February 13, 2001
GREENVILLE, SC -- Furman men's soccer coach Doug Allison announced his 2001 class on Tuesday, a class that includes two members of the Under-18 National Team and a total of five who are members of the Region III ODP team.
Furman's 2001 freshman class includes Luke Barbour of Mesquite, Texas, Ricardo Clark of Jonesboro, Ga., Clint Dempsey of Nacogdoches, Texas, John Hanley of Indianapolis, Ind., Alex Maslow of Charlotte, N.C., Jon Rydarowski of Marietta, Ga., and Wes Windsor of Margate, Fla.
In addition to seven freshmen, Allison welcomes transfer Andy Chase from South Florida and Shaun Stone, who returns from a two-year hiatus due to his Mormon mission trip to Mexico.
Headlining the 2001 freshman class is Ricardo Clark of Jonesboro, Ga. A midfielder from St. Pius High School, Clark is a starter for the Under-18 United States National Team. Also a member of the Georgia state and Region III ODP teams, Clark plays club soccer for the AFC Lighting in Atlanta.
The National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) named seven high school goalkeepers as All Americas in 2000 and two of those seven have signed with Furman. In addition with battling each other for future playing time, John Hanley and Alex Maslow will push senior captain Scott Blount in 2001.
Hanley has been a member of the U.S. Under-18 National Team and is on the Indiana state and Region II ODP teams. Hanley attends North Central High School and plays for the Dynamo FC club team.
Maslow is the Region III goalkeeper and attends Charlotte Catholic High School. He plays club soccer for the USRSA Lighting.
Clint Dempsey of Nacogdoches, Texas, is also a member of the Region III ODP team and excels on the Dallas Texas club team, the same club that produced current Paladin Kenneth Penn. Dempsey attends Nacogdoches High School and is expected to play midfield for the Paladins.
Jon Rydarowski of Marietta, Ga., is a defender from Pope High School. Rydarowski is a member of the Georgia state ODP team and has played with the Region III team. He plays club soccer for Concorde.
Luke Barbour is a defender from Mesquite, Texas. Barbour attends Poteet High School and plays club soccer for Solar.
Rounding out Furman's seven member freshman class is Wes Windsor of Margate, Fla. Windsor attends St. Thomas Aquinas High School and plays club soccer for Team Boca Gunners.
Midfielder Andy Chase joins the Paladins as a junior after two seasons at South Florida. Chase scored three goals and recorded six assists for the Bulls over the past two seasons. He was a member of the Region III ODP team and an NSCAA All South selection coming out of high school at George Walton High School in Marietta, Ga. Chase has been enrolled at Furman since January.
The Furman soccer family also welcomes back midfielder Shaun Stone. Stone was a key contributor for the Paladins in the 1997 and 1998 campaigns before leaving Furman to serve his two-year Mormon mission trip to Mexico. Stone will return to Furman in March in time for the spring term.
"I am thrilled to welcome these fine student-athletes to Furman," said Furman head coach Doug Allison. "This class has the potential to be another record-setting class. I believe we are bringing in some of the best talent in the nation and I look forward to see how they mesh with our existing team."
Furman has high hopes for the 2001 season as the Paladins return ten starters and will feature seven seniors including All Americas John Barry Nusum and Matt Goldsmith. Furman is coming off a 17-4-2 season, which included its third straight SoCon regular season championship, second straight SoCon tournament title, and second straight NCAA Tournament appearance. The Paladins finished 12th in the final Soccer America national poll.
2001 Freshman
Luke Barbour, D, Mesquite, Texas
Ricardo Clark, MF, Jonesboro, Ga.
Clint Dempsey, MF, Nacogdoches, Texas
John Hanley, GK, Indianapolis, Ind.
Alex Maslow, GK, Charlotte, N.C.
Jon Rydarowski, D, Marietta, Ga.
Wes Windsor, MF, Margate, Fla.
Transfer:
Andy Chase, MF, Marietta, Ga., Jr.
Returning from two-year absence:
Shaun Stone, MF, Sandy, Utah (original hometown)