April 25, 2008
KINGSTON, R.I. - University of Rhode Island men's soccer head coach John O'Connor has announced the incoming class for the 2008 season. A total of nine new student-athletes will be coming to Kingston in the fall - six freshmen and three transfer students.
"We're very excited to have an experienced and versatile group of players coming to campus," O'Connor said. "This class has big shoes to fill - with the loss of last years' class - but I'm confident they will make great additions to an already wonderful Rhode Island soccer family. Gareth Elliott (now head coach at Siena College), Mitch Stone and I worked hard to evaluate these players in order to meet the needs of the program to replace the talented class that we lost. The quality of these nine players - combined with our returning squad - will put us right back in the thick of things in 2008."
Gary Crooks - 5'8" - 165 - M - Falkirk, Scotland/Louisburg College
"Gary comes to URI with a great pedigree and will add experience, maturity and leadership to a young team. As a first team All-American, he has the ability to come in and help us immediately. Over the next two years he will be able to fill a role on the team which is very important to the success of the program."
Prior to URI: Was an NSCAA Junior College First Team All-American and team captain at Louisburg College (NC) for coach Dave Sexton...Also was named NSCAA Junior College Regional Player of the Year in 2007, while helping lead Louisburg to a third-place finish at the NJCAA Championships... Scored four goals and had 14 assists in 21 games... Was a member of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society at Louisburg... Was in the Youth Training Scheme (YTS) for both St. Johnstone and Hibernian Football Club of the Scottish Premier League... Won the U19 Insel Cup and reached the final of the Fila Foyle Cup in Northern Ireland with St. Johnstone... Gary will have two years of eligibility at Rhode Island.
Josh Gonsalves - 6'3" - 160 - M - Markham, Ont./St. Augustine High School
"We are excited that Josh made the decision to come to URI. It is a difficult thing to do when your older brother (All-American Jeff Gonsalves) had such a successful career at the same institution, but Josh is his own person and plays a different position (central midfield). He will be able to compete for time immediately and will pave his own career path here at URI. I'm confident that he will be as successful as his brother was. Personally, I am extremely pleased that the Gonsalves family will continue to be a part of the URI soccer family!"
Prior to URI: Was a member of the prestigious Winstars Soccer Academy - where he played for coach Bobby Graham and alongside classmate Franco LoPresti - as well as the Soccer Academy Alliance of Canada All-Star Team... Was the leading scorer and team MVP of the Toronto Indoor Futsal League... Trained at the AFC Ajax of Amsterdam ID camp... Captained the Unionville Milliken Soccer Club and was a member of the Ontario Regional Team... Was an honor roll student at St. Augustine Catholic Secondary School... Younger brother of former URI All-American and 2007 MLS Draftee Jeffrey Gonsalves.
Eric Hutson - 6'2" - 175 - D - St. Charles, Mo./Francis Howell North High School
"I had the pleasure of coaching Eric this past summer at the University of Notre Dame boys soccer camp, and I immediately saw a great future for him. He is a tremendous athlete with an equally impressive soccer IQ which is vital for the position which we see him playing here at URI. He has the ability to come in and press for time right away and his versatility will do nothing short of making us deeper and more competitive in training."
Prior to URI: Was a four-year letterwinner and All-State First Team selection at Francis Howell North High School for coach Vince Nowak... Helped lead team to the 2004 District title... Set school record for career games played (109)... Tallied nine goals and eight assists for 26 points from defense... Was the only player in FHNHS history to play in every varsity game throughout his career... Has played club soccer for Lou Fusz Soccer Club and coach Joe Parato since 2005 and Scott Gallagher SC from 1997-2004... Set a new high school record in the high jump... Was a member of National Honor Society as well as the Mu Alpha Theta National Honor Society... Also selected for the Missouri Boys State Conference and was awarded a Centennial Scholarship at URI.
Franco LoPresti - 6'3" - 185 - D - Whitby, Ontario /Father Leo J. Austin HS
"When Franco visited campus back in the fall I immediately saw how well he fit in with the outgoing personality of the team. He comes from a very good club up in Canada and, over the last year, has had the opportunity to compete against some of the better college programs in showcase events. So, he knows what it will take to play at this level and be successful. We look forward to what he will bring to URI soccer over the next four years."
Prior to URI: Played alongside classmate Josh Gonsalves for the Winstars Soccer Academy and coach Bobby Graham... Helped lead team to an undefeated and SAAC League and Academy Championship... Was a member of Canadian National Training Centre (NTC) and Team Ontario... Also played for Glen Shields Soccer Club Sun Devils and coach Enzo D'Amrio... Was a four-year MVP at Father Leo J. Austin Catholic Secondary School... Scored 37 goals and led FLJACSS to the Ontario HS championship title... Was a member of the United Nations Symposium and received Student of the Month honors as well as the Outstanding Achievement Award for Law Mock Trial.
Reece Markman - 5'9" - 155 - M - Dallas, Texas/J.J. Pearce High School
"Reece came to our camp last summer and, from the get-go, I knew that he would be a future Ram. His technical ability and tactical sense will fit in perfectly with what we are trying to accomplish here in Kingston. His club experience puts him in a position to come to camp in August and immediately make an impact on the program. His maturity and level head will serve him well in the future."
Prior to URI: Was a starting midfielder for the 2007 United States Youth Soccer Association (USYSA) Under-17 National Champion Andromeda Soccer Club under coach Oscar Borgarello... Helped lead team to the 2007 San Diego Surf Cup U17 Showcase Super title as well as three North Texas Classic League Grand Championship titles, and an appearance in the Dallas Cup XII Soccer Tournament semifinals... Also played club soccer for Solar Soccer Club and the Texas Comets Soccer Club... Was an All-District selection and four-year letterman at J.J. Pearce High School for coach Scott Dowlatshahi... Is a Black Belt and Texas State Champion in Tae Kwon Do.
Ryan McCormick - 6'0" - 180 - D - Cranston, R.I./Syracuse University
"Ryan is a late but welcome addition to the squad as he returns home after competing in the Big East Conference for the past two seasons at Syracuse. As a red-shirt sophomore, he will bring experience as well as depth to our back line. Ryan also plays for the Rhode Island Stingrays (PDL) in the summer and prepped here in Rhode Island at LaSalle Academy so he knows our players and the potential we have for success. We are very happy that he will be a Ram in 2008."
Prior to URI: Played in 13 games and had three starts for Syracuse in 2007, after red-shirting his freshmen year... Played club soccer for three-time Rhode Island State Cup Champions Mid-State United SC under current Providence College assistant coach and former URI standout Dave DeMello... Captained the Region I Olympic Development Program (ODP) team... Also served as team captain and was an All-State selection at LaSalle Academy for coach Mario Pereira and alongside URI teammates Domenic Petrarca, Andres Ruiz and Jonathan Pereira... Finished his career with 12 goals and 15 assists... Transferred to LaSalle Academy after attending Our Lady of Lourdes High School in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. his freshmen year... Is a starter for of the Rhode Island Stingrays of the USL Pro Development League (PDL).
Erkko Puranen - 5'10" - 175 - F - Viitasaari, Finland/Voionmaan Sports High School
"Erkko is a player we were made aware of through a Finnish friend of URI women's coach Zac Shaw. After seeing Erkko on video, we are extremely happy that he has decided to come to the US and play in Kingston. He reminds me a lot of Lukasz Tumicz (who currently plays for Jagiellonia Bialstyok in the Polish First Division) and comes to Rhode Island at a time when a talented attacking player will serve the needs of the program well."
Prior to URI: Was voted the top U-17 player in Central Finland after his performance in the Regions Championship Tournament... Scored seven goals and had five assists for TPS in the Finnish U-19 Premier League... Also played for his hometown club JJK and Aaenekoski Huima in the Finnish Third Division... Recently completed a year-long mandatory service in the Finnish national military.
Kevin Shaw - 5'10" - 160 - M - Denny Sterlingshire, Scotland/University of Hartford
"Kevin comes to us as a transfer from the University of Hartford, where he had a very successful first two years. He has played against us, knows our expectations and is ready to help us achieve our goals. Like fellow Scotsman Gary Crooks, his leadership, maturity and experience is a perfect fit for the young squad we will have in 2008."
Prior to URI: Transferred to URI from the University of Hartford, where he started 33 of 34 games as a defensive midfielder... Scored three goals - the first of which was against Duke University in 2006... Received America East Player of the Week honors on 10/1/06 and was named to the 2006 America East Conference All-Rookie Team... Was a member of the Stirling Albion Football Club Youth Training Scheme... Majored in Management at Hartford, in the Barney School of Business... Kevin will have two years of eligibility at URI.
Cody Zane - 6'1" - 175 - D/M - Freedom, Maine/North Yarmouth Academy
"Cody is a great kid who comes from a tremendous family. He attended our camp last summer and fell in love with URI and the team. He was very excited to get the opportunity to join the team and I am happy that he accepted. Cody will bring us depth and versatility in the midfield and defense and I can only see him getting better each time he steps on the field. His best days lie ahead of him."
Prior to URI: Was a starter for the USYSA Region I Under-17 Regional finalist Coastal Soccer Club for Bowdoin College head coach Fran O'Leary... Was a four-year high school letterwinner... Captained the Mount View High School team as a junior and helped lead team to the Eastern Maine Class B Quarterfinals while playing for coach Chris Hink... Spent his senior season playing for Coach Josh Muscasin at North Yarmouth Academy where his team advanced to the Western Maine Class C Semifinals... Played in 64 career games with 18 goals and seven assists... Was named Team MVP and recipient of the 2005 Versatility Award... Also earned All-Conference, All-County, All-Western Maine and All-State honors and was a Maine State Olympic Development State Team member and Region I ODP Pool Player.
