Men’s Soccer Inks 11 Players

RADFORD, Va. - Radford University Men’s Soccer Spencer Smith announced the signing of 11 players during the spring signing date. The Highlanders inked a goalkeeper (Stephen Mapp), three defenders (Chris Pertl, Devan Cooley, Oliver Florido), four midfielders (Taylor Jenkins, Tyler Leveski, David Stannard, Armando Romero) and three forwards (Davorin Husadzinovic, Nicholas Leigh, Joseph Sansbury), adding depth to the RU squad.

“I think it’s a decent class. We definitely addressed some of our needs,” said Smith. “No question this class will bring us a lot of depth and a lot of these kids will compete right away.”

Mapp, the goalkeeper, played for Reston Football Club. A 6-1, 200-pound Herndon, Va. native, Mapp has played in Europe and was on the travel list for Coventry Football Club. He earned a #2 national ranking and had the chance to scrimmage the US National Team. He is also an All-State honoree from Westfield High School.

Pertl, Cooley and Florido are the three defenders Smith brought in. Pertl, who has earned Second-Team All District honors as a junior at Osbourn Park High. Pertl also earned a letter for academics at Osbourn Park and played club ball for the Springfield Stealth. Cooley, a Piedmont, SC native, played for the Greenville Futbol Club. He lead the GFC to seven state championships as a seven-year captain. The GFC also won the 2003-2004 Sun Bowl. He is a 5-8, 140-pound T.L. Hanna High School product. Floridio earned All-District honors throughout his career at Washington-Lee High School. A native of Falls Church, Va., Florido also played for Arlington Soccer Club.

Jenkins, Leveski, Stannard and Romero will be the new Highlander midfielders come next season. Jenkins was a VCCL Super Y League Selection as part of his Richmond Magic club team. A 5-10, 180-pound Midlothian, Va. native, Jenkins earned All-District honors for both soccer and academics at Midlothian High School. Leveski, a 5-9, 140-pound Lynchburg, Va. native played for the Lynchburg United and Roanoke Star club teams. He has earned several All-District and All-Region honors, including being named the Seminole District Player of the Year as a junior at Jefferson Forest High School. Leveski is also a member of the Mu Alpha Theta academic fraternity. Stannard was Jenkins’ teammate on the Richmond Magic Club. He also was an All-State standout at Clover Hill High School.

Romero, a 5-9, 145-pound Woodbridge, Va. native, is a transfer from Louisburg College. As a sophomore he garnered All-District and All-Region honors. His club team, Annandale Futbol Club, won the Capital Cup. Romero, a Yorktown High School graduate, was named District Player of the Year as a junior. He was All-District as a sophomore, junior and senior and All-Region and All-Met as a junior and senior.

Husadzinovic, Leigh and Sansbury complete the class as forwards. Husadzinovic earned Offensive Player of the Year honors as a sophomore at Park View High School. He was the MVP of the DCIAA championship team as a junior. As a senior he collected First Team All-District and All-Region honors, while he was named Second Team All-State. A 6-0, 165-pound Sterling, Va. native, he played for the ASC Premier club team. Leigh, a 5-11, 185-pound Manassas, Va. native, was a teammate of Pertl’s at Osbourn Park High. He was a Scholar-Athlete and earned an academic letter in 2000-2001. Leigh also is the all-time leading goal scorer for the Reston Football Club, where he was a teammate of Mapp’s. Sansbury, a teammate of Jenkins’ at Midlothian High School, earned All-District and All-Region honors for the Trojans. He was also honorable mention for All-State. Sansbury who is 6-2, 195-pounds, also played for Richmond Futbol Club.

“I feel like we’ve increased our overall athletic ability.” said Smith. “We’ brought in quality soccer players. I think we’ve also brought in good student-athletes. A lot of these kids are very good students, which is important in our program.”

Radford finished the 2003 season at 8-9-2.