There is a lot of anticipation and excitment for the fall men’s soccer season at Furman University.
Yes, the Paladins did lose arguably their best player, when Lawrenceville, GA, defender Walker Zimmerman opted to pass on the rest of his eligibility after being a student for three semesters.
But there are eight starters slated to return in the fall from the 2012 squad that was 12-4-3 and 4-2-1 in the Southern Conference.
Zimmerman signed a Generation adidas contract earlier this year and was taken in the first round of the 2013 MLS SuperDraft by FC Dallas, with the overall #7 pick.
Top Drawer Soccer rates Coach Doug Allison’s eight-member signing class to be the #2 class in the nation.
That class includes forward Evan De Ycaza, forward Bobby Edet, center back Trevor Haberkorn, goalkeeper Joseph Melong, defender Wellford Moore, midfielder Marco Ortiz, midfielder Eli Pinner and defender Dylan Rowe.
Five of the eight were ranked in either Top Drawer Soccer’s IMG Academy 150 or College Soccer News’ Top 150 for the class of 2013.
Edet, another Texan, is ranked #28 overall in the 2013 class by Top Drawer Soccer, while Ortiz, yet another Texan, is rated to be #47 in the country.
Haberkorn is probably the name most followers of U.S. age group national teams will find familiar. The Keeler, Texas native is an NSCAA Youth All-America and is rated the #2 player in the state of Texas and 13 overall nationally.
He has been a starter at center back for the U.S. Under-18 men’s national team.
“We are very excited to have signed this excellent class, and we think they will represent the program, Furman University and their families very well,” said Allison.
“This is an extremely strong class that we are expecting to have an immediate impact on our program,” offered Paladin assistant Anthony Esquivel. “The class is well-rounded, very diverse, and will add to Furman’s campus.
“These players are true to the Furman tradition of excellence, and I am looking forward to coaching them.