With the NCAA men's soccer tournament kicking off on Thursday, it's time to take a look at which Dynamo Academy players will participate in the big dance, as well as recap the collegiate season for the overall group.
Let's start with the University of Tulsa, also known as Dynamo Academy North. Four Dynamo Academy players featured for the Golden Hurricane in 2012. Tulsa finished the regular season in second place in Conference USA, but rolled through the conference tournament including a 5-0 win over top-ranked Southern Methodist University in the championship match.
Two Dynamo Academy players got on the scoresheet in the championship match, with sophomore midfielder Abe Matamoros putting Tulsa ahead in the 20th minute and senior defender Matt Boullt assisting on the team's second goal only minutes later.
Tulsa were seeded 11th in the NCAA tournament and will host the winner of Florida Gulf Coast University and the University of South Florida on Nov. 18.
Freshman Bradley Bourgeois (pictured, above) was named to the Conference USA all-freshman team after playing 19 games in his rookie campaign. The former Dynamo Academy captain added one goal and one assist on the season.
"He is a very good one-on-one defender," said Tulsa head coach Tom McIntosh about Bourgeois. "He is good in the air and has a good understanding of how to manage a backline."
Elsewhere for Tulsa, Dynamo Academy defender Matt Boullt appeared in 19 games and tallied four assists for the Hurricanes. Abe Matamoros also featured in 19 games and tallied two goals and one assist. The sophomore midfielder was named to the Capital One Academy All-District VII team. Sophomore Miguel Zapata featured in six games for Tulsa in 2012.
Wall shines for Fighting Irish
After only playing in one game in 2011, Dynamo Academy goalkeeper Pat Wall came in alive in head coach Bobby Clark's goalkeeper-by-committee system. Wall and senior William Walsh each started 10 games for the Fighting Irish this past season. Wall finished the season with a 9-1-0 record and a 0.98 goals against average. He started and played full time in Notre Dame's 3-2 double-overtime win over Georgetown in the Big East Championship final.
Wall's Notre Dame squad earned the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament and will host Michigan State on Nov. 18. The Spartans defeated Cleveland State 2-1 in their opening round match on Thursday.
Odenigwe makes appearance after season-ending injury
After suffering a season-ending injury as a sophomore, CJ Odenigwe appeared in one game for the UNC Tar Heels in 2012. Odenigwe's squad earned a No. 9 seed in the NCAA tournament and will await the winner of Univeristy of Maryland-Baltimore County and Old Dominion University. Odenigwe's brother, Michael, is a center back for the Dynamo U-18s.
Pina's Akron squad gets No. 5 seed
Dynamo Academy goalkeeper Fernando Piña, who was a mainstay in the U.S. residency program, did not feature in his rookie season with the Akron Zips, who enter the NCAA tournament as the No. 5 seed.
Ibeagha takes home ACC accolades
Dynamo Academy center back Sebastien Ibeagha has been a rock for the Duke Blue Devils since his freshman season. This past season was no different, as the junior defender started all 18 of the team's matches and led the young squad with five goals. Ibeagha also added two assists and was named to the All-ACC first team as well as ACC Defensive Player of the Year. Ibeagha's season ended after Duke was bounced by North Carolina in the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament.
Elsewhere around the Dynamo Academy
Although only six Dynamo Academy players are playing in the postseason, other players still had a positive influence on their respective collegiate programs.
- Johnny Torres, who transfered to Liberty University in the off-season, played in 18 games for his new team. He tallied one goal and three assists.
- Sophomore defender Leo Ayala played in 16 games (8 starts) for UCF.
- Alan Hernandez, who is in his second year at the University of Rhode Island, started all 18 of his team's matches.
- Isaiah Noreiga appeared in 17 games during his rookie season at Duquesne University and tallied one goal for the Dukes.
- Freshman Glen Reid had a strong influence on his Queen's College squad, starting all 16 of the team's games and tallying two goals and six assists.
- Freshman Juan Lopez played in 11 games for the University of Purdue-Calumet and scored two goals.
