Indiana University Athletics
Freshmen Class Ranked No.1 by College Soccer News
7/20/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
July 20, 2005
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana head coach Mike Freitag's 2005 incoming freshmen class was selected by a second publication as the top class in the nation. College Soccer News joined StudentSportsSoccer.com in grading the 2005 class as the best assembly of players in the country. The nine-member class includes goalkeepers Joe Andrews (St. Louis, Mo./DeSmet) and Chay Cain (Aurora, Ill./ Waubonsie Valley), midfielders Brian Ackley (Cary, N.C./Athens Drive), Lee Hagedorn (Columbus, Ind./Columbus North), Lee Nguyen (Richardson, Texas/Plano East) and Brad Ring (Rockford, Ill./ Guilford), defenders Chris Schuler (Aurora, Ill./ Waubonsie Valley) and Kevin Sparks (Bloomington, Ind./South) and forward Darren Yeagle (Louisville, Ky./Trinity).
"I am excited about the incoming freshman class," Freitag said. "I think there is a wealth of talent in this group of nine players. They all fit the mold of great IU players from the past. They are a dedicated and talented group that will help build on the tradition of IU Soccer. I look forward to working with them throughout their Hoosier careers."
The criteria that College Soccer News used in evaluating the classes included the potential of the recruits to fill perceived gaps the team needed as well as individual evaluation. Players were graded based on a combination of their high school, club, Olympic Development Program (ODP), regional and national team experience. College Soccer News also considered transfers in the rankings and experience against top competition was a key factor in the rankings.
The class includes five PARADE Magazine All-Americans, two national players of the year, three state players of the year and five players with U.S. National Team experience at some level. Cain, Nguyen, Ring, Schuler and Yeagle all were named PARADE All-Americans and StudentSportsSoccer.com All-Americans as well.
Nguyen and Ring were both named national players of the year. Nguyen became the third incoming Hoosier freshman to win the Gatorade National Boys Soccer Player of the Year. He joined a list that included Ned Grabavoy, currently of the Los Angeles Galaxy (MLS), and Nick Garcia, currently playing for the Kansas City Wizards (MLS). Ring was selected as StudentSportsSoccer.com's National Player of the Year for the fall season. Ring and Nguyen also were the Gatorade State Players of the Year in Illinois and Texas, respectively, joining Yeagle, who was the Kentucky State Player of the Year.
The same five All-Americans also have experience playing with the U.S. National Team. Ring, Schuler and Cain were all Under-18 National Team pool players. Nguyen was the leading scorer on the Under-18 National Team and was called up to the Under-20 National Team for the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championships. Yeagle also gained experience with he U-20s, participating in training camps prior to the World Youth Championships.
Maryland, Duke, UCLA and North Carolina round out the top 5 in College Soccer News Top 40 recruiting classes. St. John's, SMU, Wake Forest, Virginia and Michigan are included, respectively, in the top 10. Ohio State was the only other Big Ten team included in the top 40 at No. 26. Indiana's 2005 schedule includes 10 schools which were among College Soccer News' top-40 incoming classes. Those opponents are No. 2 Maryland, No. 7 SMU, No. 8 Wake Forest, No. 10 Michigan, No. 13 Boston University, No. 18 Notre Dame, No. 20 Oregon State, No. 26 Ohio State, No. 27 Saint Louis and No. 37 Akron.
The Hoosiers will report to fall training camp days prior to their exhibition opening match against UCLA. The two-time defending national champions will battle the Bruins as part of the IPFW Soccer Showcase in Fort Wayne, Ind., on Aug. 19. The match is set for 8 p.m.
