2012 Boys Soccer Verbal Commitments

[Unregistered]

Don't be such a snob. UMass has quite a lot to offer and not so steep a price tag. I work with a lot of UMass grads and they are excellent, top notch employees.

First of all, I want to start by saying congrats to the player. No matter where he is going - good for him. From experience, I say go for the fit academically, socially, athletically and most of all financially. It's what we have done.

Now, listen to what is going on in this conversation. You can accept taking a big step down academically because it is still Division I, correct? Don't start with the comparisons. Holy Cross is highly regarded school. UMass is a good school with some great alumn and opportunities. Are you the same person who would be up in arms if someone gave up a Division I school to attend and academcally superior Div III school? The conversation would immediately turn sour. It's ok in your book because it's Div I soccer?

[Unregistered]

First of all, I want to start by saying congrats to the player. No matter where he is going - good for him. From experience, I say go for the fit academically, socially, athletically and most of all financially. It's what we have done.

Now, listen to what is going on in this conversation. You can accept taking a big step down academically because it is still Division I, correct? Don't start with the comparisons. Holy Cross is highly regarded school. UMass is a good school with some great alumn and opportunities. Are you the same person who would be up in arms if someone gave up a Division I school to attend and academcally superior Div III school? The conversation would immediately turn sour. It's ok in your book because it's Div I soccer?

It's ok in my book because I have seen that UMass can turn out top notch, well educated grads who go on to be talented, motivated and hard working employees. I couldn't care less what division soccer they offer so don't put words in my mouth. Plus, I didn't say HC isn't highly regarded - I know quite well the great value of a HC diploma. I'm merely stating my opinion that a person can go to UMass, emerge with a great education and less debt, and go on to be a top performer for an employer. Oh, and maybe play their sport at the D1 level if that's important to them. And if someone gives up the opportunity to play D1 to go to an "academically superior" D3, well then I say good for them. In fact my daughter did that two years ago.

[Unregistered]

Does this maybe say something about what type of financial package was being offered by Holy Cross? When you compare the two colleges the biggest disparity one will note is the cost of attending the school.

[Unregistered]

Does this maybe say something about what type of financial package was being offered by Holy Cross? When you compare the two colleges the biggest disparity one will note is the cost of attending the school.

Don't know this specific situation, however with the skyrocketing costs of attending college, if the cost of attending a specific college vs aid (financial, athletic, academic) is not one of the important decision points in the college process then you are living a a very different world than I am. Not the most important decision point, but one that was weighed heavily amongst some other criteria by my student.

[Unregistered]

Don't know this specific situation, however with the skyrocketing costs of attending college, if the cost of attending a specific college vs aid (financial, athletic, academic) is not one of the important decision points in the college process then you are living a a very different world than I am. Not the most important decision point, but one that was weighed heavily amongst some other criteria by my student.

Agree. In addition, if the difference between the two colleges financial packages is 10,000-15,000/year, a family can go ahead and multiply that amount by (hopefully only) 4 years, or 40,000-60,000.

[Unregistered]

This has been said a thousand times, but how can people pass judgment on what other people choose? It is one thing to get on folks for being phony or overstrategizing and being overly obsessed with elitism, but the snob factor here is just ridiculous.

Just saying that a kid can do just as well at UMass as at private or otherwise higher ranked schools feeds into the whole thing. I absolutely believe that is true. A kid can go to UMass and excel, and there are more resources there and a wider range of options than any NESCAC. But to get into this falls into the trap of trying to define what mythical line in the sand determines acceptable from unacceptable. It depends on the kid and his/her situation! Some kids will fare better and be more successful if they go to Curry.

Over and over, and every day on almost every single thread, it is proven that this site and the world of elite youth soccer (at least in MA) are about college admissions and the obsession with elitism.

[Unregistered]

This has been said a thousand times, but how can people pass judgment on what other people choose? It is one thing to get on folks for being phony or overstrategizing and being overly obsessed with elitism, but the snob factor here is just ridiculous.

Just saying that a kid can do just as well at UMass as at private or otherwise higher ranked schools feeds into the whole thing. I absolutely believe that is true. A kid can go to UMass and excel, and there are more resources there and a wider range of options than any NESCAC. But to get into this falls into the trap of trying to define what mythical line in the sand determines acceptable from unacceptable. It depends on the kid and his/her situation! Some kids will fare better and be more successful if they go to Curry.

Over and over, and every day on almost every single thread, it is proven that this site and the world of elite youth soccer (at least in MA) are about college admissions and the obsession with elitism.

Lighten up Francis.

Like it or not, people in the world make judgements. And one of the primary areas of judgement in the world of gainful employment is where a person went to college. It's a fact of life. That doesn't mean that everyone that went to school A is a genius and everyone that went to school B will be an utter failure in life. But the fact of the matter is that certain schools have higher admissions standards than others. Certain schools have more qualified faculty than others. And society initially judges graduates of those more selective schools more favorably than graduates of other schools. In the end, each person will succeed or fail based on his own efforts, knowledge, judgement, and decisions and not only because of the school from where one graduated.

But initial impressions in our society are definitely influenced by one's alma mater. Like it or not. No need to get angry about it....just prove to people that the first impression isn't always the right one.

[Unregistered]

Lighten up Francis.

Like it or not, people in the world make judgements. And one of the primary areas of judgement in the world of gainful employment is where a person went to college. It's a fact of life. That doesn't mean that everyone that went to school A is a genius and everyone that went to school B will be an utter failure in life. But the fact of the matter is that certain schools have higher admissions standards than others. Certain schools have more qualified faculty than others. And society initially judges graduates of those more selective schools more favorably than graduates of other schools. In the end, each person will succeed or fail based on his own efforts, knowledge, judgement, and decisions and not only because of the school from where one graduated.

But initial impressions in our society are definitely influenced by one's alma mater. Like it or not. No need to get angry about it....just prove to people that the first impression isn't always the right one.

I'm not angry about it. My kids go to colleges that are considered elite. I am just amazed, though, at the gall of others to critique the choices of others as though they can presume what is best for them. If a kid goes to Juniata and gets in Harvard Med or goes to Kalamazoo and wins a Rhodes Scholarship, is that good enough?

And people here act like every kid could just go to Harvard. There is such entitlement and distortion. Harvard takes less than 6% out of a pool of world class applicants but every soccer kid talked about on this site should be expected to go there?

[Unregistered]

Congratulations to all of the boys and their families. Enjoy college and best of luck on & off the field.

D1
Colin Sweeney-Revs -High Point
Jay Marchand-Bolts-UMass
Devin Devoy-NE Revs-Northeastern
Derrick "Nana" Boateng-NEFC-Boston College
Oliver White-Nobles-Blazers-Harvard*Gatorade POY MA
Eijah Soko-Brooks-Seacoast-Dartmouth
Pablo Espinola-BB&N-Bolts-Yale
Michael Bloom-Phillips Academy-Lafayette
Edward Gonzalez-Berkshire School-American University
Jack Blatchford- FCGB Bolts- URI
Fabio Machado-Leominster HS-Drexel
Jack Hilger-Hopkinton HS-Revs- Princeton
Peter Alvarenga-Sandwich-Cape Cod Reunited-UMass
Marco Addonizio-Lynnfield-FC Greater Boston-Bryant
Victor Parra-Bolts-URI
Alex Wallace-Algonquin-MPS Bulldogs-Depaul
Kyle van Cleef-Sandwich-Cape Cod Reunited-Hartwick
Justin Kody-Algonquin-Bolts-Quinnipiac
Joe Festa-Medford HS-FC Blazers-Harvard
Tanner Jobe-Nipmuc-Bolts-Central Ct St

D2

AJ MacDougall-Newburyport-Seacoast-St Anselms
Nick Hoffman-Quabbin-Bentley
Sam Paul - Winchester High - Sachems FC - Saint Anselm's
Will Marcal-Bolts-Franklin Pierce
Mason Moynihan-Dighton-MPS Bulldogs-AIC
Douglas Searl-Westford Academy-AC Milan- Merrimack
Constantinos Vakalfotis-Bridgton Academy-AC Milan-Merrimack
Alec Cerqueira-Peabody HS-AIC


D3

Noah Le Gros-Phillips Academy-NEFC-Wesleyan
Eric Nesto-Milton Academy-Blazers-Colby
Ben Toulette-Milton Academy-MPS-Wesleyan
Jonathan Westling-Phillips Academy-SFV-Williams
Liam Gaziano-Rox Latin-MPS-Washington and Lee
Harry Copeland-St. Marks-MPS- St. Lawrence
Sam Hewat-Phillips Academy-Colorado College
Max Montanari-Aztecs-Babson
James Rosso-MPS Crusaders-Babson
Alex Becker-MPS-Ithaca
Chris Walker-Jacks-CC -Hobart
Josh Voto-FC Stars-Tufts
Ben Sia-FC Stars-Babson
Jack Vogel-Nobles-Blazers-Trinity
Forest Sisk-Lincoln Sudbury-Amherst
Tyler Zon-Noles & Greenough-Swarthmore
Flavio Carvahlo-New Bedford-UMass Dart
Josh Hacunda-Bolts-Brandeis
Adrian Reifsnyder-Roxbury Latin-Bolts-Wesleyan
Kenn Fryer-Bolts-Brandeis
Dan Vogel-Bolts-Colby College
Paulo Lopes-Gloucester-Winchester Sachems-St Joe's
Jonathan Harper-Westwood-NEFC-Dickinson
Myles O'Neil-Phillips Andover-Bolts-Emory University
Daniel Adair-Foxboro HS-FC Blazers-Conn College
Kurt Naughler-Westford Academy-FC Blazers-WPI
Ryan Nadeau-Maynard HS-FC Blazers-UNC Pembrooke
Sam Hunter-Dover Sherborn-FC Blazers-Union College
Malcolm Joseph-Lincoln Sudbury HS-FC Blazers-Trinity
Grant Bean-St Johns Prep-Aztecs-Skidmore
Sam Connor-Northampton-Western-Augsburg College
Nico Pascual Leone-Wayland HS-MPS-Amherst
Will Poss-Phillips Andover-Amherst

[Unregistered]

Looking forward to watching UMASS play over the next couple of years. WIth JM and PA joining Matt Keyes the future for the Minuteman looks bright. PA pumped in two goals yesterday vs., NEFC.

[Unregistered]

Looking forward to watching UMASS play over the next couple of years. WIth JM and PA joining Matt Keyes the future for the Minuteman looks bright. PA pumped in two goals yesterday vs., NEFC.

Why isn't he playing DAP?

[Unregistered]

No need to play DAP, PA is more then just a soccer player. CCRU just beat the Blazers 1-0. Hartwick is getting a good goalie!

[Unregistered]

where is Hartwick, never heard of it, new school...

[Unregistered]

where is Hartwick, never heard of it, new school...

Wow. If it's not a NESCAC or ACC school then it's out of everyone's comfort and knowledge zones. Hartwick is a D1 program that has about a 30 year history as long of the nation's top collegiate soccer programs. When you visit, make sure you stop by the Soccer Hall of Fame.

[Unregistered]

Wow. If it's not a NESCAC or ACC school then it's out of everyone's comfort and knowledge zones. Hartwick is a D1 program that has about a 30 year history as long of the nation's top collegiate soccer programs. When you visit, make sure you stop by the Soccer Hall of Fame.

Unfortunately, the soccer hall of fame went bankrupt and the collection is in storage. The SHoF is homeless.