Staff Directory
- Title:
- Volunteer Assistant Coach
James Eley is in his first season assisting the men's soccerprogram at Upstate. He is a former standout goalkeeper at theUnviersity and was inducted into the Upstate Athletics Hall of Famein 2008.
Eley was a standout player from 1992-95, leading the men'ssoccer team to four straight appearances in the NCAA Division IITournament. He helped lead his teams to two regular season PeachBelt Conference championships and four straight Peach BeltConference Tournament titles. All four of his teams finished theregular season ranked in the Top 10 in the nation.
Eley held the reigns as the regular starting keeper in 1993,taking over the position after the graduation of Athletics Hall ofFame member Darren Ambrose. He earned All-America, all-region andall-conference honors after posting 17 wins in goal and 0.96 goalsagainst average. He again earned All-Region and All-Conferencehonors in 1994, being a part of 17 wins and posting a 1.08 goalsagainst average.
It was the 1995 season that set Eley and his teammates apartfrom the rest. He helped lead the team to an appearance in the NCAADivision II National Championship game, the first time since the1982 men's basketball team won the NAIA National Championship thata USC Upstate/Spartanburg team had played for a national title.Eley led the team to 17 wins for the third straight season andthrough the NCAA Division II Tournament before falling in thenational championship game. Eley posted a 0.85 goals againstaverage and was named all-Region and all-Conference for the thirdstraight year and earned his second All-America selection.
Eley ranks fourth all-time with 38 credited wins and fourth with22.5 shutouts. Goalkeepers who did not complete a full match sharedwins and shutouts. In all, he played the majority of the matches in54 wins and 28 shutouts. His 0.89 career goals against averageranks fifth all-time at Upstate, while his 187 saves is fourthall-time. He played 4,962 minutes in goal, second on the all-timelist.
In addition to his prowess on the soccer field, he was astandout in the classroom. He was a four-time selection to thePeach Belt Conference Presidential Academic Honor Roll and was aDean's List student. A native of South Africa, Eley was drafted No.2 into the MPSL indoor soccer league for Baltimore Spirit. He brokehis arm on draft day and never played for the Spirit. However, hedid go on to play professionally for the Huntsville Fire of theEastern Indoor Soccer League and for the South CarolinaShamrocks.
Eley and his wife, Jennifer, have two sons, Aidan andCameron.
