With two weeks of men's college soccer to recap, there was plenty of action for Dynamo Academy players as the college season heads into its final regular season weekend before conference tournament action. No. 4 UNC, No. 5 SMU, and No. 22 Tulsa continue to be the top-ranked teams with Dynamo Academy representation, while Akron, Louisville, and Maryland lead the overall rankings. No. 1 Akron, however, suffered a stunning upset on Sunday when it fell to Cleveland State, 2-1, Akron's first loss since 2008.
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 has helped SMU (14-1) to three straight wins in the last two weeks, including a game-winning free kick to clinch the conference regular season championship on Saturday. The midfielder found the net with a 30-yard free kick just five minutes into Saturday’s game against Kentucky, then set up a second goal just five minutes later, and SMU breezed to the 2-0 win. Soto leads the team with seven assists and has three game-winning goals. The Mustangs will play at Florida International this weekend before heading to the Conference USA Tournament Nov. 12-14 in Memphis, Tenn.
Juniors
Alex Dixon, FW, North Carolina (Humble Atascocita) Dynamo bio | UNC bio
After being ejected from the Oct. 19 game against South Carolina and missing one game due to suspension, Dixon returned as a substitute in a 1-0 win at Virginia Commonwealth on Oct. 26. He was back in the starting lineup when North Carolina downed East Tennessee State University in overtime on Saturday. UNC (13-2-1) hosts Clemson on Friday before heading to the ACC Tournament in Cary, N.C., Nov. 9-14.
Clayton Holz, MF, Stanford (St. John's) Dynamo bio | Stanford bio
Holz has appeared in three of Stanford’s last four games as a sub, including the Cardinal’s 3-0 win over Oregon State on Sunday. Stanford (8-9) closes the regular season at Cal on Nov. 11.
Matt Kirby, MF, Denver (Beaumont Msgr. Kelly) Dynamo bio | DU bio
Although he has started almost all season, Kirby has increased his playing time, playing 91 of 110 minutes in a 0-0 tie against Sacramento St. on Oct. 22, although he followed that up by playing 50 minutes in a 3-1 win vs. San Jose State on Oct. 24. Last weekend, Kirby played 55 minutes and had two shots in a 2-1 win at Cal State Bakersfield and played the majority of the match in a 2-0 win at Seattle. Denver (8-5-4) is in first place in the Mountain Division of the MPSF and concludes the regular season at home on Saturday against Air Force before heading to the conference tournament Nov. 11-14 in Sacramento.
Pana Vasquez, FW, SMU (Cy Falls) Dynamo bio | SMU bio
Vasquez came on as a substitute in SMU’s 2-0 win over Kentucky on Saturday that clinched the Conference USA regular season title.
Sophomores
Matt Boullt, DF, Tulsa (Fort Bend Clements) Dynamo bio | Tulsa bio
Boullt has continued to be the first-choice right back as Tulsa (9-5-1) has struggled after its hot start to the season. He netted his second goal of the season, converting a feed inside the penalty area, to seal a 5-1 rout at Florida International on Saturday. Tulsa remains in the Top 25 but could miss the six-team Conference USA championship, currently tied with Marshall for fifth place, one point ahead of seventh-place UAB. Tulsa closes the regular season on Friday night at home against second-place UCF.
Freshmen
Sebastien Ibeagha, DF/MF, Duke (Fort Bend Hightower) Dynamo bio | Duke bio
Ibeagha continues to start and has helped Duke to a 3-1 mark in its last four games, albeit against slightly weaker competition. The Blue Devils beat High Point 2-1, Furman 4-0, and Virginia Tech 6-1 but lost to Clemson 2-1 in overtime on Oct. 22 to fall out of the Top 25. Ibeagha picked up his first career assist when keeping a corner kick alive in the 4-0 win vs. Furman on Oct. 26. Duke (8-4-4) wraps up the regular season at home against Wake Forest on Friday before heading to the ACC Tournament.
C.J. Odenigwe, DF, North Carolina (Fort Bend Travis) Dynamo bio | UNC bio
Odenigwe played the final 33 minutes of North Carolina’s 1-0 win over #18 South Carolina on Oct. 19 and got off a shot from a corner kick. He played 34 minutes in a 3-1 win vs. Virginia Tech on Oct. 22.
Jonny Torres, MF, Wake Forest (Humble Atascocita) Dynamo bio | Wake bio
Torres has not seen the field as Wake Forest (7-7-2) has gone 2-1 in its last three games, including a thrilling 4-3 win over Boston College on Saturday. The Demon Deacons host Davidson on Tuesday before playing at Duke on Friday in a game that will determine seeding in the upcoming ACC Tournament.
Pat Wall, GK, Notre Dame (Strake Jesuit) Dynamo bio | ND bio
Notre Dame went 3-0-1 in its last four games to finish second in the Big East’s Blue Division. 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 will host the St. John’s-Marquette winner in the quarterfinals of the 12-team tournament this weekend. The top four teams will play at Red Bull Arena Nov. 12-14.
Area College Teams
Houston Baptist University
The Huskies have won three consecutive games, beating Oral Roberts 2-1, Howard 5-0, and Longwood 2-1, all at Sorrels Field. HBU (5-7-1, 2-0 Atlantic Soccer Conference) will play its final home game of the season on Tuesday night, hosting Belmont at 7 p.m. The Huskies will then face NJIT and Adelphi on a Northeastern road trip prior to the ASC Tournament Nov. 11-14 in New York. Leonel Munoz (Houston Westside, 4 goals, 1 assist) and Kris Tyrpak (Dripping Springs, 5 goals, 3 assists) have been the offensive leaders, with Chris Dodd steady in goal.
