Men's Soccer: Recruiting Class Announced
February 05, 2004 02:52 PM | General
February 5, 2004
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - The West Virginia University men's soccer coaching staff today announced the signing of two high caliber recruits, Reed Cooper and Andrew Halsell.
"Without question in terms of the product we want to put on the field each and every year signing day is the single most important step in that process," said head coach Mike Seabolt. "It represents a long year of hard work by our staff to recruit these athletes."
Cooper hails from Madison, Wisc., where he captained Madison West high School to a No. 2 state ranking and No. 4 regional ranking in 2003. The 6-4 forward scored 32 goals and recorded 33 assists over his junior and senior seasons at Madison West and earned a spot on the Wisconsin Coach's all-star team, as well as all-city, all-conference and all-state recognition. In high school Cooper also excelled in basketball earning all-conference honors as a junior.
"Reed was a highly recruited prospect," said Seabolt. "We're very excited he chose West Virginia and we expect him to push for a starting job, most likely a forward."
Quentin, Pa., native Halsell will provide solid defense to WVU's backfield. While playing for Cedar Crest high school he was a four year starter and captained his squad to its first league championship in 23 years during his senior season. Halsell earned spots on the Harrisburg Patriot News "Big 11" team as well as first team spots on both the Lancaster-Lebanon League and Lebanon County all-star squads during his junior and senior seasons.
"Andrew is a very good defender and we're hoping he can step in right away and compete for a starting position," said Seabolt. "We're pleased to be able to get some of the best recruits out of neighboring Pennsylvania."
Along with the pair of signings today, the men's squad received another standout player at the beginning of the semester. Brisbane, Australia, native Ben Stevens brings tons of international exposure to WVU's team as he was a member of Australia's U-17 national team and participated in the World Championships in Trinidad. Although he enrolled in WVU in January he will have four years of eligibility for soccer starting this fall.
"Ben brings tremendous potential to our soccer team," said Seabolt. "It's great to be able to add a player with the type of international experience Ben has to our program."
The three signees will help fill out a roster already full of young talent. Heading into this fall Seabolt and his staff have 13 sophomores, one junior and four seniors, all of which saw significant action in 2003.
