Regional Odds & End Briefs From The Southeast USA.
Soccer In Arkansas
The Arkansas Razorbacks finished 2012 wih a 9-10-1 record with first-year head coach Colby Hale. The ‘Backs improved from 2011 when they were 4-14-0. Only two seniors, Andrea Carlson (Tulsa, OK) and Allie Chandler (Mesquite, TX) will graduate from the team for next season…..The University of Arkansas Little Rock has hired Adrian Blewitt as the school’s new women’s head soccer coach. Blewitt compiled a 167-66-12 overall record while coach at D-II Lees-McRae College and Lenoir-Rhyne University, both in N.C. Blewitt coached both the men’s and women’s tems at L-R Blewitt replaces Freddy Delgado, who was 33-64-4 in five seasons as the Trojans’ women’s head coach….Bentonville senior Tayler Estrada (Bentonville HS) has been named NSCAA Girls High School All-America for the second consecutive year….Junior Adriana Lucar, a transfer from Harding University, had a big season for Central Arkansas last fall, leading the Bears in scoring with 14 goals…..The Arkansas State Soccer Annual General Meeting is scheduled for February 23, 2013 in North Little Rock.
Soccer In Kentucky
Kentucky Wildcats assitant coach Aaron Rodgers has been named the new head coach of the Ohio University Bobcats. Rogers has spent the last three seasons at Kentucky. Prior to that he was the association diector of the Cardinal Soccer Club in Cincinnati…..Louisville Cardinals senior midfielder Paolo DelPiccolo has been invited for a trial with the German Bundesliga’s Eintracht Frankfurt ……Lindsey Wilson’s Lebogang Moloo was named the Offensive Player of the Tournament in the 54th NAIA Men’s National tournament played in Montgomery, Ala…..Senior midfielder Kaelon Fox (Louisville/St. Xavier HS) and senior forward Destinie Graves (Lexington/Tates Creek HS) have been named to the 2012 NSCAA HS All-America teams for boys and girls, respectively, and will be honored at the All-America Luncheon in Indianapolis during the NSCAA convention in mid-January….Former University of Louisville forward Shannon Smyth saw action for Ireland’s WNT in its 5-0 loss to the USA in late November. The two-time All-BIG EAST selection plays professionally in Norway.
Soccer In Louisiana
Senior midfielders Johan Kjellsten (Lake Charles/St. Louis Catholic HS) and Delaney Sheehan (Mandeville/Mandeville HS) have been named to the 2012 NSCAA HS All-America teams for boys and girls, respectively, and will be honored at the All-America Luncheon in Indianapolis during the NSCAA convention in mid-January……Patrick Mullins, the 2012 Hermann Trophy winner who plays for the University of Maryland, is a native of New Orleans. He played high school soccer at Jesuit High School…Emily Brennan (Louisiana Tech) and Lacey Bookhaus (Southeastern Louisiana) share Player of the Year honors on the 2012 Louisiana Sports Writers Association All-Louisiana Collegiate Women’s Soccer teams. SE Louisiana’s Kayla Vera was named Freshman of the Year and Texas Tech transfer Jackie Strug from Northwestern State was Newcomer of the Year. Coach of the Year was Louisiana Tech’s Kevin Sherry. Also named to the All-Louisiana first team were Maiya Cooper (Southeastern), Jade Kovacevic and Alex Arlitt, both from LSU, Louisiana Tech’s Brittany Beddow and Mo Rockwell, Karlea Fehr (Louisiana-Monroe), Spencer Vadespino (Nicholls State), and Brooke Martin (LSU-Shreveport).
Soccer In Maryland
One constant in Towson University men’s soccer has been head coach Frank Olszewski. He has been the Tigers’ leader since the 1982 season, and is the winningest coach in Towson soccer history with a record of 283-217-49 going into the 2012 season. It will be his last at Towson, which has announced that it is dropping men’s soccer from the athletic program……Washington College head women’s soccer coach Kanute Drugan recently announced the team’s captains for the 2013 season: junior midfielder/forward Heather Smith (Glen Burnie, MD/Glen Burnie), junior midfielder Kathleen Maleski (Mt. Airy, MD/South Carroll), sophomore midfielder/forward Suzanne Patinella (Fallston, MD/Maryvale Prep), and sophomore defender Taylor Matteson (Cinnaminson, NJ/Cinnaminson) ….Senior defender Michael DeGraffenreidt (Baltimore/Blakefield HS) was named NSCAA Boys High School All-America for 2012. Also selected was senior midfielder Michael Sauers (Glen Arm/Archbishop Curley HS). Three Maryland forwards were named to the 2012 NSCAA Girls HS All-America team: Junior Anna Bialczak (Owings Mill/McDonogh School), senior Aaran Parry (Frederick/Tuscarora HS) and senior Midge Purce (Olney/Good Counsel HS). Purce is a three-time All-America selection….Ian Harkes, a senior at Gonzaga HS in Washington, DC, has been named to the 2012 NSCAA Boys High School All-America team.
Soccer In Mississippi
Belhaven (19-4-1) goalkeeper Carl Blundell recorded four saves as the Blazers shutout the Rams of Mobile (Ala.) University to capture the 54th annual NAIA Men’s Soccer National Championship in Mongromery, Ala. It was the Blazers’ second national title, having won in 1992. The victory atoned for an October regular season loss to Mobile (3-1) as both teams are in the Southern States Athletic Conference. Belhaven was the #12 seed in the tournament. Tom Cosgrove was named Defensive Player of the Tournament, and Victor Lawrence and Cosgrave scored the two championship goals for the Blazers……Mississippi State has hired Aaron Gordon as its new women’s head soccer coach, and his wife Ashley has been named the assistant coach. They come to Starkville from Texas Tech, where they were both on the Red Raiders’ coaching staff. Gordon replaces Neil Macdonald after he was reassigned within the MSU athletic department after posting a 58-103-14 record over nine seasons as the Bulldogs’ head coach…..Mohammed El-Zare has been named the new women’s head soccer coach at Southern Mississippi. El-Zare has been DOC for the Mobile Soccer Club. The Mississippi Soccer association recently announced that Kay Bouler has been named Executive Director. Bouler is a former Second VP of Division 1 and Premier League Director. The Mississippi Soccer Association will hold its 2013 Annual General Meeting on Jan. 11-12 in the Vicksburg Convention Center.
Soccer In West Virginia
West Virginia Univesity men’s head coach Marlon LeBlance has announced the hiring of Dan Stratford as an assistant coach. Stratford has been a volunteer assistant with the Mountaineers for the past two seasons…..Senior goalkeeper Michelle L. Newhouse (Charleston/Capital HS) has been named to the 2012 NSCAA Girls HS All-America team and will be honored at the All-America Luncheon in Indianapolis during the NSCAA convention in mid-January……West Virginia senior outside back Bry McCarthy was called up to the Canadian Women’s National team for a year-end training and assessment camp in Vancouver, BC. McCarthy was named 2012 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year as a WVU senior…..Marshall senior goalkeeper Daniel Withrow (Rochester Hills, Mich.) has been invited to the 2013 adidas MLS Player Combine in Florida. Withrow was named Co-Conference USA Player of the Year as a senior, becoming the first Herd player to receive the to individual honor in Marshall’s eight-year history with the league….After leading the Presidents’ Athletic Conference in scoring and earning the conference’s men’s soccer Player of the Year honor, Bethany College junior Arkangelo James (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) recently picked up two more accolades, when he was named to the ECAC South Region All-Star Team and Third Team All-Great Lakes Region by the NSCAA.