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 continues to miss time due to injury as UNC-Wilmington, which entered the week ranked 23rd nationally, split two games last week, losing 1-0 to No. 11 Duke and hammering Hofstra 4-0 in the opening game of Colonial Athletic Association play. The Seahawks host Coastal Carolina Tuesday night and play in the same city as the Dynamo - Philadelphia - at Drexel on Saturday afternoon.
Josue Soto, MF, SMU (PrepaTec, Mexico) Dynamo bio | SMU bio
Soto provided the lone bright spot as SMU suffered a 2-1 upset loss at UCF on Saturday. Since it was only their first loss of the season, the Mustangs held their No. 8 national ranking ahead of a Wednesday showdown with another Conference USA foe, No. 20 South Carolina. Soto scored in the 27th minute on Saturday to tie the game with a shot from just inside the top of the penalty area. He now has three goals and six assists on the season in 10 games. After facing South Carolina tomorrow, SMU will host Marshall in another conference match on Sunday.
Juniors
Alex Dixon, FW, North Carolina (Humble Atascocita) Dynamo bio | UNC bio
Dixon came on at halftime and fired three shots last Tuesday as North Carolina tried to put away Old Dominion, but the Monarchs scored late to pull off a 2-1 upset. The Tar Heels' most important game of the weekend came on Saturday, when UNC edged defending national champion Virginia 1-0 on the road, its first win in Charlottesville since 1977. Dixon started and played about 65 minutes, setting up one good chance that UNC could not convert. Already 4-0 in the ultra-competitive ACC, the Tar Heels host Radford Tuesday night and ACC foe Wake Forest on Friday.
Clayton Holz, MF, Stanford (St. John's) Dynamo bio | Stanford bio
Holz appeared as a substitute as Stanford fell 3-0 to rival Cal in its Pac-10 opener on Saturday. The Cardinal play at Washington on Friday and at Oregon State on Sunday afternoon as conference play continues.
Matt Kirby, MF, Denver (Beaumont Msgr. Kelly) Dynamo bio | DU bio
Kirby started, played 58 minutes, and notched an assist as Denver rocked MPSF foe Air Force 5-1 in Colorado Springs on Saturday behind a Jared Stigall hat trick. Now 1-0 in league play, Denver faces a tough road trip this weekend, with games at New Mexico on Friday and UNLV on Sunday.
Pana Vasquez, FW, SMU (Cy Falls) Dynamo bio | SMU bio
Vasquez did not play in SMU's 2-1 loss at UCF on Saturday.
Sophomores
Matt Boullt, DF, Tulsa (Fort Bend Clements) Dynamo bio | Tulsa bio
Boullt helped the Golden Hurricane recover from its loss to No. 1 Akron with a 2-1 win at Memphis on Saturday, starting at right back as usual. Tulsa plays at Creighton Tuesday night before hosting Conference USA rival South Carolina on Saturday.
Freshmen
Sebastien Ibeagha, DF/MF, Duke (Fort Bend Hightower) Dynamo bio | Duke bio
Ibeagha, back from injury, played all 200 minutes as a center back but the Blue Devils had a tough week, tying Elon 1-1 last Tuesday and falling 2-0 at Maryland on Friday on national TV. The Blue Devils, still without Sebastien's older brother, Christian, dropped to No. 18 in the NSCAA rankings. They host Davidson Tuesday night before playing at North Carolina State on Friday night in another ACC match. The Blue Devils are 1-2-1 in ACC play but have only faced the four highest-ranked teams in the conference.
C.J. Odenigwe, DF, North Carolina (Fort Bend Travis) Dynamo bio | UNC bio
Odenigwe did not play in North Carolina's 2-1 loss to Old Dominion or 1-0 win at Virginia last week.
Jonny Torres, MF, Wake Forest (Humble Atascocita) Dynamo bio | Wake bio
Torres did not appear in either match as Wake Forest lost 1-0 to No. 20 South Carolina on Tuesday and beat Virginia Tech 2-0 in conference play on Saturday. The Demon Deacons host Appalachian State Tuesday night, then play at North Carolina on Friday.
Pat Wall, GK, Notre Dame (Strake Jesuit) Dynamo bio | ND bio
Wall did not play and remains eligible to redshirt this season but did travel on the road as a backup with starter Will Walsh unavailable. Notre Dame tied Northwestern 1-1 at Toyota Park on Wednesday, then beat Providence 2-1 on Sunday in a game televised by CBS College Sports. The Irish play at Indiana and West Virginia this week.
Area College Teams
Houston Baptist University
The Huskies dropped both games last week, 2-1 against Central Arkansas and 1-0 at home against Bradley on Sunday. HBU now takes a week off before playing at Centenary on Oct. 16, returning home for four consecutive home games Oct. 21-Nov. 2.
