Category: College Soccer Reporter

With the release of the Ohio State class on Thursday, the Big Ten is the first major men’s soccer conference in which every school has released its 2009 recruits. Players of note include U.S. U-18s Latif Alashe (Michigan) and Kevin Bick (Indiana) and 2008 NSCAA Division I Junior College Player of the Year Justin Meram (Michigan).

All schools in the MPSF except Air Force, which does not announce incoming freshmen until they arrive on campus due to the appointment process, have announced their men’s recruiting classes. Top recruits in the MPSF include Alex Tarnoczi (Denver) and Jonny Espinoza (UNLV).

All Southern Conference teams have also released their 2009 men’s signings. The Discoveries Soccer Club from South Carolina and Norcross Fury of Georgia, led all club teams with six and five SoCon signings, respectively.

The ACC, America East, Atlantic Soccer, Atlantic South, Atlantic-10 and Big East men’s recruiting classes, as released by their respective schools …

The Big South, Big West, CAA, Conference USA and Horizon men’s recruiting classes, as released by their respective schools …

The Ivy League, MAAC, Mid-American, Missouri Valley and Northeast men’s recruiting classes, as released by their respective schools …

The Pac-10, Patriot, Summit, WCC and Independents men’s recruiting classes, as released by their respective schools …

The College Soccer Reporter returns with Soccer America’s top 15 men’s college recruiting classes, version 2.0, and all the Division I signings for schools who have released their 2009 signings. Akron is No. 1, though two ACC schools have moved up on our list.

[MEN’S COACHING  MOVES] Dave Brandt, who led Messiah to six NCAA Division I men’s titles in 12 years, has been named the new Navy head men’s coach. In other East Coast coaching moves, former MLS player Kevin Anderson returns to Columbia as head coach, and former U.S. international Elvis Comrie has left Holy Cross.

[WOMEN’S COACHING  MOVES] N.C. State tapped Fresno State head coach Steve Springthorpe as the new head coach of the Wolfpack women’s program, while Erin Aubry, who led Morehead State to its first conference title in 2008, has been named the new head  coach at Arkansas. Both coaches took their teams to the NCAA Tournament in the fall.

For the second year in a row, a Florida State star is headed to Sweden’s Damallsvenskan. Finnish international Sanna Talonen joined KIF Orebro, marking her return to Sweden. She had played for Balinge in the first half of the 2007 Swedish league season. Also back in Sweden: Oklahoma State’s Yolanda Odenyo.

[RECRUITING] LSU, which finished the 2008 season with the top defensive unit in the SEC, will look to be even stronger on the back line in 2009 as sophomore transfer Allysha Chapman has elected to join the program for the start of the spring season.

Creighton’s Bob Warming and Notre Dame’s Randy Waldrum were among the winners of the 2008 FieldTurf Coach and Team of the Year awards for the 2008 season. For all the winners whose awards will be presented at the NSCAA Convention on Friday in St. Louis …

[U.S. SOCCER] Tickets for the USA’s World Cup 2010 qualifying game against Mexico Feb. 11 in Columbus, Ohio go on sale Jan. 28 at noon ET.

Cerritos College’s Corina Villegas, a two-time NSCAA/adidas All-America, heads this year’s winners of NSCAA/adidas Junior College Player of the Year. Villegas led her team to its second consecutive California state title and earned tournament MVP honors this year, concluding her career with 53 goals. For all the winners …

Regional Coaches of the Year are finalists for the NSCAA/adidas National Coach of the Year award at their respective levels. In NCAA play, any coach who is not selected a Regional Coach of the Year but advances to the national tournament semifinals is added to the ballot for National Coach of the Year. The national awards will be announced at the annual NSCAA Awards Banquet, which will be held Friday evening in St. Louis as part of the 2009 NSCAA Convention. For all the regional winners …

[SOCCER AMERICA AWARDS] Akron’s Steve Zakuani, who led the nation in scoring, is only the second sophomore to win Soccer America Men’s Player of the Year honors after Virginia’s Claudio Reyna, who won the first of back-to-back awards in 1992.

[SOCCER AMERICA AWARDS] Wake Forest, which ranked No. 1 in the Soccer America rankings from the preseason through the end of the regular season, led all teams with four Soccer America MVPs. For all the 2008 MVP selections …

[SOCCER AMERICA AWARDS] Joe Baum, retiring after 32 years as Michigan State’s head coach, earned the 2008 Soccer America Men’s Coach of the Year award after leading the Spartans to Big Ten regular-season and tournament titles.

[SOCCER AMERICA AWARDS] Casey Townsend, who started every game for NCAA Division I champion Maryland and finished second on the Terrapins with 26 points on 11 goals and four assists, is the 2008 Soccer America Men’s Freshman of the Year. For the Soccer America Men’s All-Freshman team …

In the first big coaching move of the offseason, Kentucky has hired Charlotte’s Jon Lipsitz as its new women’s head coach.

The College Soccer Reporter will break for the holidays. The staff of Soccer America wishes everyone a pleasant and safe holiday season. We will see you in the New Year!

Four players who played at the 2008 Men’s College Cup have been called into the U.S. under-20 national team training camp that began Monday in Sunrise, Fla. Wake Forest’s Ike Opara and Daniel Wenzel and North Carolina’s Kirk Urso and Sheanon Williams were among the 26 players called into the camp that lasts through Dec. 22.

[SOCCER AMERICA AWARDS] Casey Nogueira, whose two goals gave North Carolina a 2-1 win over North Dame for her second national championship in three years, is the 2008 Soccer America Women’s Player of the Year. The daughter of indoor goalkeeping great Victor Nogueira becomes the 10th different Tar Heel to win Soccer America Women’s Player of the Year honors.

[SOCCER AMERICA AWARDS] Soccer America’s 2008 Women’s MVP awards are highlighted by four holdovers from the 2006 and 2007 teams. First-team picks Christina DiMartino (UCLA) and Kerri Hanks (Notre Dame) and second-team selections Yael Averbuch (North Carolina) and Kasey Moore (Texas) were selected for the third year in a row. For all the 2008 Soccer America MVPs …