Indiana University Athletics
Soccer Hoosiers Sign Seven for Fall Campaign
2/14/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Feb. 14, 2007
BLOOMINGTON, Ind.- The Indiana University men's soccer team has announced the signing of seven student-athletes for the fall 2007 season. The group consists of four National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-Americans and two state players of the year. Five players have led their teams to high school state championships.
"This is a class of winners," head coach Mike Freitag said. "Many of the players in this class have won championships in high school or at the national level. A winning character is one of the things that we look for when we recruit for the IU soccer program, and all of these players have demonstrated that character on and off the field."
Andrew Adlard (Wisconsin/Brookfield East H.S.), Michael Roach (Missouri/Chaminade College Prep), Tyler McCarroll (Indiana/Carmel H.S.), Rich Balchan (Indiana/Carmel H.S.), Alec Purdie (Indiana/Elkhart Central), Max Weston (Ohio/Worthington Christian H.S.) and Michael Munroe (Indiana/North Central H.S.) each bring a wealth of experience and talent to the Hoosiers this fall.
Adlard, a midfielder/forward, is a two-time NSCAA Youth All-American and a three-time first team all-state player. He led Brookfield East to a 21-1-3 record, and a state runner-up finish in 2006. Adlard tallied 13 goals and 10 assists in his senior season. He was also named the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel Player of the Year in 2006. At the club level, Adlard competed with the Chicago Magic, which is rated as the No. 1 youth team in the country. Several former Hoosiers who have played with the Chicago Magic include current professionals Ned Grabavoy and Jed Zayner.
"Andy is a very talented soccer player," Freitag said. "We feel Andy's creative passing and scoring ability will help us become a more effective attacking team. He is a competitive young man, and I really like that he always plays with a smile. Andy will make players around him better. He will be a big asset at either forward or midfield. His father is a longtime successful coach at the collegiate and youth levels. As a coach's son, Andy has been exposed to the game of soccer his entire life.
Roach brings a host of accolades with him to Indiana from St. Louis, Mo., which has produced a wealth of talent for the Hoosiers over the years. A powerful forward, he is a 2006 NSCAA High School All-American, the 2006 NSCAA Missouri Player of the Year and the 2006 Missouri Soccer Coaches Association Player of the Year. He led Chaminade College Prep to a 31-2 record en route to a Missouri state championship. Chaminade was ranked No. 4 in the country by the NSCAA. Roach has been profiled in several national news outlets since overcoming a near-fatal car accident in October 2005 to return to the playing field.
"We've been very fortunate over the years to have brought in many talented players from the St. Louis area, including current professionals Chris Klein and Pat Noonan," Freitag said. "Michael Roach is no different. He will give us some of the offensive power and creativity that we need. Michael has the inate ability to unbalance defenders through his elusive dribbling style. He has overcome some challenges in the last two years, and is a young man of good character. The St. Louis bloodline has been very good to IU soccer in the past, and we hope that continues with Michael and other players in the near future.
"Andy and Michael are two of the top soccer recruits in the country. They are as good as anyone in their respective positions."
McCarroll and Balchan helped lead Carmel to the Indiana state championship, a 23-0 record and a No. 2 national ranking by the NSCAA. McCarroll was a first team all-state selection and was named Metropolitian Interscholastic All-Conference. Balachan was honorable mention all-state. Both players were named first team All-North by the Indianapolis Star.
"Tyler is an athletic and hard working player with an educated left foot," Freitag said. "He has been driven to play at IU for a long time, and brings the qualities that are necessary to play here. Rich is an extremely versatile and athletic player who brings great fight and competitiveness to our program. Both Tyler and Rich were key members of the Carmel High School team, which is coached by former Hoosier Dan Kapsalis."
Purdie closed out his high school career as Elkhart Central's career leading scorer. A 2006 NSCAA High School All-American, Elkhart Central finished the year as the Indiana state runners-up. Purdie was also a first team all-state selection.
"It's nice to recruit a player of Alec's caliber right from our own state," Freitag said. "Alec is a creative player who has shown to be a consistent goal scorer. He has a good work ethic and is a very welcome addition to our team. I see him blossoming into a prominent forward during his time at IU."
Purdie, McCarroll and Balchan all played club soccer for former IU players Juergen Sommer and John Swannwith the Carmel United Soccer Club Cosmos.
Weston is also a state champion, leading Worthington Christian to the state title and a 20-1-1 record. He is an NSCAA High School All-American and was the Ohio state Player of the Year for his division.
"We first noticed Max at our soccer camp," Freitag said. "He showed us some creativity and explosiveness, as well as solid technical ability, that led us to recruit him. He has a very bright future in front of him. Max played an instrumental role in leading his team to a state title."
Adlard, McCarroll, Balchan, Munroe and Purdie have also participated in the Indiana Soccer Camp at some point in their youth careers.
Munroe, who is the brother of current Hoosier goalkeeper Chris Munroe, was a 2006 all-state honorable mention selection and was named an All-Marion County first team selection by the Indianapolis Star. He helped lead North Central to a state title in 2005.
"Michael is one of the top goalkeepers in the Midwest and has tremendous potential for us," Freitag said. "He and his brother are of the same mold. Michael has good size and is a hard worker and has excellent leadership qualities.
"We are very proud to have players from within our state help us continue to build upon our `tradition of excellence,'" Freitag said. "Our staff is very excited for next fall to integrate this outstanding incoming class with our strong returning group of players"
