May 29, 2007
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Head coach Bobby Clark has recently announced the captains for the 2007 Notre Dame men’s soccer season. Seniors Ryan Miller (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) and Alex Yoshinaga (San Diego, Calif./Granite Hills) along with junior Matt Besler (Overland Park, Kan./Blue Valley West) will serve as captains for the Fighting Irish during the upcoming campaign.
Miller, a defender, is entering his fifth season with the Irish. He missed the majority of his freshman season due to an injury. Miller has appeared in 67 games with 66 starts during his Notre Dame career. In 2006, he started all 23 matches and helped the Irish post a 0.79 goals-against average. For his career, he has tallied one goal, while dishing out seven assists.
Yoshinaga will return to the Fighting Irish lineup in 2007 after missing most of the 2006 campaign due to an injury. The midfielder started the first two games last season before suffering a season-ending injury. Heading into last year, he had made starts in 36 of the 42 matches in which he has played during his Irish career. Yoshinaga has tallied 13 points on five goals and three assists.
Besler earned second-team all-BIG EAST accolades in 2006 as he helped the Notre Dame defense post impressive numbers, including 13 shutouts. He started all 23 matches as a sophomore and notched two goals and two assists. Besler has appeared in 45 games during his Notre Dame career and has made 28 starts, while tallying eight points on two goals and four assists.
“This group will hopefully carry on from the great leadership that we had in 2006 and the previous seasons,” stated Clark. “Leadership was definitely one of our strengths in 2006 and it will be vital that it is the same in 2007. All three of these lads are from different classes and I think that will provide a nice balance.”
The trio replaces graduated seniors Greg Dalby and Dale Rellas, who served as captains last season for the Irish. In 2006, Notre Dame advanced to the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals for the first time in program history and concluded the season ranked 6th in the final National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll. The Fighting Irish open the 2007 slate against 2006 national runner-up UCLA in the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic in Bloomington, Ind. on Aug. 31.
Stay up-to-date on the Fighting Irish men’s soccer team by logging on to und.com or by calling the Notre Dame Athletics Hotline at (574) 631-3000.
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