Professional career
Nate made him self eligible for the 2006 MLS Supplemental Draft2006 MLS Supplemental Draft
The 2006 MLS Supplemental Draft, held on January 26, 2006, followed the SuperDraft, as teams filled out their developmental rosters.-Round 1:-Round 2:-Round 3:-Round 4:...
, but was passed over while fellow teammate Ivan Becerra
Ivan Becerra
Ivan Becerra is a Mexican footballer currently playing for Wilmington Hammerheads in the USL Professional Division.-College:...
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
USL First Division
The United Soccer Leagues First Division was a professional men's soccer league in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico....
side Seattle Sounders
Seattle Sounders (USL)
Seattle Sounders was an American professional soccer team founded in 1994 as a member of the American Professional Soccer League. In 1997, the team became a member of the USL First Division, the second tier of the United States soccer pyramid, until 2008, after which the majority of the team's...
, 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 10 April 2006. He was eventually released after playing 1 game in 2007. Following the 2007 season Nate retired from playing professional soccer.
2008-2009
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-VorpommernVerbandsliga Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
The Verbandsliga Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is the sixth tier of the German football league system and the highest league in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern...
.
2010-present
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 FoundationNational Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
Graduate Research Fellowship.
His first publication examined the factors affecting career length in Major League Soccer.
Seattle Sounders
- USL First DivisionUSL First DivisionThe United Soccer Leagues First Division was a professional men's soccer league in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico....
Championship (1): 2007United Soccer Leagues 2007The 2007 Season is the 21st edition of the United Soccer Leagues season.The season kicked off on Friday, April 13 when the 2006 league runners-up Rochester Raging Rhinos traveled to the Juan Ramon Loubriel Stadium in Bayamon to take on the Puerto Rico Islanders.-General:* Two new teams join the... - USL First DivisionUSL First DivisionThe United Soccer Leagues First Division was a professional men's soccer league in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico....
Commissioner's Cup (1): 2007United Soccer Leagues 2007The 2007 Season is the 21st edition of the United Soccer Leagues season.The season kicked off on Friday, April 13 when the 2006 league runners-up Rochester Raging Rhinos traveled to the Juan Ramon Loubriel Stadium in Bayamon to take on the Puerto Rico Islanders.-General:* Two new teams join the...