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Men's Soccer Announces Commitments
April 30, 2007 ORONO, Maine - University of Maine men's soccer coach Pat Laughlin announced today that his program has received commitments from nine players to attend the University of Maine this fall. The class includes Pat Halligan, Kyle LeDuc, Thomas McCole, Jon Planer, Alex Rickett, Brendan Rogers, Kyle Shangraw, Corey Sinclair and Mikael Wasiuk. Four of the players are from the state of Maine and the class also includes five transfers. "I am excited about the 2007 University of Maine men's soccer recruiting class," said Laughlin. "These players have decided to commit their academic and athletic futures to the University of Maine and I feel that they will be able to make an impact on the program in their time here. These nine student-athletes have a great deal of talent, experience, and desire. In the coming weeks we should be able to announce the completion of this class with three or four more commitments." Pat Halligan is a 5-9, 150-pound midfielder and forward from Falmouth, Maine. He is joining the Black Bears as a fifth-year senior after spending four years playing for the University of Connecticut. Prior to Connecticut, he was a three-time state champion at Falmouth High School. He was twice named All-New England and in 2002 was named an All-American along with being the Gatorade and NSCAA Maine Player of the Year. "Pat is a hungry player who has decided to use his last year of eligibility at Maine," said Laughlin. "I have been impressed with Pat as a player since seeing him play at the U-17 age group. He is a dynamic one-vs-one player who should create some match up problems." Kyle LeDuc is a 6-4, 200-pound back from Topsham, Maine. He will join Maine as a junior after spending the last two seasons at Providence College. Providence advanced to the NCAA Tournament in both 2005 and 2006. At Mt. Ararat High School, he was named an All-Eastern Maine selection twice and the team won a state championship. "Kyle is a player that has a great physical presence and loves the game of soccer," said Laughlin. "The past two years he has been a part of a very successful Providence College program. I expect him to bring toughness, experience, and help lead the backline this fall." Thomas McCole is a 6-0, 165-pound midfielder from Toronto, Ontario. He was captain and two-time MVP at Cardinal Newman. McCole was a Golden Boot Winner of OYSL with Olympic Flame Soccer Club. He also is a member of the Canadian National Training Center and is currently training with Winstars Soccer Academy under Bobby Graham. "Tom is a player that came to my attention this fall while playing for the Winstars Soccer Academy," said Laughlin. "He was the first recruit I called when I was named the head coach at the University of Maine. He is a dynamic two way midfielder who possess great stamina. He is a player who will make an impact for the Black Bears in his career." Jon Planer is a 6-3, 170-pound goalkeeper from Yarmouth, Maine. He was a captain and three-year letterwinner at Yarmouth High School, which won two state championships. Planer was an All-State, All-Western Maine and All-Conference selection. He also won a state title with the Coastal Soccer Club. "Jon is an athletic player who has his best years ahead of him," said Laughlin. "We feel that he is going to really develop with consistent training at college. His discipline and desire to succeed can be seen in being named All-State in both soccer and swimming." Alex Rickett is a 5-9, 150-pound midfielder from Northville, Michigan. He was an All-State selection at Northville High School. He also played for the Michigan Wolves club team, coached by Brian Doyle, which were Michigan State Champions and USYSA Region II semifinalists in 2006. "Alex comes out of the Michigan Wolves club program," said Laughlin. "He is a technical player that can play both wide right and left in midfield. He should adjust quickly to college with his abilities and experience." Brendan Rogers is a 5-10, 165-pound back and midfielder from Wakefield, Rhode Island. Last season he redshirted at Hofstra University and will have four years of eligibility at Maine. At South Kingstown High School, he was team captain and an All-State selection his senior season. He was twice named All-Division and also played club soccer with MidState United. "Brendan is a player that I know well as I coached him with the Rhode Island 87 ODP team," said Laughlin. "He is a versatile, physical player who will challenge for playing time in both the back and midfield." Kyle Shangraw is a 6-0, 175-pound forward from Westbrook, Maine. He will be joining the Black Bears as a junior after playing at Bryant and Stratton College for two years, both of which ranked in the top fifteen in the NJCAA and were NJCAA Region III finalists. He was named NJCAA All-Region, All-Conference and All-Western New York. As team captain at Westbrook, he was named an All-State selection and team's leading scorer. "Kyle is an explosive player who is a tough competitor," said Laughlin. "His experience playing at Bryant and Stratton has prepared him to play at the NCAA Division I level." Corey Sinclair is a 5-9, 175-pound back from Richland, Washington. He will join Maine as a junior, transferring from Northwest University and Walla Walla Community College. He started 25 games at Walla Walla, helping his team to a 22-1-2 record and a NWACC regular season title. At Richland High School, he was team captain, league MVP and first team All-State. "Corey is an outstanding athlete who brings experience and collegiate success with him to Maine," said Laughlin. "I expect him to come in and make a contribution immediately." Mikael Wasiuk is a 6-1, 165-pound midfielder from Leesburg, Virginia. As a junior, he was team captain, MVP and a first-team All-District selection. He is team captain this season as well, with the season currently in progress. Wasiuk also played for Reston FC and has played internationally while in Sweden. "Mikael is a very creative player who is comfortable on the ball," said Laughlin. "His development is a product of the youth club system in Sweden where he spent the majority of his life growing up." All National Letter of Intent signings and commitments are contingent upon admission to the University of Maine and compliance with all NCAA rules and regulations, including registration with the NCAA Clearinghouse. The Black Bears' 2007 men's soccer schedule will be announced in late May. For more information on University of Maine Athletics, visit www.GoBlackBears.com.
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