The men's college soccer season is in full swing, with most teams engaged in conference play, and the Dynamo Academy has five players currently playing for teams ranked in the top eight in the country (No. 4 UNC, No. 5 Tulsa, No. 8 SMU).
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 has not played since September 10 due to injury and may apply for a medical redshirt to maintain his collegiate eligibility for the 2011 season.
Josue Soto, MF, SMU (PrepaTec, Mexico) Dynamo bio | SMU bio
Soto and the Mustangs, ranked seventh nationally by the NSCAA and listed at No. 2 in the NCAA's RPI formula, had last week off. They return to action Wednesday night with a crucial match against Conference USA rival Tulsa.
Juniors
Alex Dixon, FW, North Carolina (Humble Atascocita) Dynamo bio | UNC bio
After missing two games and coming off the bench in a third (a 2-0 win at Liberty) due to a hamstring injury, Dixon returned to the starting lineup last Friday and netted the game-tying goal - his first of the season - in a 1-1 draw at No. 18 Boston College. Dixon struck with a one-time finish from close range in the 69th minute. North Carolina, which entered last weekend ranked third nationally, hosts No. 20 South Carolina tonight before returning to ACC play against Virginia Tech on Friday night. The ACC Tournament kicks off November 9.
Clayton Holz, MF, Stanford (St. John's) Dynamo bio | Stanford bio
With Dynamo first-team coaches in attendance, Holz did not play in Stanford's 2-1 win over No. 13 UCLA on Friday but made a huge impact in the Cardinal's 1-0 win over San Diego State on Sunday, entering the game in the 78th minute and almost immediately serving a "perfect bending ball" to Cameron Lamming for a header and the only goal of the match. It was the first assist of the season for Holz, a regular off the bench for Stanford. Now 3-2 in Pac-10 play, Stanford immediately repays the visits by playing at UCLA on Friday and at San Diego State on Sunday.
Matt Kirby, MF, Denver (Beaumont Msgr. Kelly) Dynamo bio | DU bio
Kirby started and played 63 minutes, but Denver fell 1-0 to New Mexico at home last Friday, the Lobos' revenge for a 1-0 Denver win in New Mexico the previous week. He started again and had one shot on goal in Denver's 1-0 loss at home to New Mexico on Sunday. The Pioneers will host both Sacramento State and San Jose State in MPSF play this weekend.
Pana Vasquez, FW, SMU (Cy Falls) Dynamo bio | SMU bio
Vasquez and the Mustangs return to action Wednesday night against Conference USA rival Tulsa.
Sophomores
Matt Boullt, DF, Tulsa (Fort Bend Clements) Dynamo bio | Tulsa bio
Boullt started at right back as usual, but No. 14 Tulsa is now just 1-3-1 in its last five games after a 1-1 tie at home against Marshall last Friday. The Golden Hurricane face a difficult task this week, playing at SMU on Wednesday and at UAB on Saturday.
Freshmen
Sebastien Ibeagha, DF/MF, Duke (Fort Bend Hightower) Dynamo bio | Duke bio
Ibeagha started at center back, but Duke lost 2-0 at UC Santa Barbara on Friday night in a match televised on Fox Soccer Channel and played before a crowd of 11,242 at UCSB's Harder Stadium. The Blue Devils host High Point tonight before returning to ACC play with a match at Clemson on Friday.
C.J. Odenigwe, DF, North Carolina (Fort Bend Travis) Dynamo bio | UNC bio
Odenigwe
did not play in the Tar Heels' 2-0 win at Liberty or 1-1 tie at Boston College. He has made four appearances in his freshman season.
Jonny Torres, MF, Wake Forest (Humble Atascocita) Dynamo bio | Wake bio
Torres
did
not appear in either match as Wake Forest lost to William & Mary 2-0 on
Tuesday and tied North Carolina State 1-1 on Saturday. The Demon Deacons
play at No. 4 Maryland on Saturday.
Pat Wall, GK, Notre Dame (Strake Jesuit) Dynamo bio | ND bio
Wall did not play and remains eligible to redshirt this season but is serving as the Irish backup with starter Will Walsh unavailable. Notre Dame beat Marquette 4-1 but lost at No. 2 Louisville in Big East play last week. This week, Notre Dame plays at Seton Hall and UConn.
Area College Teams
Houston Baptist University
After a week off, HBU resumed play with a 1-0 loss at Centenary on Saturday. The Huskies will play the first two of four consecutive home games this week, facing Oral Roberts at 7 p.m. on Thursday and Howard at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
