Santa Clara Men's Soccer Signs Eight to National Letters of Intent
March 6, 2008
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Santa Clara men's soccer announced today that the program has signed eight players to national letters of intent. The eight players will enter Santa Clara in the fall of 2008 and should make an immediate impact on the program. The Broncos signed Chance Bennett, Brian Brungger, Murphy Campbell, Keith Cowdrey, Peter Fitschen, Robert Kempf, Caleb McKee and Connor Mitchell. "With a big group of players graduating, we needed to sign a big class," said head coach Cameron Rast. "We are very excited about this incoming group. They fill needs for us in a lot of different areas and they should fit right into the Santa Clara community." Bennett is a midfielder from Vallejo, who is scheduled to graduate from The Branson School in June. He played four seasons for Branson under head coach Tom Ryan, while also playing for Cal-North's State ODP team. At Branson, he was named the Offensive Player of the Year and an All-MCAL First Team selection. He was named a 2007 All-American for his play with the state team and the Region IV ODP team. A left-sided player, Brungger comes to Santa Clara from Torrey Pines High School in San Diego. He helped lead his high school to a CIF Championship, while being named all-district twice. He played for Cal-South's ODP team as well as the Region IV ODP team. Brungger can play in the back and in midfield for the Broncos. Another addition to the midfield will be Murphy Campbell, who helped lead Federal Way Senior High School (Wash.) to a state runner-up finish in 2007. He was named all-district as a freshman, sophomore and junior at Federal Way, while serving as the team captain for the past three seasons. He is also a member of the elite club, Crossfire, which is a member of the U.S. Development Academy program. An excellent athlete, Campbell also ran track and cross country in high school. Cowdrey arrives at SCU from Maryland to bolster the defensive corps. He played his high school soccer for DeMatha Catholic in Hyattsville, Md. He is a two-time All-Washington Catholic Athletic Conference selection and served as a captain his senior year. In club soccer, he played for the Casa Mia Bays in 2006 and 2007, helping them win the national championship in 2006. He also played for the Maryland state team.
After three years playing at Villa Park High School (Calif.), Fitschen will bolster the midfield and forward lines next season for the Broncos. In his three seasons at Villa Park, he scored 30 goals and notched 22 assists while earning all-league honors twice and the league MVP as a junior. He participated in the U.S. Development Academy as a senior. He was also a member of the Cal-South and Region IV ODP teams. Robert Kempf will add another option in the net for the Broncos. The Minnesota native played for Shattuck-St. Mary's high school under Tim Carter. He also played in the Midwest Premier League in 2006 and 2007, while winning the state cup in 2005 and 2007. He played four seasons for the Minnesota ODP team. Another Midwest product, McKee is a native of St. Louis, where he played for Chaminade College Prep. He comes from an athletic family, as he father played football at Missouri, while two of his older brothers played Division I college sports also. His brother, Cooper, played soccer for Stanford. McKee helped lead Chaminade to the Missouri state championship and a No. 4 national ranking in 2006. Rounding out the class is Connor Mitchell, an excellent goal scorer who can play both at forward and in the midfield. He is a three-time Intermountain Conference Player of the Year and was the 2006 5A State Player of the Year for Bend Senior High School (Ore.). He is a four-time all-state player who also played club soccer for the Eastside United FC Eagles. He led the Eagles to the 2007 state championship. Along with a number of other players in this year's class, he was a member of the Region IV ODP team. |
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