Soccer America Archives

AWARDS … Seven members of the 2009 Soccer America Men’s Preseason All-American team and five players on the Soccer America Women’s Preseason All-American team are among the 60 candidates for the 2009 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award, given to a senior who has achieved notable accomplishments in four areas of excellence — classroom, character, community and competition.

Read more for the complete list of nominees.

MEN’S NEWS … Yavapai, the Arizona JC superpower, lost for the first time in its 21-year history in the state of California when it fell to Mount San Antonio, 2-1, in an exhibition match.

The trip to California will be the only action outside the state of Arizona until the postseason. There are now 11 teams in the Arizona Community College Athletics Conference, so all 20 games on Yavapai’s regular-season schedule are conference matches.

The Roughriders, who won the last two NJCAA Division I titles and hold a 33-game unbeaten streak in regular-season and postseason play, lost seven players to Division I programs but have brought in players from seven different states. The freshmen include Nomads product Rodolfo Godinez, a 2009 U.S. Soccer Development Academy Starting XI selection in the under-17/18 age group.

Yavapai ’08 players on the move:
Dirk Petersen, UC Irvine
Justin Meram, Michigan
Jeff Bendawald, Ohio State
Evan McNiel, UC Santa Barbara
Chris Hunter, UC Santa Barbara
Sam Hayden, UC Santa Barbara
Ivan Dizdar, Seattle

* Saint Louis University, who have won or shared a record 10 men’s national championships, is celebrating its 50th anniversary of men’s soccer, and fans have the chance to select a “Billiken Half-Century Team.”

Fans may select 22 players and two coaches. If you think that’s a lot of selections, consider the choices. Former Billikens include two National Soccer Hall of Famers, three Hermann Trophy winners and 20 U.S. internationals, plus Vedad Ibisevic, who plays for Bosnia, and Dipsy Selolwane, who represents Botswana.

The 24-member roster will be recognized Oct. 3, along with the more than 450 Billiken soccer alumni at that night’s game against Clemson at Robert R. Hermann Stadium.

Fans can vote here.

* Wednesday’s preseason highlights:

— Matt Schmitt set up freshman Latif Alashe and Mauro Fuzetti for goals to give Michigan, ranked No. 21 in the Soccer America Preseason Top 25, a 2-1 win over Xavier.

— J.J. Greer and Andreas Guentner scored first-half goals to give Memphis a 2-0 win over Saint Louis.

— Defender Patrick Hopkins‘ goal in the 79th minute gave DePaul a 1-1 tie at Northern Illinois.

WOMEN’S NEWS … It’s still early, but there are lots of positives Coach Jerry Smith saw from Santa Clara’s opening two games, wins San Jose State (4-0) over UC Santa Barbara (2-0).

The two wins put the Broncos within two wins of matching last year’s total. Their 4-12-4 record was their first sub-.500 season since 1983.

Injuries have decimated women’s powerhouse Santa Clara in recent years, so perhaps the most encouraging news was the return of Jordan Angeli, who missed the last two seasons with injuries and was granted a sixth year by the NCAA. She converted a penalty kick to seal the UCSB win.

“We missed her the past two years,” said Smith “and she brings a lot of things to our team with her ability to start an offensive attack out of the back and her leadership and organization.”

Freshmen Lauren Matheson, Amanda Webster and former U-17 national team midfielder Olivia Klei all got their first collegiate goals last weekend. “I’m pleased with how well this rookie class is playing,” Smith added.

Next up for the Broncos is a date Friday night at Utah, coached by former Santa Clara assistant coach Rich Manning.

WOMEN’S NEWS … North Carolina keeper Ashlyn Harris‘ call-up to the U.S. national team is one of women’s soccer’s great feel-good stories.

Along with UCLA forward Lauren Cheney and Carolina teammate Tobin Heath, both 2008 Olympic gold-medalists, Harris was one of three collegians picked to attend the national team camp that will take place Sept. 21-Oct. 2 at the Home Depot Center.

Harris’ first call-up comes seven years after she burst on the international scene helping the USA win the inaugural Under-19 Women’s World Cup.

Harris was a starter for the USA at both the 2002 and 2004 U-19 world championships, playing every minute of all 12 games during those tournaments, but her college career suffered several setbacks.

She redshirted in 2005 after tearing her right anterior cruciate ligament during her first practice with the Heels.

While training in June 2006 she suffered what appeared to be another season-ending knee injury, but she recovered to come on as a reserve in all six of Carolina’s NCAA Tournament games — and made several saves — en route to its 2006 championship.

After splitting time with Anna Rodenbough in her first three seasons, Harris is for the first time UNC’s undisputed starter.

* The Mexican national team beat TCU, 4-1, Tuesday night before 2,089 fans in Ft. Worth. The Tri Femenil previously lost to South Carolina, 2-0, and beat Kennesaw State, 5-0.

MEN’S NEWS … The story of Coach Oliver Weiss‘ hasty departure from Virginia Tech in June took a new twist with a Roanoke Times story that Virginia Tech reported 11 recruiting violations to the NCAA and has banned foreign recruits for three seasons.

In documents obtained by the Roanoke Times, Virginia Tech informed the NCAA of the violations 13 days after Weiss resigned.

The violations by a person who “no longer serves … at Virginia Tech” (according to the redacted documents obtained under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act) concerned entrance fees paid on behalf of recruits and later repaid by the players themselves.

According to Roanoke Times, Virginia Tech will take  “corrective actions” and stop recruiting foreign men’s players for three years — through the 2011-12 school year.

Weiss’ recruiting of foreign players produced a Men’s College Cup semifinal team in 2007 but sparked controversy, though the decision to ban foreign recruits itself has met with opposition.

The editorial board of the Collegiate Times, the Virginia Tech student paper, criticized the ban, saying “there is absolutely no reason to rub proverbial salt in the wounds with the three-year suspension.”

* Transfers will play a big role in the 2009 men’s campaign. No. 1 North Carolina’s lone selection on the 2009 Soccer America Preseason All-American team is transfer Stephen McCarthy, who will spent his senior year in Chapel Hill after playing his first three seasons at Santa Clara. Three other transfers are also on the second team: Creighton defender Chris Schuler (Indiana), St. John’s midfielder Nelson Becerra (Centenary, N.J.) and UC Irvine forward Irving Garcia (Yavapai).

* Six Soccer America Preseason Top 25 teams — No. 2 Akron, No. 4 Indiana, No. 11 Northwestern, No. 12 UIC, No. 21 Michigan and No. 23 Louisville — will take part in the 2009 National Soccer Festival, which kicks off Friday in Ft. Wayne, Ind.  All seven Big Ten teams will play in 2010 thanks in part to a $10,000 sports business development grant from the city of Ft. Wayne for the Big Ten Challenge, the working title for the preseason event.

* Thomas Campbell‘s comeback bid got off to a fantastic start. The fifth-year senior who missed all of last season after tearing knee ligaments needed only 36 minutes to score a hat trick Saturday in UNC Greensboro’s 5-3 win over Division II Lees-McRae on Saturday night.