Loyola Marymount University - Three Star Class Ranking - Paul Krumpe has added a six member class that may help give the Lions the edge they need to get back into the hunt for the West Coast Conference title.  Krumpe stated, “Our goal in 2009 is pretty simple and straight forward.  We want to win the WCC Championship.”  LMU was up and down last year finishing the season with a 7-8-5 overall record.  The good news is that the Lions were significantly better in 2008 than they were in 2007 when they were a dismal 3-16-1 overall and it is noteworthy that Krumpe played a lot of freshmen last year which theoretically should pay dividends in 2009.  Another positive is that the Lions finished the 2008 season strong with wins over Santa Clara and San Francisco.  LMU has not earned an NCAA Tourney berth since the 2004 season.  For that trend to change in 2009, some of the new recruits are going to have to contribute and returning players like forward Rafael Baca (5g, 1a) who was a First-Team All-WCC selection, defender Roger Downes who was the WCC Freshman of the Year, and goalkeeper Patrick Sampson must pick up the pace from the get-go.  It remains to be seen whether or not that will happen.    

 

Chris Bernardi - Livermore, California - Forward - De La Salle High School - Played club for U.S. Development Academy  Mustang FC U-18 team - Named to  USL Super Y All-League team.

 

John Ikard - Littleton, Colorado - Forward - Heritage High School - All Conference and All-State selection.  Solid presence in the attacking third - Played for Real Colorado.

 

John LaCouture - Greenwood Village, Colorado - Defender - Cherry Creek High School - Three-time All-Conference selection - Member Colorado ODP team - Played club for Real Colorado.

 

David Kucera - Cupertino, California - Defender - Monta Vista High School - All-League selection - 

Played club for DeAnza Force U-18 team -  A strong left footed center back.

 

James Rochlitz - Torrence, California - Midfielder - West Torrance High School - Plays for the LA Galaxy Youth Academy U-18 team - Member Cal South and Region IV ODP team.

 

Billy Thompson - Laguna Nigel, California - Goalkeeper - Santa Margarita Catholic High School - Member Los Angeles Galaxy Development Academy U-18 team.

SMU - Four Star Class Ranking - Tim McClements has added an eight member recruiting class that has plenty of speed and great touch on the ball.  As in the past the SMU recruits have a background of successful and highly competitive club play which bodes well for their effectiveness at the collegiate level.  The class features junior transfer Josue Soto who comes to SMU after two very successful seasons at Campbell University.  Look for Soto to make an immediate impact.  Expectations are always high at SMU which means the Ponies will enter the 2009 campaign with a lot to prove.  Last year they were 10-6-2 overall with a disappointing 3-4-1 mark in CUSA play and were noticeably absent from the NCAA Tourney field.  SMU’s streak of consecutive NCAA Tourney appearances came to a crashing halt at fourteen last year.  With ten starters returning, midfielder Jeff Harwell (1g, 6a) was the lone senior starter in 2008, SMU should get back on track in 2009 but they will again be challenged in CUSA play by Tulsa, South Carolina, and Kentucky among others.  Paulo da Silva (7g, 2a), Diogo de Almeida (5g, 2a), and Arthur Ivo (3g, 3a) are among returning players who have the ability to light up the back of the net.  Junior midfielder Kekoa Osorio (0g, 1a) from Honolulu, Hawaii may not show up big in the statistics but he is the guy who must set the pace in order for SMU to win on a consistent basis.  

 

Ben Hill - Coppell, Texas - Forward - Coppell High School - Played club for the Dallas Texans - NSCAA High School All-American - An excellent finisher.   

 

Blake Milton - Houston, Texas - Midfielder - Klein High School - Played club for the Texas Soccer club - Athletic player whose speed and endurance make him a threat out wide or up-top.

 

T.J. Nelson - Garland, Texas - Defender - Sachse High School - Played club for North Texas Strikers - Member Region III ODP team.  Member U.S. U-17 Residency Program - Well rounded player. 

 

Bryan Ponce - Santa Ana, California - Defender - Mater Dei High School - Plays for the Pateadores Soccer Club -  A ball winner and tough man marker - Strong defender with the potential to contribute immediately.

 

Basile Riboud - Paris, France - Midfielder - Spent five years in the soccer academy of la Berrichonne del Chateauroux. 

 

Tate McMullen - Lewisville, Texas - Midfielder - Marcus High School - A junior transfer from the University of San Francisco where he played in twenty-three games over the past two seasons.  Quick player. 

 

Josue Soto - Monterrey, Mexico - Midfielder - A junior transfer from Campbell University where he scored a total of fourteen goals and tallied seventeen assists in 2007 and 2008 seasons.  An impact player.

 

Austin Hiatt - Granger, Indiana - Defender - Penn High School - Named conference MVP - First Team All-State selection - Member Indiana ODP team.  Played club for Indiana Invaders.