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Menace Player Updates

By Des Moines Menace, 10/13/09, 1:30PM CDT

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As the college soccer season’s second full month kicks off, it’s time to catch up with former members of the Menace’s Premier Development League team. This time around, we’re providing updates on former Menace players making their mark in NCAA Division I.

As the college soccer season’s second full month kicks off, it’s time to catch up with former members of the Menace’s Premier Development League team.

 

This time around, we’re providing updates on former Menace players making their mark in NCAA Division I. We’ll take a closer look at players in NAIA and Division II next week.

 

Menace fans, you can follow updates on our team’s Twitter page, and we hope to see you at Menace Night with the Drake Bulldogs on Wednesday, Oct. 21.

 

Members of the 2009 PDL Heartland Division champions have made contributions with six teams that have cracked the top 25 of

the NSCAA/adidas Division-I rankings.

 

Cameron Jordan’s ninth-ranked Indiana Hoosiers beat No. 13 Kentucky, 3-0, on Tuesday in a border battle that featured five starters who have spent time with the Menace. Goalkeeper Dan Williams (2008 Menace, 0.88 Goals Against Average this season), Jason Griffiths (five points this season), Marco dos Santos (four points) and Tim Crone (three points) started for the Wildcats (7-2-1). Jordan, a midfielder, has started six of eight matches for Indiana (5-2-1).

 

 

Matt Dagilis is the only other former Menace player whose team is in this week’s top 25. For the fourth-straight week, Dagilis’ Akron Zips are the consensus No. 1 team in all five polls. After blanking No. 15 Ohio State, 3-0, last night, the Zips (8-0) have outscored their opponents 23-1. Dagilis, a staple in the Menace defense this summer, has seen action in four matches.

 

Former Menace players take the field for Tulsa, Creighton and No. 30 Drake – teams that have appeared in the national rankings and are looking to return to the top 25.

 

Joe Salem, a standout for the Menace each of the past two seasons, has scored a goal for Tulsa, which was ranked as high as 12th earlier this month. Freshman forward Kyle Cummings, a Norwalk High School grad who played for the Menace Academy, has made a couple appearances for the Hurricane (4-3-1, including a 1-0 loss to No. 1 Akron on Sept. 6).

 

Tucker Sindlinger (2007-2009) and Byron Dacy (2008) have each started three matches for Creighton, a team that started the season in the top 10 (as high as sixth). After losing just one match each of the past two seasons, the Jays are looking to bounce back after a couple setbacks through six outings (3-2-1).

 

Several former Menace players are part of a Drake team that is coming off the best season in the program’s history. Julien Edwards, Nick Foster, Jordan Kadlec, Hunter Kennedy and Thomas Ostrander and Garrett Webb are all part of the mix for the 4-3-1 Bulldogs, who reached No. 21 in the early-season polls.

Webb, the reigning Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week, notched a goal and an assist in the Bulldogs’ 2-2 double OT draw at No. 17 Northwestern on Friday. Edwards scored the game-winner in a 2-1 exhibition win over then-No. 7 Indiana on Aug. 29.

The Bulldogs have gone nearly a month since their last home action, but they host four matches at Cownie Soccer Complex in October, including a “Menace Night” game against Eastern Illinois on Oct. 21. All fans are encouraged to join us by showing up wearing Menace red and black for that night’s 7 o’clock game.

 

Tulsa, Creighton and Drake all received votes in this week’s poll. So did New Mexico, a team that features a couple former Menace players: Justin Davis (2007-2008) and Lance Rozeboom (2007-2009).

 

Davis was named the Mountain Pacific Sport Federation’s Player of the Week and earned a spot on Soccer America’s Team of the Week. The team’s leading scorer tallied both goals in a 2-1 win at then-No.10 Notre Dame on Sept. 13, two days after collecting a goal and an assist in a 3-2 loss at then-No.12 Indiana.

 

Like Davis, Rozeboom has started all games for the 5-3 Lobos. The Cedar Rapids-area native was named to a pair of all-tournament teams earlier this month, and he played all 90 minutes of a 2-1 win over No. 4 California last Friday. 

 

Other members of the 2009 Menace playing D-I:

 

-       Nick Barclay (two goals) and Ben Funkouser (three goals) start for Gonzaga, a 4-2-2 team that earned a 1-1 result at perennial power Ohio State on Sept. 4. Barclay was named to the all-tournament team of the TLC Plumbing Nike Invite, hosted by New Mexico.

 

-       Sterling Copeland scored the game-winning goal in Oral Roberts’ 2-1 win over Belmont on Sept. 6. The Golden Eagles are 3-4-1.

-       Jack Pearson has scored a game-winning goal for Dayton each of the last two Fridays – the fourth and fifth game-winners in the sophomore’s young career. After starting the season 0-3-1, the Flyers are riding a four-match winning streak.

-       Sean Molony and Ryan Child play for Eastern Illinois, a team that had its four-game unbeaten streak snapped in a 2-0 loss to Evansville last night. Molony, the Menace’s starting goalie last season, carries a 0.97 GAA. Like Molony, Child has started all eight matches for the Panthers, who are 3-3-2.  Molony and Child travel to Des Moines on Oct. 21, facing Drake on Menace Night. Hope to see you then!