Tuesday, March 17, 2009

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (March 17, 2008) - ETSU men's soccer head coach Scott Calabrese announced the signing of three players to the 2009 signing class Tuesday.

 

The Bucs are coming off their inaugural season that saw them finish 6-10-1 with a freshmen laden team which included Atlantic Sun All-Freshman selections Sean Hoek (Newburgh, Ind.) and James Holt (Murfreesboro, Tenn.).

 

"2008 was a unique situation for us with so many freshmen during the inaugural season, the players gained valuable experience into what it takes to be successful at the division I level," said Calabrese. "We are hopeful that this experience will pay dividends as they become older and mature as both players and people. For our 2009 class we were looking for quality rather than quantity in our recruiting and I believe we have done that with the players we have signed. Last season we created a great deal of chances but struggled to convert as many as I would have liked. I believe that the players we have signed will help to remedy that problem.  We also needed a defensive presence and by recruiting a center back that is a little bit older and has experience will only help to sure up any growing pains our young players might have. Our aim is to improve year-by-year and I believe these players will enable us to do that as well as being student-athletes that ETSU can be proud of in the future."

 

The 2009 singing class includes Theo Yang (Lilburn, Ga.), Sam Bryan (Wirral England) and Ryan Campbell (Knoxville, Tenn.)

 

Theo Yang (Lilburn, Ga.) (5-7 Midfielder/Forward) (Brookwood HS/Concorde Fire U18 Academy)

Yang comes to ETSU after completing his career at Brookwood High School in Atlanta where he helped the Broncos to the state semi-finals in 2008. The Atlanta native was recently named to the prestigious Gwinnett Daily Post ‘Super 6' which lists Atlanta's top 6 college-bound high school soccer players.  At the club level, Yang currently plays for Concorde Fire U18 Academy Team. Yang has also competed for the Georgia 91 ODP Team as well as being a member of the Region I Pool in 2004/5 and Region III Pool in 2007. Yang plans on majoring in Business at ETSU.

 

Calabrese on Yang:

 

"Theo is a talented player who will bring an added dimension of creativity and intelligent play to our program.  He is technically very strong with either foot as well as having the ability to be dangerous in and around the goal area. He can go at players 1 v 1, score goals as well as create chances for teammates."

Sam Bryan (Wirral, England) (5-9 Forward) (Shrewsbury School/ISFA England Team)

Sam Bryan will attend ETSU after completing his studies at the Shrewsbury School in Shrewsbury, England. While at Shrewsbury, Bryan amassed 37 goals in 39 games while helping Shrewsbury advance to the national semi-finals in 2009. At the club level, Bryan has represented Trammere Rovers; Shropshire U18's, and in 2009 has been selected for the ISFA national team where he scored twice in his first national team game. Bryan has also represented England at U16 level in Rugby. Bryan is undecided upon his major at ETSU.

 

Calabrese on Bryan:

 

"Sam has the potential to be a formidable goal-scorer for ETSU. He has an excellent scoring record in England and he will continue to develop when he joins us in the fall. He has a great first touch, is quick, can deal with the physical element of the game and also takes up great positions from where he can convert chances."

Ryan Campbell (Knoxville, Tenn.) (5-10 Midfielder/Forward) (Bearden HS/KFC Liverpool)

Campbell comes to ETSU from Bearden High School in Knoxville where he played with current ETSU players Tom Webster and Aaron Schoenfeld. While at Bearden, Campbell was a part of the 2006 AAA State Championship team and the 2007 AAA State Finalists. Campbell was named All-District and All-Region while at Bearden. He was also a member of KFC Liverpool, five-time Tennessee state champions. In addition to his high school and club honors, Campbell has also been a member of the TN 91 ODP Team. Campbell is undecided on his major at ETSU.

 

Calabrese on Campbell:

 

"Ryan comes to us from a club team with a history of winning. He understands what it takes to be successful and has a winning mentality. He also possesses a fantastic work-ethic, boundless energy as well as a knack for scoring goal as he showed at Disney in December. Ryan's work-ethic also provides us with options as he can play as a forward or wide in midfield."

 

Please visit www.ETSUBucs.com for more information on men's soccer or any other Buccaneer athletic news.