WEST DES MOINES, Iowa – Nov. 17, 2009 – You’ll find Des Moines Menace alumni on six teams in the 2009 NCAA Division-I Soccer Tournament, which begins Thursday.

 

The NCAA Division-I Men’s Soccer Committee on Monday announced the brackets for this year’s national tournament. The 48-team field features these teams with former Menace players on their rosters:

Drake: Julien Edwards, Nick Foster, Hunter Kennedy, Jordan Kadlec, Michael Noonan, Thomas Ostrander and Garrett Webb

No. 1 seed Akron: Matt Dagilis

No. 8 seed Tulsa: Joe Salem and Kyle Cumings

New Mexico: Justin Davis and Lance Rozeboom

Indiana: Cameron Jordan

Western Illiinois: Martin Browne, Jr.

 

Below is a rundown of the 2009 NCAA Division-I seasons of these players and other former members of the Menace’s Premier Development League team. At least 18 Menace alumni have earned 2009 postseason honors.

 

On Thursday, we’ll follow this up with updates of the former Menace players in NCAA Division II and NAIA this season.

 

Drake (13-6-2)

After clinching the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championship on Sunday, the Bulldogs host Western Illinois at Cownie Soccer Complex on Thursday. The winner of this first-round match travels to No. 4 seed Ohio State for a second-round matchup on Sunday. Drake clinched its first-ever MVC Tournament title on Sunday at Cownie, topping Evansville, 2-1.

 

Webb leads Drake with 26 points, coming from 11 goals and four assists. The senior forward was named MVC Player of the Year, and he was joined by classmate Edwards on the all-MVC first team.

 

Three other members of the Menace’s 2009 Heartland Division championship team – Foster (three assists), Kennedy (three goals and two assists) and Ostrander – have been staples in the Drake lineup. Noonan, who played briefly with the Menace the previous season, has four goals and three assists. Backup goalkeeper Kadlec has made the most of his five appearance, posting a 1.32 goals-against average, including a shutout against Eastern Illinois on Oct. 21.

 

Akron (20-0-0)

The nation’s unanimous top-ranked team has its sights set on its first-ever national title. Dagilis, a sophomore defender, has made nine appearances, including one start, for the Zips, who beat Hartwick, 3-0, on Sunday for their third-straight Mid-American Conference Tournament championship. On Sunday, Akron hosts the winner from Thursday night’s opening-round match between Stetson and South Florida.

 

Tulsa (13-4-2)

The seventh-ranked Golden Hurricane has swept the Conference USA regular-season and tournament titles each of the past three years. On its home field, Tulsa blanked Marshall, 3-0, in Sunday’s C-USA final. Next up: a Sunday home date against the winner from Thursday’s Missouri State-St. Louis opening round, intrastate tilt. Salem, a member of the Menace each of the past two seasons, has a goal and an assist in his senior year. Cumings, a freshman from Norwalk who played in the Menace Academy and was on the Menace’s 2009 PDL roster, has seen action in a couple games.

 

New Mexico (12-6-1)

With an at-large bid, the Lobos make their seventh NCAA appearance in nine years. They host Portland on Thursday, with the winner making a second-round trip to 15th-seeded North Carolina State. New Mexico barely missed out on the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation’s tournament championship on Sunday, edged in penalty kicks by Sacramento State after a 2-2 tie at the end of two overtimes.

 

Davis, a senior forward/midfielder who played for Des Moines in 2007 and 2008, leads the team with seven goals and six assists, matching his totals from 2008. For the second-straight year, he earned a spot on the all-MPSF first team. Rozeboom, a sophomore midfielder who has played for the Menace each of the last three seasons, made the conference’s second team and the All-District 6 Academic Team.

 

Indiana (10-9-1)

The Hoosiers host Louisville on Thursday, trying to earn a second-round matchup with instate foe Butler, the No. 12 seed. With one of the nation’s toughest schedules, Indiana has played 12 teams that made the NCAA Tournament, including eight of the top 16 seeds. Jordan, a junior midfielder, has made 14 appearances.

 

Western Illinois (8-9-2)

The Fighting Leathernecks travel to Des Moines on Thursday, four days after topping UMKC, 1-0, in the Summit League’s championship game. Browne, whose time with the 2009 Menace was hampered by an injury, earned all-conference second-team honors after scoring a team-best six goals. Husref Jupic, a product of the Menace Academy and the reigning Iowa High School Player of the Year, was named to the all-tournament team. The Des Moines Hoover grad had a goal and two assists during his first college regular season.

 

Kentucky (13-6-0)

For the second-straight year, the Wildcats narrowly missed an at-large NCAA bid. Kentucky, which spent time in the national top-25 rankings, had a six-game winning streak snapped on Friday, falling to Tulsa, 2-1, in the C-USA semifinals.

 

Dan Williams, the Menace’s goalkeeper in 2008, earned all-tournament honors for the second year in a row. A member of the all-C-USA second team, he battle through injuries and posted a league-best 0.78 goals-against average as a senior. In his career, he was named the conference’s Defensive Player of the Week a record seven times.

 

For the second-straight year, Jason Griffiths made the all-conference first team. The senior midfielder tallied three goals and an assist and finished his career a perfect eight-of-eight in penalty kicks. Two other members of the 2009 Menace – Tim Crone (2 goals, 2 assists) and Marco dos Santos (one goal, three assists) – were also among the Wildcats’ scoring leaders.

 

Dayton (13-4-1)

The Atlantic-10 regular-season champs are also left on the outside looking in this postseason. With a 2-0 win on Sunday, St. Louis thwarted the Flyers’ attempt to repeat as A-10 Tournament champions. Sophomore Jack Pearson, an all-conference honorable-mention pick, was part of a defense that led the league with nine shutouts.

 

Creighton (7-4-5)

For the first time since 1991, the Jays are not playing in the NCAA Tournament. Their season came to an end with a 3-1 loss to Drake on Friday in the semis of the MVC Tournament. Byron Dacy, a member of the 2008 Menace, and Tucker Sindlinger, who has played for Des Moines each of the last four seasons, played in 16 and eight games, respectively.

 

Eastern Illinois (6-8-3)

Sean Molony, the Menace’s goalkeeper in 2009, posted a 1.37 GAA and six shutouts in 16 outings as a junior, after transferring from Division-II Fort Lewis. Sophomore defender Ryan Child made 13 starts for the Panthers, who were the only MVC team to knock off Missouri State during the regular season.

 

Gonzaga (6-10-3)

Nick Barclay earned a spot on the District 8 All-Academic Team. The senior defender scored a pair of goals and collected an assist. Ben Funkhouser notched four goals and four assists for the Zags.

 

Oral Roberts (6-8-3)

Sterling Copeland was named to the Summit League’s all-newcomer team. The transfer from Division-II Regis tied for the team lead with three goals.

 

Florida Gulf Coast (8-7-1)

Cristian Raudales led the Eagles with 13 points (five goals, three assists) and was named to the Atlantic-Sun’s second team. Jon Koshko was the A-Sun’s player of the week after scoring the game-winners against Campbell and Mercer in mid-October. Scott Harrison had a goal and a couple assists for FGCU, which finished third in the league.