College Soccer News names Hoosier newcomers among nation’s best

IU head coach Mike Freitag signed another top-10 recruiting class this season as College Soccer News ranked the incoming Hoosier men’s soccer freshman class No. 3 in the nation in the publication’s eighth annual recruiting rankings.

A pair of ACC schools – Maryland and defending national champion Wake Forest – took the top two spots in the rankings released July 31. The Hoosiers are the highest-ranked Big Ten team, with Northwestern as the only other conference foe ranked in the top-40. IU has been ranked in the top 10 each year College Soccer News has released recruiting rankings.

Freitag continues to recruit Missouri hard as four members of the class – Will Bruin, Chris Haffner, Tommy Meyer and Luis Soffner – hail from the Saint Louis area. Meyer, Haffner and Soffner were all teammates at Saint Louis University High, while Bruin, Soffner and Haffner played together on the Scott-Gallagher club team.

Ohio native Nick Belvins and Hoosier prep stars Joe Tolen and Tim Wylie round out the talented seven-man class. Blevins, Bruin and Meyer were all named National Soccer Coaches Association of America/adidas All-Americans this past season, while Haffner, Soffner, Tolen and Wylie were all-state picks.

Freitag said when the players signed with the Hoosiers that he was pleased with the recruits he was able to attract to his team.

“The 2008 Indiana University’s Men’s Soccer recruiting class reflects all that we look for in our recruiting efforts,” Freitag said in a statement. “To start, these seven young men are outstanding individuals who all are very dedicated and gifted in the classroom. They are all extremely talented and athletic soccer players.”

A first-team all-state, Tolen was named to Indiana’s Super 16 in 2007 and led his team to the regional final for the best finish in school history. Wylie comes to Bloomington from Fort Wayne where as a member of Fort Wayne Carroll High School he was a first-team all-state selection.

Blevins is considered by many to be the top player coming out of Ohio in 2008, earning the 2007 National Soccer Coaches Association of America/adidas Boys High School Scholar Athlete of the Year and Gatorade Ohio Boys Soccer Player of the Year titles.

The amount of success the recruits have had will hopefully translate into more success at the collegiate level, Freitag said.

“Lastly, and vitally important to our championship efforts, is the fact that they all possess the ‘winning fiber’ that has been the make up of so many quality players that have worn the IU jersey through the years.”