|
||||
Intercollegiate AthleticsFor Sports EnthusiastsFor Student Athletes |
Men's Soccer Signs five New Recruits |
|||
|
JUNE 29, 2001 Wheaton, Kneeshaw, Rack, Valentine, and Cook looking to help end 33-game losing skid OLYMPIA, Wash. -- With a core group of quality players returning, The Evergreen State College men's soccer program announced today the signing of five players hoping to end the school-record 33-game losing streak. Second-year head coach Scott Martin thinks highly of senior transfer Matt Wheaton (Bainbridge Is., Wash. / Linfield), who was a three-year starter at Linfield College in McMinnville, Ore. The All-Northwest Conference selection had five goals and five assists leading the Wildcats to the NCAA Division III national semifinals. "Matt will anchor our central defense," Martin said. Wheaton will join red-shirt sophomore Dave Zebley (Seattle, Wash. / O'Dea HS) in the backfield. Another key component of the 2001 squad will be true freshman goalkeeper Thomas Kneeshaw (Eatonville, Wash. / Eatonville HS). The Nisqually League MVP will be Evergreen's first "true" keeper in years, considering his 6-2 frame. Last year, the Geoducks used five different players in goal and ranked last in the Cascade Conference with a 4.69 goals-against average. "I am certain that a contributing factor in signing these players was the opportunity to play immediately," Martin said. These players bring a high level of experience playing within very good programs and for some experienced coaches." Newcomers Dave Rack (Whitefish Bay, Wis. / Univ. of Wisconsin) and Nick Valentine (DuPont, Wash. / Green River CC) will join co-captains Jim Nagle (Bainbridge Is., Wash. / Univ. of Portland) and Kinnan Murray (Portland, Ore. / Univ. of New Hampshire) as a formidable midfield group. Nagle started 15 of the 16 games last season for the Clams, recording one assist, while Murray was the utility player - scoring one goal, recording three assists, and playing 225 minutes in goal. "Both Rack and Valentine have played for top-level club teams and can play just about any field position," Martin replied. "With Jim's ability to command the midfield and Kinnan's ability to move forward and score, this will be a solid group." The Geoducks, who have not won a game since a 1-0 decision over Hawaii Pacific in 1998, return its two leading scorers from 2000 in sophomore Justin Connell (Sequim, Wash. / Sequim HS) and junior Chris Pugh (Lacey, Wash. / So. Puget Sound CC). Connell scored four goals and was the only player to play in all 16 games, with Pugh toughing out an injury-plauged season to have three goals and two assists. Added into the mix up front is sophomore Brian Cook (St. Louis, Mo. / Univ. of Indiana), who has been attending Evergreen for the past year, but did not play soccer. Martin is pleased with his first recruiting class with the addition of tuition-waivers. "I am very satisfied with this, my first recruiting class at Evergreen. Our strategy following a dismal season was to be very honest about both our recent poor showings and our goals for the near future of becoming a nationally-ranked program." With the season opener less than two months away (Aug. 27 vs. Northwest), Evergreen looks to be in the best shape since the 1995 season when the Geoducks went 10-6-2. "The objective of this initial recruiting class is to create a solid starting group, establish a competitive environment, and begin to establish Evergreen men's soccer as a viable option for top players within Washington," Martin said. |
Men's Soccer InformationAffiliatesRelated Links |
|||
|
Last Updated: September 12, 2007 All content and images on this site are copyrighted by The Evergreen State
College. © 2008 |
||||
