Posted 2:42 PM by Emmett
Geoduck men’s soccer adds nine recruits, eyes return to glory days

OLYMPIA -- Tom Boatright and Andy Hill played for The Evergreen State College men’s soccer team when the Geoducks were a Top 10 team in the NAIA rankings back in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Beginning their first full season as Evergreen’s co-coaches, the pair are banking on nine new recruits – all from Washington – to help lift the program back to its former level of success.

“We will take a big step toward rebuilding this program in our first full season,” said Hill, who along with Boatright, took over the team after Evergreen made a mid-season coaching change in 2001. “The players coming into the program will change the foundation for Evergreen Men’s soccer for years to come.”

The recruiting class announced Thursday includes, Shawn O’Niel (Onalaska), Jake Taylor (Peninsula CC), Kris Bowers (Stadium), Luke Aurther (Federal Way), Eric Chamberlin (Kentwood), Joe Erickson (Walla Walla CC), Dan Hicker (Tacoma CC), Josh Vantine (Olympia) and Jason Gjertzen (Tacoma).

Evergreen also announced the return to the program of Chris Pugh, a former South Puget Sound CC star who led Evergreen’s attack in 2000 before taking last season off.

“Chris Pugh is a very talented soccer player and will be a great example and leader for this program to build on. We are very glad that Chris chose to rejoin the program, he is a talented enough player so that he had many options of where he could finish his college soccer and he chose Evergreen, that will mean a great deal to the program, ” Boatright said.

Returning from Evergreen’s 2001 team, which recorded the Geoduck men’s first three victories since the 1998 season will be Justin Connell, Kinnan Murray, Dave Zebley, Dave Rack, Jonah Millet, Kolby Bray-Hoagland, Ryan Schechert and starting goalkeeper Tommy Kneeshaw, perhaps the most talented ‘keeper in the Cascade Conference.

Jimmy Nagle, a senior captain for the Geoducks a year ago and Jason Rojo, a top local goalkeeper coach, will assist Boatright and Hill.

Evergreen opens the season Friday, August 30, at 12 noon when it hosts Whitworth in the opening game of the first Arno Zoske Invitational Tournament, an event named for the legendary Geoduck coach who called the shots when Hill and Boatright played. Other teams in the tourney will include Northwest College, from Kirkland, and Capilano College, from British Columbia.