College of Charleston Athletics

A sweeper on the CofC men's soccer team from 1987-90, Vieira became the first men's soccer player to be selected to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/adidas NAIA Division I All-America First Team in 1988 as a sophomore. Additionally, in that particular season, he was named an NAIA Third Team All-American and to the All-South Team. Originally from Brasilia, Brazil, Vieira was CofC Head Coach Ralph Lundy's first recruit at the College and gave him the confidence to schedule incredibly difficult teams for the then-NAIA program. Injured much of his freshman year, he came back as a sophomore to lead the Cougars to a 17-5-2 season including notable wins over Notre Dame and Wake Forest as well as a tie versus defending national champion Clemson in the program's final NAIA year. Vieira was a member of CofC squads that went 10-3-2 against Division I opponents as an NAIA program. A two-time team co-captain as a junior and senior, the 1989 season was interrupted by Hurricane Hugo, but nonetheless the Cougars marched on to a 9-9-1 mark with wins at Ohio State and against the U.S. Naval Academy. During his senior campaign, Vieira led the team with 12 goals and six assists as CofC played 16 of its 22 games on the road finishing the year with an 11-8-3 record. A 1991 CofC graduate in business administration and economics, he was the 1991 recipient of the prestigious J. Stewart Walker Cup, which is the highest award given by the athletics department to a deserving student-athlete each school year.