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Bowling Green State University Athletics
Men's Soccer Adds Seven New Faces to Roster
May 23, 2007 | Men's Soccer
May 23, 2007
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - Head coach Fred Thompson has announced the addition of seven new members to the soccer Falcons' roster for the upcoming 2007-08 season upon the signing of their National Letters of Intent. The class leans heavily towards stopping the opposition as five players are projected to play defender or a combination of defender and midfielder. The class represents four states and two countries.
"I'm very pleased with the shape the new class is taking. I feel as though we have added solid athletes as well as intelligent students of the game and in the classroom," said Thompson. "These players will definitely give us the depth we've been looking for and I believe several of them will make their mark immediately.
"I am excited to get this class into the mix with the veterans and watch the competition each day in the August pre-season practice sessions."
Of the seven, Ryan Davis, a midfielder/defender, is the lone newcomer to have collegiate experience under his belt. Davis, a Tucson, Arizona native will transfer to Bowling Green as a junior as a result of two junior college seasons. As a freshman in 2005, he played under coaches David Cosgrove and Mike Corbus at Pima Community College, a perennial top ten NJCAA program located in Arizona. At PCC he started every game at left back or left midfield and had six assists on the season. He also led team to the conference championship match.
As a sophomore he transferred to Owens Community College and tied the program record with his three assists in a single match. Davis finalized the season with 13 points, was second in assists for the Express and was awarded Distinguished Academic All-American award for completing two years of college as a student athlete with a 3.88 GPA. Davis was also a four-year starter as an outside midfielder for Arizona's Olympic Development Program.
According to Thompson, "Ryan is a right footed player who is very comfortable on the left side. He is not a particularly tall player nor is he physically imposing, but he has consistently gotten the job done wherever he's played. Once he gets used to the pace of Division I soccer I believe he will continue to deliver."
Thomas McLean will also bring a unique background to the Falcons as he has played in Colne, England since the age of 13. The defender helped Park HS to a second place finish in the Pendle Schools League and was named the Footballer of the Year. The 2005 graduate also received the Coaches Player of the Year, Top Goalscorer and All-Pendle Player of the Year awards. Furthermore he was selected for the Pendle School Boys team after playing in seven games and scoring 10 goals. He has also represented the Lancashire Schoolboys at both the U16 and U18 levels. McLean, who was born in Toronto, Ontario was a chosen for the Canadian U17 National Team for the Fire and Ice Series.
"Thomas can play as a central defender or on the outside. He is intelligent, strong in the air and has a great pace. He is also very comfortable with the ball at his feet," said Thompson. "I expect he will compete for one of the four starting positions in the back."
Indiana native Garrett Bireline will join the Falcons after graduating from Marion HS where he led Jorge Berry's team to two sectional championship games and a sectional title last season. MHS also took the North Central Conference in 2003. Bireline was recently named to the adidas/NSCAA All Region Scholar and adidas/NSCAA All America Scholar Soccer teams as well as an All State Academic and County Player of the Year. He has also garnished All-NCC (05-06), All Academic NCC (05-06), team MVP (05-06) and defensive MVP (04-05) honors.
At the club level, Bireline played for the Indy Burn where led the team to a first place finish in the Indiana Premier Leagues as well as a third place finish in the State Cup. During the past year, Bireline and the Burn placed sixth in the Region II National and traveled to Liverpool, England to train at the Liverpool Academy.
Said Thompson, "Garrett is a great addition to our program seeing that he can play as a defensive midfielder or in several positions along the back. He is an intelligent player and outstanding academically. He has the potential to become a very good college player."
Matthew Klancic, of Aurora, Illinois will round out the out-of-state newcomers. The forward is a three year varsity letterman from Waubonsie Valley HS where he was the leading scorer for three straight seasons. Under coach Angelo DiBernardo, WVHS earned three consecutive Top Ten Illinois rankings. Klancic was a two time All-City first teamer as well as a two-time first-team All-Area selection. As a senior, he was named to the All-Sectional team and earned an All-State Honorable Mention.
At the club level Klancic played for the Chicago Magic 88/89 under coach Mike Matkovich. As a five-year member of the Magic, his teams won three National Championships (two Super Y League and one US Club Soccer), one USYSA Region Championship (National Runner-Up) and five Illinois State Championships. In 2006, the club was named the best youth soccer program in the US by Soccer America for the third straight year.
"Matt has consistently been a very good player for one of the best youth programs in the country," said Thompson. "In the attack he is both intelligent and opportunistic. He will take quickly to the college game and I wouldn't be surprised to see him make an impact this season."
Matthew Leugers, Sean Misick and Patrick Pavlik will join the Falcons from within the Ohio borders.
Leugers, the Celina HS captain, was the Player of the Year runner-up and earned two first-team All-Western Buckeye League nods. CHS won a Western Buckeye League championship during his tenure as a goalkeeper.
According to Thompson, "Matt has the physical tools to become a goalkeeper who can make a difference at the Division I level because he is a very good shot stopper for a big man. Matt will need time to adjust to the college game but once he does we will see great things."
Misick comes to the Orange and Brown as the winner of six varsity letters with two in basketball and four in soccer. He was a cornerstone player of three league championships and one district championship at his alma mater, Eastlake North HS. He was first-team All-Cleveland in 2005 and 2006 and was a third-team All-Ohio selection in 2006.
"Sean has a tremendous upside in that he will no longer be splitting his time between soccer and basketball," said Thompson. "I am excited to watch the strides he will make in the coming years."
Pavlik, a Westlake, Ohio native was a two-year captain and the 2006 Coaches Player of the Year recipient. In each of his four years at WHS, Pavlik won a varsity letter and was a Greater Cleveland Honorable Mention as well as an All-South Western Conference selection. Academically, he was the class Vice President and an active member of the National Honors Society, Student Council and the Leadership Challenge.
While playing with the CSA Cleveland Club organization, his team won one state cup while qualifying as a finalist for the championship match in 2003-2005 as well as winning the Regional Midwest League and the Great Lakes Y League.
"Obviously, this is an extremely talented class and I foresee positive futures in their career as Falcons. Each of the players will need to elevate their game to aide the team's success but they would not be here had they not already shown their commitment and willingness to improve everyday," said Thompson.
