The men's college soccer season continued last weekend, highlighted by junior Alex Dixon and top-5-ranked North Carolina edging Duke on national TV on Friday night. This week, sophomore Matt Boullt and Tulsa, which is ranked as high as No. 2 in the country, face No. 1 Akron on Friday night on Fox Soccer Channel at 7 p.m. CT.
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, improved to 4-1 with a 3-1 win over Campbell last Wednesday. The Seahawks are back in action tomorrow night, hosting No. 11 Duke.
Josue Soto, MF, SMU (PrepaTec, Mexico) Dynamo bio | SMU bio
Soto started and played 88 of 103 minutes in SMU's 3-2 overtime win over Creighton on Friday. He then played 80 minutes and set up freshman Juan Castillo (Humble Kingwood Park) with an empty net for the game-tying goal in a 3-1 win over Bradley on Sunday. Soto leads SMU with four assists, while Castillo has already scored six goals to help SMU to a 7-0 start and a spot in the national rankings. The Mustangs begin Conference USA play on Friday, playing at UAB.
Juniors
Alex Dixon, FW, North Carolina (Humble Atascocita) Dynamo bio | UNC bio
Dixon played an active 64 minutes in the Tar Heels' emotional 1-0 win at rival Duke on Friday in a game televised nationally on Fox Soccer Channel. Dixon had one of the game's best chances early, firing a bad-angle shot that was kicked away by Duke goalkeeper James Belshaw. UNC hosts Wofford tomorrow night before hosting Maryland in a huge ACC game on Friday.
Clayton Holz, MF, Stanford (St. John's) Dynamo bio | Stanford bio
Stanford got back on track with two wins over the weekend, 1-0 over San Francisco and 4-1 over Santa Clara. Holz appeared as a substitute in Sunday's match against Santa Clara. The Cardinal host St. Mary's and Denver this weekend in their final tune-ups before Pac 10 play begins.
Matt Kirby, MF, Denver (Beaumont Msgr. Kelly) Dynamo bio | DU bio
Kirby started but played only 34 minutes in 2-0 win over Oral Roberts on Friday. Continued to start but played 41 minutes in 4-0 loss to Top-25-ranked Penn State on Sunday. Denver plays at Cal on Friday and at Stanford on Sunday.
Pana Vasquez, FW, SMU (Cy Falls) Dynamo bio | SMU bio
Vasquez appeared as a substitute in SMU wins over Creighton and Bradley.
Sophomores
Matt Boullt, DF, Tulsa (Fort Bend Clements) Dynamo bio | Tulsa bio
Boullt started on defense and scored the first goal of his collegiate career in Tulsa's 4-1 rout of St. Louis on Friday, helping the Golden Hurricane to 5-0, the best start in school history. Boullt's goal came from long range and was deflected by a defender. Ranked as high as No. 2 nationally, Tulsa hosts Missouri State tomorrow before playing at No. 1 Akron in a major non-conference game on Friday. Boullt is an integral part of a back line that has allowed just three goals in its first five games.
Freshmen
Sebastien Ibeagha, DF/MF, Duke (Fort Bend Hightower) Dynamo bio | Duke bio
Ibeagha did not play due to injury but told Dynamo Director of Youth Development James Clarkson he could be back as soon as this weekend, when Duke hosts Boston College on Friday.
C.J. Odenigwe, DF, North Carolina (Fort Bend Travis) Dynamo bio | UNC bio
Odenigwe did not appear as the Tar Heels used only 15 players in their 1-0 win at Duke.
Jonny Torres, MF, Wake Forest (Humble Atascocita) Dynamo bio | Wake bio
It was a big week for Torres and Wake Forest, as the freshman made his first career appearance and fired three shots in Wake Forest's disappointing 2-0 loss at Charlotte on Tuesday. The Demon Deacons rebounded with a 1-0 upset win at No. 2 Virginia, the defending national champion. Although Torres did not play with Wake using only 13 players, the victory snapped a 20-game unbeaten streak for UVa. Wake Forest will host College of Charleston Tuesday night and play at UNC-Greensboro on the weekend.
Pat Wall, GK, Notre Dame (Strake Jesuit) Dynamo bio | ND bio
Wall did not play and remains eligible to redshirt this season.
Area College Teams
Houston Baptist University
HBU played its first home game of 2010 on Saturday, beating Centenary 1-0 at Sorrels Field. The Huskies are back on the road this weekend, facing San Diego State and San Diego at the USD Cup. They return home against Bradley on Oct. 3.
