The men's college soccer season transitions to postseason mode this week, with most leagues beginning their conference tournaments. Dynamo Academy players had a strong weekend and will play key roles for SMU, North Carolina, Tulsa, Denver, and Duke.
Links to conference tournament sites:
Atlantic Coast Conference (quarterfinals and semifinals webcast on theACC.com)
Conference USA (final televised on CBS College Sports)
Mountain Pacific Sports Federation
Big East (semifinals, final televised on CBS College Sports)
Atlantic Soccer Conference (webcast at AUPanthers.tv)
The 2010 season marks the first group of college seniors who spent time in the Dynamo Academy, so college soccer is especially worth watching to see which players might be drafted or even signed prior to the draft in the 2010-11 offseason.
Below is a report on Dynamo Academy players this weekend, sorted by year of eligibility:
Seniors
Daniel Roberts, MF/FW, UNC-Wilmington (Fort Bend Clements) Dynamo bio | UNCW bio
Roberts did not play after September 10 due to injury and may apply for a medical redshirt to maintain his collegiate eligibility for the 2011 season. UNC-Wilmington did not qualify for the Colonial Athletic Association tournament and has completed its season.
Josue Soto, MF, SMU (PrepaTec, Mexico) Dynamo bio | SMU bio
Soto scored the opening goal in just the third minute as SMU (15-1) downed Florida International 2-1 in overtime on Saturday to close Conference USA play. Soto finished an opportunistic play in the penalty area, then played 80 minutes in helping the Mustangs win. SMU, the No. 1 seed, will open C-USA Tournament play in the semifinals, facing the winner of the South Carolina-UAB match at 5 p.m. in Memphis, Tenn.
Juniors
Alex Dixon, FW, North Carolina (Humble Atascocita) Dynamo bio | UNC bio
Dixon started and fired three shots, including a 35-yard rocket that hit the crossbar and bounced near the goal line before being cleared, as North Carolina beat Clemson 2-0 to finish 7-0-1 in the country's most competitive conference. UNC enters the ACC Championship as the No. 1 seed and will face either North Carolina State or Virginia Tech at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. A win would set up a semifinal match against either Duke or Boston College.
Clayton Holz, MF, Stanford (St. John's) Dynamo bio | Stanford bio
Holz and Stanford were idle last week. Stanford (8-9, 4-5 Pac-10) closes the regular season at first-place Cal on Thursday. The Pac-10 does not have a conference tournament.
Matt Kirby, MF, Denver (Beaumont Msgr. Kelly) Dynamo bio | DU bio
Fresh off an Academic All-District selection, Kirby started and set up the Pioneers' opening goal in a 2-0 win over Air Force Friday in Denver, clinching the Mountain Division title in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. It was Kirby's second assist of the year. Denver, 6-2-2 in conference play, finished two points ahead of New Mexico. Denver, the No. 1 seed in the MPSF Championship, will play either host Sacramento State or Air Force in one semifinal on Friday night. Cal State Bakersfield, the Pacific Division champion, is the No. 2 seed.
Pana Vasquez, FW, SMU (Cy Falls) Dynamo bio | SMU bio
Vasquez did not play against Florida International. SMU, the No. 1 seed, will open C-USA Championship play in the semifinals, facing the winner of the South Carolina-UAB match at 5 p.m. in Memphis, Tenn.
Sophomores
Matt Boullt, DF, Tulsa (Fort Bend Clements) Dynamo bio | Tulsa bio
Boullt started and fired three shots as Tulsa played to a 1-1 tie with the conference's No. 2 team, UCF, to clinch a spot in the Conference USA Championship. Tulsa, seeded sixth based on a disappointing conference season, will face No. 3 seed Kentucky in the first round Wednesday at 7 p.m. The winner will face No. 2 seed UCF on Friday night.
Freshmen
Sebastien Ibeagha, DF/MF, Duke (Fort Bend Hightower) Dynamo bio | Duke bio
Ibeagha started at center back and picked up a yellow card in a physical game as Duke beat Wake Forest 2-1 to finish ACC play with a 3-3-2 record. The Blue Devils earned the No. 4 seed in the ACC Championship and will face No. 5 seed Boston College Wednesday at 7 p.m. in Cary, N.C. The winner of that match will likely face North Carolina in the semifinals. Duke beat Boston College 1-0 in the regular season.
C.J. Odenigwe, DF, North Carolina (Fort Bend Travis) Dynamo bio | UNC bio
Odenigwe did not play in North Carolina's 2-0 win over Clemson. UNC enters the ACC Championship as the No. 1 seed and will face either North Carolina State or Virginia Tech at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. A win would set up a semifinal match against either Duke or Boston College.
Jonny Torres, MF, Wake Forest (Humble Atascocita) Dynamo bio | Wake bio
Torres did not play in the Demon Deacons' 2-1 loss to Duke. Wake still finished third in the ACC and will face No. 6 seed Virginia at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday afternoon in the ACC Championship quarterfinals. The winner of that match will face either No. 2 seed Maryland or No. 7 seed Clemson in Friday's semifinals.
Pat Wall, GK, Notre Dame (Strake Jesuit) Dynamo bio | ND bio
Notre Dame beat Marquette at home in the Big East Championship quarterfinals. Wall did not play and remains eligible to redshirt this season but is serving as the Irish backup with starter Will Walsh unavailable. The Irish now face a Friday semifinal matchup against unbeaten Louisville, ranked as one of the country's top two teams, in the Big East semifinals at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J.
Area College Teams
Houston Baptist University
The Huskies upped their winning streak to five games entering this afternoon's contest at conference favorite Adelphi with a pair of wins this week. HBU beat Belmont 4-2 last week - with Dynamo coaches Steve Ralston and Wade Barrett watching - behind two goals from Leo Munoz (Houston Westside). The Huskies then went on the road to beat NJIT 2-1 on an overtime goal from Francisco Diaz (Katy Cinco Ranch). After playing Adelphi this afternoon, HBU will play in the Atlantic Soccer Conference tournament, which will conclude their season. As a transitional member of Division I, HBU is not yet eligible to play in the NCAA postseason.
