July 15, 2002
GREENVILLE -- The Furman men's soccer incoming freshman class was ranked third in the nation by College Soccer News on Monday.
College Soccer News, an internet site devoted solely to men's college soccer ranked the top 40 recruiting classes in the nation. Virginia had the nation's top class followed by Connecticut, Furman, and Indiana. Furman's recruiting class has been ranked among the top four in the nation for three consecutive seasons by College Soccer News.
Furman's class includes three members of the United States U-17 National team and a member of the Trinidad and Tobago U-20 National team.
Furman's 2002 freshman class includes Rhett Abraham of Trinidad and Tobago, Jay Bracknell of Greenville, S.C., Richie Craven of St. Simon, Ga., Gray Griffin of Charlotte, N.C., Drew Moor of Dallas, Texas., Sean Murray of Wauwatosa, Wisc., Chefik Simo of Frisco, Texas., and Josh Villalobos of Fayetville, N.C.
"I am excited to welcome these eight student-athletes to our program," said head coach Doug Allison at the time of their signing in February. "I believe this class has the potential to be one of the best-ever at Furman and I am excited to see what they can accomplish in the next four years."
Headlining the 2002 freshman class are members of the United States Under-17 National team. Gray Griffin, Chefik Simo, and Josh Villalobos were each residents at Bradenton, Florida and were members of the Under-17 team that played the Paladins in an exhibition prior to the 2001 season. Griffin and Simo also travelled to Trinidad and Tobago to compete in the U-17 World Cup. Griffin was named team captain and Simo earned an NSCAA Youth All-American citation.
Furman will enter the 2002 season with high hopes as they return Southern Conference Freshman-of-the-Year Clint Dempsey, United States U-20 National team member Ricardo Clark, and two 2000 NSCAA Youth All-American goalkeepers in Alex Maslow and John Hanley.
Furman finished the 2001 season with a 17-5 record after claiming its fourth consecutive Southern Conference regular season title, winning its third straight Southern Conference Tournament, and reaching the NCAA Tournament for the third year in a row. The Paladins open the 2002 campaign at The Citadel on August 30.
2002 Freshmen:
Rhett Abraham--Trinidad and Tobago
Jay Bracknell--Greenville, South Carolina
Richie Craven--St. Simon's, Georgia
Gray Griffin--Charlotte, North Carolina
Drew Moor--Dallas, Texas
Sean Murray--Wauwatosa, Wisconsin
Chefik Simo--Frisco, Texas
Josh Villalobos--Fayetteville, North Carolina