Former Cutters Soccer Club member Galen Cassady was named the Summit League “Defensive Player of the Week” for his defensive contribution and game winning goal against rival Oakland on Saturday, Oct 2nd.   Galen is the son of former club president Michael Cassady.  Galen is joined on the IUPUI team with his younger brother Mason.

Cassady earns his first career award after scoring the game-winning goal from his defensive position in IUPUI’s 2-1 victory that handed Oakland its first regular season league loss since 2006. The goal was the first of Cassady’s collegiate career and lifted the Jaguars’ to their first triumph over the Golden Grizzlies since 2002. Defensively, Cassady was responsible for marking Makesi Lewis, OU’s team leader in shot attempts and shots on goal, and limited him to one shot on goal during the match.

Click here for the full press release from IUPUI

Long time 92/93 Cutter’s player Anne Zerfas recently committed to play soccer for the Butler Bulldogs starting in the fall of 2011.  “Butler is a great school and a great fit for Anne to combine her academic pursuits and desire to play soccer in college”, said Tom Berry, Director of Coaching for the Cutters Soccer Club.   “From the time Anne was a young player she always demonstrated a lot of bravery in taking players on to create scoring chances.  That’s something the staff and I tried to encourage and she has become very difficult to defend and prevent from scoring.  I think Butler really likes that about her and believes she’ll be able to use those skills successfully at Butler.”  The Cutters Soccer Club wishes Anne great success with her future Butler team.

Dylan Lax

Andy Kaplan

Dylan Lax and Andy Kaplan have both committed to play college soccer beginning this fall.  Lax is headed to Indiana while Kaplan is off to Xavier.  The two players were teammates on the Cutters 92 Red for three years (U15-U17) where they helped the team qualify for the Midwest Regional League.  The team also appeared in the 2009 U17 State Cup final four.  “Dylan and Andy are the kind of players that shake your hand at the end of practice and thank you for the training.  They truly respect the game and appreciate the opportunity to play soccer” said Tom Berry, Director of Coaching for the Cutters Soccer Club.  “I’m not surprised that they have received the opportunity to play in college because they approach soccer the right way and it’s paying off.”  Good luck to both these young men with their new college teams.  The Cutters will be watching.

Weston Hawkins

John Bradford

Former Cutters John Bradford and Weston Hawkins have been voted captains by their IUPUIteammates for the fall 2009 season.  ”John and Weston in their youth soccer days with the Cutters Soccer Club always displayed exceptional determination and leadership.  Weston was a quiet leader, who led by example with disciplined consistency while John was very vocal and enthusiastic at rallying his team during competition.  They are the perfect yin and yang for the Jaguars on field leadership”  said Tom Berry, Director of Coaching for the Cutters Soccer Club.   “Those are characteristics that our club really values and we hope our current members aspire to attain.”  John’s leadership was a big part of the Cutters 2005 State Championship team.

Good luck to the Jaguars and their Bloomington team members for a successful season.

Full Story @ IUPUI website: http://www.iupuijags.com/news/2009/8/28/MSOC_0828093144.aspx

Efiom - front row 4th from left

Long time Cutters 91 Red team member Gregory Efiom has been invited to join the U-20 Nigerian National Team.  Gregory, a local Bloomington player with dual citizenship is headed to Spain to train with the U-20 team in hopes of making the final roster for the U-20 World Cup in Egypt.  Gregory was enrolled at Marshall University this fall to begin his education and college soccer career when the national team came calling.  He will now join the Marshall soccer team in the spring of 2010.  “Greg has always possessed tremendous potential with his lightening pace.  The club is thrilled to see him receive such a wonderful opportunity and honor to play for the Nigerian National Team and we wish him an incredible experience.”  Said Tom Berry, Director of Coaching for the Cutters Soccer Club.  “Greg can change a game in a flash and he may just do that for Nigeria”.

Efiom international (From hoosiertimes)

Bloomington South grad Greg Efiom is putting his college soccer career on hold. It’s the kind of decision you only make when a national team comes calling. For Efiom, it was the Nigerian national team wanting him to participate in the U-20 World Cup next month.

Efiom reported to Marshall earlier this month, arriving on the same day as a letter requesting his release to play in the tournament. The decision wasn’t easy, but coach Bob Gray helped. “He said, ‘This is an opportunity that you can’t really pass up,’” Efiom said. “He said, ‘Most people would kill to have to make this decision.’ I really took that into consideration.”

So now Efiom will wait to begin classes at Marshall in the spring, leaving him his full complement of college eligibity in 2010.

But he leaves from New York Friday to meet the Nigerian team in Spain, where they will train for three weeks. They will also play exhibition matches in Uzbekistan before heading to Egypt to begin pool play against Venezuela, Tahiti and Spain on Sept. 24.

Many of the current players were on the Nigeria team that previously won the U-17 World Cup, so Efiom will be on a team that is among the favorites in Egypt. He will be the only player not already playing professionally with teammates who are members of renowned teams such as AC Milan.

“I’m definitely excited,” Efiom said. “One of my long-term goals is to play in the World Cup.”

Jarrett Baughman

Sam Swihart

Caleb Konstanski

Cutters Caleb Konstanski and Sam Swihart will join the Indiana Hoosiers men’s team next fall for the 2009 season, while Jarrett Baughman is headed to Northwestern. All three players were teammates on the Cutters 91 Red team for the past 5 years. “Jarrett, Sam and Caleb are all a wonderful example to the younger players in our club. These three young men are excellent students, possess incredible passion for soccer and have consistently demonstrated tremendous dedication to achieving their soccer dreams. Make no mistake, they’ve worked hard to earn their collegiate opportunities”, says Tommy Berry, Director of Coaching for the Cutters Soccer Club. “It’s been a pleasure to work with these players and witness their development over the years. I very much look forward to seeing them all out there on Yeagley Field in the not so distant future. The Cutters community should be very proud.” Northwestern and Indiana are both part of the Big Ten Conference and have an annual match-up. This fall Indiana plays at Northwestern. Their return trip to Bloomington is expected for fall 2010. “Sounds like the perfect game for the annual “Cutters Night” at Yeagley field to me”.