[RICHMOND] The University of Richmond will drop men's soccer -- and men's track and field -- after the 2012 season to add men's lacrosse. UR joins a long list of schools that have dropped men's soccer over the last quarter century but most made the move for Title IX considerations. It is a rare case of dropping soccer to add another men's sport.

"If you were starting from scratch, just building an athletic program, lacrosse would be a sport that would be near the top of the list at Richmond," UR athletics director Jim Miller told the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Miller explained that soccer's recent lack of success -- five straight losing seasons -- contributed to the decision to drop soccer over baseball, the other men's sport offering scholarships that was considered for the ax.

Former University of Virginia and D.C. United Clint Peay was the men's coach the three seasons but resigned in July to take a position with U.S. U-17 national team. Richmond Kickers coach Leigh Cowlishaw, who led UR to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 1990 and is the Spiders' all-time leader in goals (54), assists (31) and points (139), was named interim basis for the 2012 season.

Richmond became a soccer hotbed in the mid-1990s when it hosted the NCAA Division I Tournament for four straight years and drew huge crowds (1995-98).

MEN'S SOCCER CUTS
School (Year)
*Houston Baptist (1990)
North Texas (1993)
Illinois State (1994)
Central Michigan (1994)
Arkansas-Little Rock (1995)
Maryland-Eastern Shore (1996)
Texas-Pan American (1997)
Northeastern Illinois (1997)
South Alabama (1998)
Miami-Ohio (1998)
Eastern Michigan (1998)
Charleston Southern (2002)
Fresno State (2002)
TCU (2002)
The Citadel (2002)
East Carolina (2005)
Vanderbilt (2005)
Western Kentucky (2008)
Maine (2009)
Alabama A&M (2011)
Richmond (2013)
*Later reinstated.