|
|
|
Adeyami and Frias Continue Long List of Post RU Men's Soccer Success Stories; Duo Will be Playing for D3 National Championship This Weekend RADFORD, VA - - Walk into the Dedmon Center on Monday afternoon and sitting there checking ID's is former RU men's soccer player Mike Adeyami. A further walk on campus you might run into Jonathan Frais, Adeyami's Highlander teammate from a season ago. Both were members of RU's back-to-back Big South Conference championships in 1999 and 2000. And both have exhausted their eligibility and are back to finish their degree this fall. If you follow Highlander soccer, or if you don't, you might have known that. But what goes unnoticed as Adeyami runs ID's through the machine, is that less than 48-hours ago, he was in Boston, MA celebrating his biggest goal of his career and the biggest goal in the Greenville (SC) Lions history. You see, Adeyami and Frias are members of the Greenville Lions of the D3 Professional Soccer League. And thanks to Adeyami's second goal of the match, less than a minute into sudden death, both will be playing for the D3 National Championship this Saturday against the Utah Blitzz in Salt Lake City, UT. A week earlier Frias helped advance the Lions to the semi-fianls by converting his penelty kick in the shootout as to lead Greenville to a 4-3 shootout victory over Wilmington. "I've been playing soccer since my senior year of high school ('97) and I have alway's come up one or two games short of making the NCAA tournament or championship game" said Adeyami. "I was not going to go out like that again." For the novice soccer fans, the D3 Professional Soccer League is the only Division III professional league in the United States. A step below the Division II A League, the D3 plays an integral role in the development of professional players and can be likened to the Class AA level of Minor League Baseball. An even more ironic twist ti the story is that they are playing for a professional team in the city inwhich their collegiate career's ended almost 10-monthh's earier in an NCAA play-in game to Furman University. It was the second time in as many seasons Furman ended Adeyami, Frias and the Highlanders season. Instead of giving up on the game, Adeyami and Frias were instremental in the Greenville Lions turnaround. The Lions in their first season of existence, posting an incredible 7-1 record in August after finishing 5-10-3 during the regular season . The Lions have overcome a midseason coaching change and an extensive roster overhaul to just narrowly make the playoffs. Even more, in the Greenville's three playoff victories over Carolina, Wilmington and Boston, the Lions were playing at the other team's home field.
Many RU graduates have gone on to productive professional careers including Ian Spooner, Troy Washington, Sasha Drouin and Jason Gvozdas. Coupled with the success of junior forward T.J. Rolfing capturing 2001 Professional Development League Rookie-of-the-Year honors and John Fosu named to the 2001 PDL all-tournament team for the Sioux Fall (SD) Spitfire, there is no reason to think that this trend will not continue. "I owe everything to Radford University for giving me the chance to play collegite soccer and afford me the opportunity to to continue playing career at this level" as Adeyami is quick to credit his RU experience. "Coach (Spencer Smith) not only perpares you to be the best soccer player you can be, but a better individual. I think that that's why RU soccer players have been so successful." Adameyi and Frias will finally play for the national championship this weekend. Even though they will be representing Greenville, the city which their collegiate dreams of playing in the NCAA Tournament were dashed in each of the last two seasons. Don't think thier Radford University experience will be forgotten. This weekend, Adameyi and Frias may finally be able to celebrate in Greenville. |
|
August 27, 2001 |
