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Knights to add 15 freshmen to men's soccer squad for 2013

Posted 7/1/13

Entering his fifth year at the helm of the Clarkson University Men’s Soccer team, Nick Hillary was busy on the recruiting trails with the help from first-year assistant coach Matt Konecnik as the …

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Knights to add 15 freshmen to men's soccer squad for 2013

Posted

Entering his fifth year at the helm of the Clarkson University Men’s Soccer team, Nick Hillary was busy on the recruiting trails with the help from first-year assistant coach Matt Konecnik as the Golden Knights’ will add 15 freshmen to the roster this fall, easily Hillary’s largest class in four years of scouting for talent.

The Knights will add two goalkeepers, four defenders, four midfielders, and five forwards to a roster that will see at least 12 players return for the 2013 season, including conference all-stars Trevor Blackwell and Marco Parisi.

Most importantly for the Knights, freshmen Michael King (Verona, NJ) and Alex White (Unadilla, NY) will come to campus to share the goalkeeping duties as a pair of seniors departed this May. According to Hillary, King reads the game well and is an aggressive shot stopper, while White uses his ample length to make saves, reading the game well with plenty of smarts.

Adding to the defensive corps are Nicholas Gutberlet (North Chili, NY), Paul Valente (Victor, NY), Nathan Jones (Rome, NY), and Keefe Wallace (Phoenix, NY). Jones is likely the most exciting player to watch with a relentless style that also utilizes some smarts. Wallace is an excellent passer and makes good decisions by not forcing his play. Gutberlet and Valente both play the game with intelligence, with Gutberlet forcing opponents to make plays with his tenacity and Valente holding off the opposition with good footwork and by being strong on the ball.

The midfield will also see four additions in Kyle Fisk (Pennellville, NY), Troy White (Unadilla, NY), Charles Huttig (Elizabethtown, NY), and Brendan Wise (Elmira, NY). All four are solid passers or good distributers of the ball. Fisk uses both feet well and is a crafty player because of that ability, while White is equally crafty thanks to his intelligence and ability to play simple. Huttig, too, read the game well, while Wise’s work ethic keeps him on the field.

Clarkson will have five new players on offense in strikers Tucker Wilcox (Broadalbin, NY), Andrew Akiki (Colchester, VT), Eric Herberger (East Aurora, NY), Hayes Lowth (Meredith, NH), and Brian Kroetz (Pittsford, NY). Akiki is a highly-skilled player and plays with a great deal of tenacity, as does Lowth, who does his damage with aggressiveness and strength. Herberger is an excellent passer and will spend time on the wings looking to make good crosses. Both Wilcox and Kroetz are good finishers and the duo also has excellent foot skills in traffic.