On Wednesday, April 27, 2022, five Souderton seniors were recognized for committing to continue their soccer careers at the collegiate level. To view photos of the event by Keith Clemens Photography, please click on the following link: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/p315589754
Dillon Barbieri – West Chester University (Soccer)
Major: Business
Final list of colleges: West Chester, Jefferson
Reasons for choosing West Chester: “I chose West Chester because they acted more like a family.”
Favorite high school sports memory: “Beating North Penn my junior year.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in soccer at the collegiate level? “I’ve been playing soccer my whole life, and I always wanted to play at the next level.”
Coach Matt Benner says: “Dillon is a very, very skilled player and a heck of an athlete. During his time with us, he played all over the field – from the back, central midfielder, and he also played up top. He’s just such a competitor and such a skilled player. He can really be a difficult matchup for anybody that he comes up against. His blend of physicality and technique and athleticism will make him a really, really good fit for the PSAC. I think he’s going to have a lot of success at West Chester. I can’t wait to see what happens.”
About Dillon:
Favorite food: General Tsos
Favorite movie: Kung Fu Panda
Favorite music: Boogie wit da Hoodie
Brandon Fornwall – Delaware Valley University (Soccer)
Major: Business Administration
Final list of colleges: Delaware Valley, Wilkes
Reasons for choosing Delaware Valley: “I chose Del Val because I really liked the coach and the guys on the team.”
Favorite high school sports memory: “My favorite memory is scoring the game-winner against Neshaminy with under a minute left in the game this past season.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in soccer at the collegiate level? “I’ve been playing soccer my whole life, and my parents started pushing me really hard to think about college and what I really wanted to do, and I just went for it.”
Coach Matt Benner says: “Brandon is a player who just continued to get better and better with each passing year, and his role on the team continued to grow. He’s a guy who was able to put himself in the right positions and presses the other team’s back line really well. He’s very athletic when he gets into the box and can finish in a number of different ways. He scored some big goals for us as a senior. He’s one of those guys – he might not have been the first guy on the scouting report of the other team, but by the end of 80 minutes against us, they certainly knew who he was. It will be hard to replace some of the things he did out wide for us this year.”
About Brandon:
Favorite food: Steak
Favorite movie: Grown Ups
Favorite music: Rap
Ethan Hagelgans – Delaware Valley University (Soccer)
Major: Science
Final list of colleges: Del Val, Wilson
Reasons for choosing Delaware Valley: “I chose Delaware Valley because I had a strong connection with the coach.”
Favorite high school sports memory: “My favorite memory was not making the soccer team freshman and sophomore years because it pushed me to become the player I am today.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in soccer at the collegiate level? “I’ve been playing soccer my whole life, and playing in college was always a dream.”
Thomas Smith – Elizabethtown College (Soccer)
Major: Business Analytics
Final list of colleges: Elizabethtown, Franklin & Marshall
Reasons for choosing Elizabethtown: “The reason I went with Elizabethtown was mainly because of the coach and the soccer team.”
Favorite high school sports memory: “My favorite memory is scoring the overtime winner against Upper Dublin my sophomore year.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in soccer at the collegiate level? “My dad and my brother both played soccer, so I’ve been playing since a young age.”
Coach Matt Benner says: “Thomas was our rock in the back for four years. He started for us since he was a freshman, and he’s just a fantastic ball winner and has a great understanding and vision of the game. He always seemed like he was a step ahead of others, and he’s a guy that everybody had to take note of because of his size and his presence in the box on both ends of the field. He continued to step up his role with each passing year. This past season he scored goals on so many set pieces and restarts. He was a target for us. Everybody had to know where he was at all times. He’s a guy who can do it all on both sides of the ball, and I think he’ll have a lot of success when he’s at E-town because he’ll have the opportunity to step in there and play right away, and I’m sure he’ll do great things.”
About Thomas:
Favorite food: Pasta
Favorite movie: Super Bad
Favorite music: Rap
Elijah Yoder – Arcadia University (Soccer)
Major: Actuarial Science
Final list of colleges: Arcadia, Lebanon Valley
Reasons for choosing Arcadia: “I chose Arcadia because when I visited – Arcadia felt more like home.”
Favorite high school sports memory: “When we beat North Penn my junior year because it was the first time we’d done it in a while, and it was a big win in the context of the season.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in soccer at the collegiate level? “I’ve been playing soccer my whole life – I guess because my dad played it I wanted to play it too. I didn’t want to stop playing.”
Coach Matt Benner says: “Elijah is probably one of the most technical kids that we had on our team. He’s able to bring the ball down in tight spaces, control the ball really well, use both feet, and he can hit a ball as well. He hits a really, really solid ball – whether it’s in the run of play or from restarts. He’s another guy very similar to Thomas. He understands where to be, makes good decisions. He’s a very smart player, and I think he’ll do really well at Arcadia.”
About Elijah:
Favorite food: Pizza
Favorite movie: Lion King
Favorite artist: Juice Wrld
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