March 18, 1998
GREENVILLE, SC -- Furman men's soccer coach Doug Allison announced Tuesday the signing of six prepsters, including two-time Parade All-American Matt Goldsmith, to national letters-of-intent.
Goldsmith, a midfielder from Roswell, Ga., headlines the 1998 class. Selected for the second consecutive year as a Parade All-American, Goldsmith was dubbed by Parade as the top midfielder in the nation.
"Matt is one of the greatest recruits we have ever had here," said Allison. "He will fit into our program immediately. He is really excited about coming to Furman, both for the academics and for the direction our program is heading. We are really excited to be gaining such a quality student-athlete."
Goldsmith is currently a member of the U.S. Under-20 national team and has played for the under-18 national team. He also plays for Roswell High SchoolÕs soccer team as well as the Stone Mountain club team.
"He is absolutely the best," Roswell coach Ron Folds said. "A lot of people have good dribbling and passing skills, but where Matt stands above everybody else is with his vision. He sees things happening on the field before everybody else."
Goldsmith is not the only national team player coming to Greenville this fall. John Bradford, member of the Under-15, Under-16, and Under-17 national teams, is set to join the Paladin program. Bradford is a sweeper from Winston Salem, N.C., where he attended Mt. Tabor High School and played for the Winston Salem Twins. Bradford was also a member of the NSCAA/Umbro All American youth team in 1995 and 1996.
Joining Goldsmith and Bradford next season will be Peter Eiland, a midfielder from Atlanta, Ga.; Scott Jones, a midfielder from Sandy, Utah; Jack Handy, a midfielder from Lilburn, Ga.; and Vaughn Bethel, a forward from Lakeland, Fla.
"I am really excited about this recruiting class," Allison said. "We have six excellent student-athletes who will immediately make contributions to our program. There is a lot of talent and experience in this group, and I am looking forward to watching them develop into even better players over the next four years."