Regional Odds & End Briefs From The Southeast USA

Soccer In Arkansas

After both Central Arkansas soccer programs experienced record setting seasons, coaches on both teams received job title changes. Derek Nichols and Ryan Webb, assistant coaches for the women’s and men’s programs, respectively, will assume the title of Associate Head Coach moving forward…..Sixteen Arkansas State Champions competed in the US Youth Soccer Region III tournament in Edmond, OK. The girls teams winning state titles are the U18 NWAL Strikers , U17 Little Rock FC, U16 Arkansas Comets, U15 Arkansas Comets, U14 Little Rock FC, U13 Mighty Bluebirds, U12 Arkansas Comets and U11 NWAL Strikers. The boys champions were U18 Berryville Aztecas, U14 Mighty Bluebirds and U11 ASC Shockers. The Arkansas Comets won the U17, U13 and U12 boys titles, and Little Rock FC took the U15 and U16 championships…..The University of Arkansas Little Rock will open the 2013 season under new head coach Adrian Blewitt with a preseason match on August 21 against Christian Brothers University. The regular season gets underway four days later with a home game against Southern University.

Soccer In Kentucky

A pair of teammates from Richlands High School in Richlands, Va., have signed to play women’s collegiate soccer at the University of Pikeville. Cassidy Richardson and Makenley Davis will play for Coach Gary Warford this fall. Richardson recorded her 28th career hat trick in her senior season, setting a new Virginia state high school record in that category. The Pikeville men’s program recently signed defender Brandon Lopez, a senior at Franklin Road Christian School in Murfreesboro, Tenn. [show_disconnected][show_to accesslevel=’Subscriber’]Lopez plays club soccer for the Tennessee Soccer Club….Goalkeeper Chris Hubbard (Trinity HS/Louisville, KY) has been selected 2013 Gatorade Boys State Player of the Year for Kentucky…..Louisville’s River City Rovers fell to 4-6-1 with a 2-1 loss to the Toronto Lynx in USL Premier Development League action. It marked the first time since the opening game of the season that the Rovers have fallen into fourth place.

Soccer In Louisiana

LSU Alexandria, a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) is expanding its athletics program and will field soccer teams for men and women in the fall of 2014……Former Lady Wildcat goalkeeper Emily Breaux has been named the new women’s assistant coach at Louisiana College. Breux is a Lafayette HS alum. She is Louisiana College’s first assistant women’s soccer coach….Spencer Valdespino (Spring Hill, FL) was named Freshman Female Student-Athlete of the Year at Nicholls State, breaking four school offensive records…..97 Louisiana Fire Navy captured the Region III Under-16 girls championship with a 1-0 victory over 97 FC Alliance Black from Tennessee. Eleanor Pratt got on the end of a ball that had been cleared off the line by an Alliance defender, and drilled home the game-winner in overtime. The Fire, which now advances to the US Youth Soccer National Championships in Overland Park, Kan., had lost in the knockout rounds in the last two Region III tournaments…..Senior forward/midfielder Ethan Judice (Lafayette HS/Lafayette, La.) has been selected 2013 Gatorade Boys State Player of the Year for Louisiana….LSU’s freshmen class will report to preseason training camp in August with three members having already been involved with national team training. Emma Fletcher and Rebecca Pongetti were called in for Canada’s EXCELeration national team camp, while Megan Lee was an invitee to New Zealand’s national team camp…..Southwest Baptist has announced the signing of Swedish transfer Malin Sandin, a transfer for the women’s soccer team from Stockholm University…..

Soccer In Maryland

Three former Maryland Terps returned to Washington, DC with the U.S. Men’s National Team for an international friendly against Germany. Omar Gonzalez, Clarance Goodson and Graham Zusi were with the U.S. team for the 4-3 win over the Germans. Gonzalez and Zusi were in the starting lineup…..US Soccer, the Delaware Youth Soccer Association, the Maryland State Youth Soccer Association and Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer Association, will host a national C License Coaching Course in New Castle, Delaware, at the Kirkwood Soccer Club, August 1-4 and August 8-11. This is considered to be a commuter course, but local hotel accommodations are available. Tuition cost for this national course is $750. Registration will close July 1. Questions regarding this course are to be directed to Lew Atkinson at coaching @dysa.org …..Senior forward/midfielder Nicko Corriveu (Gonzaga College HS/Washington, D.C.) has been selected 2013 Gatorade Boys State Player of the Year for the District of Columbia. The Maryland Gatorade Player of the Year for 2013 is Owings Mills junior MF George Campbell, who plays as the McDonogh School.

Soccer In Mississippi

Senior GK Bethany Roberson (Collierville, TN) has been awarded the 2012-13 American Southwest Conference Scholar-Athlete Medal of Honor Award for Mississippi College…..Fresh off one of the program’s best season that saw the Ole Miss Rebels (13-9) finish two games shy of the best record in school history, coach Matthew Mott has announced a challenging schedule for the 2013 season. The Rebels will have 10 home games, including four non-conference contests against Louisiana-Lafayette (8/23), Northwestern State (8/30), Memphis (9/15) and Arkansas-Little Rock (9/22). The schedule features five teams who advanced to NCAA Tournament play a year ago. The Rebels open the season at home against Louisiana-Lafayette on Friday, August 23, at 7 p.m. at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium….Former University of Southern Mississippi women’s soccer standout Caitlin Leumas (Mandeville, LA) was one of 12 recipients of the Jim Castañeda Postgraduate Scholarship, awarded by Conference USA…..Bethany Roberson (Collierville, TN), a senior Graphic Design major and soccer letterwinner, was the female winner of the 2012-13 American Southwest Conference Scholar-Athlete Medal Award for Mississippi College…..Southern Mississippi has added defender Adriana Garcia, a four-year starter at Claudia T. Johnson HS in San Antonio, TX to the Golden Eagles recruiting class for the 2013 season.

Soccer In West Virginia

West Virginia Soccer and Northern Panhandle will host an E Coaching license course July 26-27 at the JC William Soccer Complex in Weirton, WVa…..Marshall University will open its new Veterans Memorial Soccer Complex on August 23 with an exhibition between the Thundering Herd men’s team against Marshall alumni and a women’s game between Marshall and Campbell University……The US Youth Soccer Region I Championships are returning to Barboursville WV in 2015 and 2016. They were previously held in Barboursville in 2009 and 2010…..West Virginia Soccer Association will host a USSF “D” Coaching Course on the weekends of June 21-23 and August 9-11. The course will be held at Musselman High School. Candidates must attend all sessions. Online information at wvsoccer.net …..Sterling Flunder, a former Marshall MVP in Coach Bob Gray’s program, is in his fourth season playing for the USL PRO Pittsburgh Riverhounds. Daniel Withrow, another Marshall alum, is a rookie goalkeeper with the MLS Columbus Crew….Senior forward Felipe Thompson (Hurricane HS/Hurricane) has been selected 2013 Gatorade Boys State Player of the Year for West Virginia…..