Marshall University Athletics
Men's Soccer Signs Eight Players for 2002 Season
4/23/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Men's Soccer Signs Eight Players for 2002 Season
4/23/2002
Huntington, W.Va.-The Marshall University men?s soccer team signed eight recruits during spring signing period to play for the Thundering Herd in the 2002 season.
Jeremy Ash (Cinnaminson, N.J.), Bryan Beam (Westchester, Pa.), J.R. Benton (Midlothian, Va.), Mike Bourassa (Victoria, Canada), Johnathon Buxton (Virginia Beach, Va.), Granit Caushaj (Chicago, Ill.), Clayton Cochran (Morristown, Pa.) and Graham Prather (Midlothian, Va.) have all signed letters of intent to play for the Thundering Herd in the 2002 season.
?We are extremely pleased with this incoming class,? head coach Bob Gray said. ?Each of them will be able to gain good experience playing with a strong senior class their freshman year and that will help them prepare for the future. With experience returning and the depth we will have with this group coming in, our expectations for next season will be high.?
Bourassa, who played for the Under-18 National Canadian Team, will likely see some playing time next year for the Thundering Herd.
Caushaj, originally from Albania, is a junior college transfer from Potomac State where he scored 23 goals and had eight assists last season. For his performance, Caushaj was an all-region selection. He will likely see playing time aside forward Byron Carmichael.
Prather, who was named the Independent School Player of the Year in Virginia, attended Benedictine High School and helped lead them to the state championship last season.
Benton was a teammate of Prather at the school who also played for the Richmond Kickers.
Beam, who attends Grant Valley High School, played during the high school off-season with the Delco Football Club, one of the most talented teams in the region.
Buxton, an outside midfielder, has played for club teams FC Beach and IC Norcom. His FC Beach team recently won the club team state championship. He was also a three-time first-team selection to the All-Eastern district team and has been captain of his high school team all four years.
Ash, a forward who has shown a tremendous amount of potential, has also been selected as a Marshall Yeager Scholar by the university.
Clayton, a versatile player who helped lead Pennsbury High School, rounds out this year?s solid recruiting class.
Marshall finished last season 12-7-0 and lost in the semifinals of the Mid-American Conference tournament to the University of Akron. Last season, the Thundering Herd received their highest ranking in school history when they were ranked 23rd by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.
