Feb. 12, 2010
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Notre Dame men’s soccer head coach Bobby Clark has announced the signing of seven players to national letters of intent. The talented class features will be eligible to play for the Fighting Irish beginning in the fall of 2010.
Comprising the Notre Dame men’s soccer 2010 signing class are: forward Leon Brown (Mattapan, Mass.), goalkeeper Adam LaPlaca (Glastonbury, Conn.), defender Luke Mishu (Knoxville, Tenn.), defender Andrew O’Malley (West Chester, Pa.), forward Alex Priede (Cincinnati, Ohio), midfielder Harrison Shipp (Lake Forest, Ill.) and goalkeeper Patrick Wall (Sugarland, Texas).
“This is another excellent group of players for us,” states Clark. “I’ll tell you in three years just how good they are, but we’re very excited with this group of players. We lost a good senior class, but I think this group has the potential to keep the program where it is and maybe hedge it up a little bit further. We’re very excited with this group.”
Name – Position – Height – Weight – Hometown/High School – Club
Leon Brown – F – 5-11 – 160 – Mattapan, Mass./The Roxbury Latin School – FC Greater Boston
2009 NSCAA All-Region-I New England … 2009 all-state … 2007, 2008 and 2009 Independent School League (ISL) all-conference honors … 2009 ISL Offensive Player of the Year … 2009 ISL scoring leader with 17 goals and six assists … established the ISL freshman scoring record with 12 goals and two assists (the record previously was held by current U.S. National Team member Charlie Davies) … Roxbury Latin School career scoring record holder with 55 goals and 18 assists … led his high school team in scoring during all four of his seasons … former high school teammate of current Irish defender Aaron Maund.
Clark on Brown: “He’s without question one of the best offensive players coming out of the Northeast. He not only plays well with his high school team, but he plays superbly well with his club team. He’s a terrific player who can play wide and also play through the middle.”
Adam LaPlaca – GK – 5-9 – 170 – Glastonbury, Conn./Glastonbury – Oakwood Soccer Club
2009 NSCAA/adidas Boys High School Scholar-Athlete of the Year … 2009 NSCAA/adidas Boys High School All-America Team … 2008 and 2009 NSCAA All-Region-I New England … 2009 NSCAA/adidas Connecticut State Player of the Year … 2009 ESPN RISE Boys’ Soccer All-America first team … 2008 and 2009 CSCA all-state … 2007, 2008 and 2009 Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) all-conference and all-academic … 2009 Connecticut Junior Soccer Association (CJSA) High School Player of the Year … CSCA Senior Bowl participant in 2009 … varsity captain of his high school squad during his senior season.
Clark on LaPlaca: “Adam is possibly one of the most decorated youngsters we’ve ever had coming in. He’s not only an excellent goalkeeper and an All-American, he was named the scholar-athlete of the year. I don’t think I’ve ever recruited a scholar-athlete of the year before. We like his attitude. He had a terrific attitude when he came to camp this summer. That was a thing that sold us. He’s very tough and hardworking and will be a good fit for Notre Dame.”
Luke Mishu – D – 6-0 – 165 – Knoxville, Tenn./Knoxville Catholic – KCFC Liverpool 91′
Will begin his senior season this spring … 2009 NSCAA All-Region-III -South … three-time all-state and all-south selection … five-time state champion … two-time team captain of KFC Liverpool … three-time all-district … three-time all-region.
Clark on Mishu: “Luke is another camp player. We’d heard terrific things about him. He’s one of the top defenders coming out of Tennessee. He’s a three-time all-state player and I’m sure he’ll have a fine senior season this spring. What impressed us was his athleticism and his attitude when he was at camp. We feel he can be a top Division I player.”
Andrew O’Malley – D – 6-0 – 180 – West Chester, Pa./Salesianum School – FC Delco
Two-time NSCAA/adidas Boys High School All-America Team (2008 & 2009) … 2008 & 2009 NSCAA All-Region-II (East) … 2009 ESPN RISE Boys’ Soccer All-America first team … two-time Delaware player of the year … three-time first-team all-state in high school … second-team all-conference (2006) … three-time Delaware state champion (2006, 2007, 2008) … four-year varsity starter … ODP: National Team U-13 to U-16 (played in Mexico) … Regional Team U-13 to U-16 (played in Spain) … FC Delco captain since U-13 … Selected for Disney Soccer Showcase that played at Chelsea FC against international professional youth teams … trained for two weeks with Rangers FC (professional team in Scotland).
Clark on O’Malley: “Andrew obviously has all the accolades as an All-American. Where we saw him play was with his club team, FC Delco. He’s been playing up for two years and he still can play for the under-18 team again this year. He’s without question one of the best central defenders coming out this year.”
Alex Priede – F – 5-9 – 155 – Cincinnati, Ohio/Summit Country Day – Cincinnati United Premier
2009 NSCAA Scholar All-American … 2009 ESPN Rise All-American … 2009 NSCAA All-Region … 2009 first-team all-state … four-year starter on his varsity squad … scored 126 goals during his high school career … 2008 ODP Region II Team … 2006-2008 ODP state team … 2007, 2009 Disney Showcase Champion … 2008 S.U.M. Cup player with Crew Academy Team … all-star selection at Notre Dame soccer camp … member of the National Honor Society.
Clark on Priede: “Alex is another camper. He reminded me so much of (former Notre Dame player) Joe Lapira when he was at camp. Joe did exactly the same thing, made great little runs and scored goals. I don’t want to put too much pressure on Alex since Joe was a Hermann Award winner. Alex is someone who impresses you and he does it with a smile on his face, which is terrific.”
Harrison Shipp – M – 5-9 – 145 – Lake Forest, Ill./Forest – Chicago Fire
Ranked No. 19 on Top Drawer Soccer’s 2010 Top 100 Men’s Recruits list … 2008 adidas ESP camp attendee … 2008 Development Academy Midwest Starting XI … named 2009 all-area first team by the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun Times, Pioneer Press … Region II ODP Team (2005-2007) … Region II ODP team made trips to Italy and Argentina … Illinois State ODP Team (2005-2007) … 2007 Illinois ODP team regional and national champions … three-year varsity starter in high school … tallied 32 goals and 27 assists during his high school career … two-time all-state selection … received All-Midwest honors on one occasion … member of the National Honor Society and Cum Laude Society.
Clark on Shipp: “I think Harry is one of the best drop forwards in this region and perhaps in the country. He has a terrific soccer brain. He sees the field and makes little passes. Even as a freshman he’ll be one of our smarter players. He’s not the biggest, but he’ll certainly be one of the smartest.”
Patrick Wall – GK – 5-11 – 160 – Sugarland, Texas/Strake Jesuit College Prep – Houston Dynamo
Member of the South Texas ODP for four years … plays for the Houston Dynamo U-18 club squad … won the Dallas Cup U19 with the Houston Dynamo (age-16) … part of the Region III pool for one year … played for the Eclipse Soccer Club from ages 8-17 … 2006 USYSNC state champion with the Eclipse 91 Black … made regional appearances with his Eclipse 91 Black squad in 2006 (quarterfinals) and 2009 (semifinals) … earned all-district honors in high school during his sophomore season as a defender and during his junior campaign as a goalkeeper … has taken several foreign trips with his club teams.
Clark on Wall: “Patrick is another goalkeeper from camp. He’s very athletic with good reflexes and good hands. He talks well in goal and has good confidence. He plays with the Houston Dynamo club team and regularly trains with the MLS side so he’s had a terrific grounding just from his background in the game. He has a lot of potential and it’ll be interesting to see how our goalkeepers work out. We have four very good goalkeepers and it’ll be very good competition in that area.”
2010 University of Notre Dame Men's Soccer Letter of Intent SigneesNAME POS. HT. WT. HOMETOWN/HIGH SCHOOL/CLUBLeon Brown F 5-11 160 Mattapan, Mass./The Roxbury Latin School/ FC Greater BostonAdam LaPlaca GK 5-9 170 Glastonbury, Conn./Glastonbury/ Oakwood Soccer ClubLuke Mishu D 6-0 165 Knoxville, Tenn./Knoxville Catholic/ KCFC Liverpool 91'Andrew O'Malley D 6-0 180 West Chester, Pa./Salesianum School/ FC DelcoAlex Priede F 5-9 155 Cincinnati, Ohio/Summit Country Day/ Cincinnati United PremierHarrison Shipp M 5-9 145 Lake Forest, Ill./Forest/Chicago FirePatrick Wall GK 5-11 160 Sugarland, Texas/Strake Jesuit College Prep/ Houston Dynamo