Over the past year, former U.S. national men’s soccer midfielder Claudio Reyna has served as a mentor to Red Hook striker Kyle Murphy.
And, now, Murphy and Reyna, who made 112 appearances for this country from 1994-2006, have something in common. Both will have played in what many regard as the top league in college soccer – the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Murphy, a 17-goal scorer in each of the last two seasons, has verbally committed to play at Clemson University in South Carolina next fall. According to Murphy, he and the school are still working out the details of his scholarship, but he will sign a national letter of intent in February.
“To do this, it’s unreal,” said Murphy, also recruited by Boston College, Bucknell and UNC-Wilmington. “I could not be happier. The ACC probably produces more professional players than any other conference in the country. To be a part of something like that, is unbelievable.”
Murphy, an attacking player, began playing with Reyna’s Under-18 New York Soccer Club team in Westchester County last year. He put in a word for Murphy at his alma mater, the University of Virginia, where Reyna, 37, helped the Cavaliers to three national championships (1991-93). Nothing came out of Reyna’s plug of Murphy at Virginia.
However, first-year Clemson coach Mike Noonan began recruiting Murphy earlier this year after seeing him at showcases in Potomac, Md. and Cincinnati, Ohio. Clemson finished 6-12-1 last year, losing to Wake Forest – ranked third in the country at the time – 3-0 in last year’s ACC quarterfinals.
Murphy, one of nine returning starters for Red Hook this season, expects to play striker or outside midfielder for Clemson.
“Kyle is a guy, I’ve known him, or known of him, for a long time,” Red Hook coach Steve Sutton said. “He’s worked hard for 15 years and it’s paid off. I can’t wait to get to see him play at Clemson, or on TV, this is a great opportunity for him.”
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Justin Rodriguez
Delaware Valley (Pa.) football starts off season with Beantown road trip
Of course, Delaware Valley (Pa.) running back Chris Cohen gets amped up for home games.
However, he actually doesn’t mind a road trip: The bus ride gives him a little extra time to focus on making cuts and blocks under the Friday night lights.
Cohen, a senior, will have plenty of time to draw up plays in his head for Delaware Valley’s season opener on Friday. The Warriors travel to White Stadium in Boston to take on El Toro (Calif.) at 7:30 p.m.
“I think it’s going to be fun, a great experience for everyone,” Cohen said. “This is a little longer, but we are always up for something like this. I think it’s a good way to start the season.”
In the past, Delaware Valley has traveled to the state of Florida for games. Coach Keith Olsommer, entering his 12th season, said the Beantown trip was lined up last year through the Kaylee Scholarship Association. Olsommer and his charges will watch Boston College’s season-opener against Weber State on Saturday.
The Warriors, which went 5-6 last season, return just five starters: sophomore quarterback Bryan Schor, Cohen, senior offensive/defensive tackle Brandon Clemons, sophomore tight end Connor Decker and center Jack Fagan, a sophomore. El Toro went 8-4 last year.
“El Toro is supposed to be pretty good,” Olsommer said. “That’s why we wanted to play them. These are the type of teams we play in the (Pa.) district playoffs. This will make us better.”