Appalachian State - Two And A Half  Star Class Ranking -Shaun Pendleton will begin his second season as the head coach at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina with the addition of a very athletic eleven member recruiting class.  The athletic ability of the class is reflected in the fact that several of the newcomers were multi-sport athletes in high school.   Pendleton stated, “This class provides us a solid foundation on which to build for the future.”  He added, “We expect them to make a major contribution and to bring ASU soccer to the forefront.”  Although the Mountaineers’ play in 2008 was as up and down as the terrain is in the Boone area, Pendleton’s first year at ASU was a very positive one.  Pendleton, who had a very successful 293-43-12 record that included two National Championships during a seventeen year tenure at Division II Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida before coming to ASU, guided the Mountainers to a 10-8-0 record in 2008 with a 4-3-0 mark in Southern Conference action.  Efforts to rebuild a program usually begin on the defensive side of the ball which is the area of play where the Mountaineers showed the most improvement in 2008.  After allowing opponents to score a total of thirty-five goals in 2007, ASU held opponents to a total of only twenty-one goals in 2008.  The Mountaineers will be without First-Team All-Southern Conference back Paul Pessina due to graduation but the good news is that they have a very solid foundation to build on heading into the 2009 campaign due to the return of a backline that will feature senior Kenny Orelaja, junior Steven Sassano, and sophomore Mark Bridges who was a 2008 All-Southern Conference All-Freshman selection.  This time last year the goalkeeper position was a huge question mark for ASU.  That is not the case heading into the 2009 campaign due to the return of sophomore netmineder Collin Taylor who had a brilliant freshman season during which he had a .98 goals against average and was named an All-Southern Conference First Team selection.  In addition to Taylor, sophomore Drake Branson returns in goal.  The graduation of forward Juan Obregon (7g, 0a) who was an All-Southern Conference Second-Team selection in 2007 and 2008 leaves a gap that must be plugged in the ASU attack.  The Mountaineers will likely hitch their wagon in 2009 on the offensive side of the ball to senior forward Arnie Muniz  (4g, 7a) and junior forward Antonio Harley (4g, 1a).  Muniz, who was a 2008 First Team All-Southern Conference selection has been a starter and impact player since first making the trek from Spring, Texas to Boone in 2006.  Harley is an athletic and strong finisher who adds a different dimension to the Mountaineer attack.  The productivity and depth of the ASU midfield is a bit of a question heading into the 2009 season.  Returning linkmen who look to be in the mix in 2009 include sophomores Lee Rutter (1g, 1a), Ryan Duffy (1g, 0a), and Sean Dreybus (3g, 1a).  All things considered the Mountaineers have the ingredients to be a good but not necessarily great team in 2009.  Pendleton entered the 2008 season with ten returning players.  Ditto that for the 2009 campaign which means that App. State will again be a young team with a roster that includes only four upperclassmen and is composed primarily of sophomores and freshmen.  It may not be long before the Mountaineers are knocking on the door of making a serious run for the Southern Conference title, but it is very doubtful that they have the strength and experience from top to bottom for that to happen in 2009.  Progress is in the air at Appalachian State, but more likely than not, the young Mountaineers will be on a roller coaster ride once again in 2009 in terms of wins and losses in what looks to be a wide open Southern Conference race.  

 

Luis Calzadilla - Bradenton, Florida -  Forward - Bradenton Prepatory Academy - Played for IMG Academy - Attack oriented playmaker who should contribute immediately.

 

David Dodge - Orlando, Florida - Midfielder - Oviedo High School - First-Team All-Conference selection - Played for Orland FC -  Member Region III and Florida State ODP squads. 

 

Ethan Durland - Raleigh, North Carolina - Midfielder - Raleigh, North Carolina - Leesville Road High School - All-State selection - Played for Triangle Futbol Club. 

 

J.J. Elder - Austin, Texas - Defender - William B. Travis High School - First-Team All-District - All-County - All-District selection - Played club for Lonestars - Left-sided player.

 

J.T. Goodrum - Nacogdoches, Texas - Midfielder - Nacogdoches High School - All-District selection - Played for the Dallas Solar ‘91 club team - Good size and touch on the ball.

 

Nate Latigue - Cary, North Carolina - Forward - Panther Creek High School - Three-time All-Conference selection - Played for Triangle Futbol Club - A solid finisher. 

 

Brennan Smith - Charlotte, North Carolina - Forward - East Mecklenburg High School - All-Conference selection - All-Region selection - Played for South Charlotte U-18 Academy.

 

Kojo Thompson - Wellington, Florida - Defender - Wellington High School - Played club for Wellington Wave Premier - Well rounded athlete with speed and good pace. 

 

Shotaro Yoshida - Charlotte, North Carolina - Midfielder - South Mecklenburg High School - Two-time All-Conference selection - All-Region selection - Played club for the Charlotte Soccer Club. 

 

McBruno Mbamala - Grand Prairie, Texas - Forward - South Grand Prairie High School - Played for Texas Futbol Club - Two-time All-District selection.

 

Tyler Regan - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - Forward - Germantown Academy - Played club soccer for the VE Blast and BSA Rage - On USL ODP National List.