OSSC Strides

4 OSSC Boys Impress 

At Northeast Elite ID Camp At Colgate

Thoughts For Players Seeking To Play College Soccer

Camp info here.

Ryan Tudi, Elijah Morris, Dan Keck and Sam Caton jumped in the deep end of the college recruiting pool, and proved their quality (as well as highlighting the results of considerable efforts put forth over the past several years) among a very talented group of ambitious college soccer hopefuls.  The three day overnight camp at Colgate featured several groups of players; the Hobart College and Colgate University "Futures," or players who will be attending those two institutions this fall.  Then there were the previously-identified 2013 grads the coaches have been recruiting for some time prior to camp.  Then the general population, campers who sought the attention of the coaches in attendance.  For perspective's sake, the college players working the camp as counselors also served as competition for several games against a wide mix of both futures and general campers/all-stars.  These matches gave the campers a very good first-hand glimpse of what the top DIII and DI levels look like, and the coaches an excellent reference point when evaluating the players they were interested in.



Playing as many as four times a day, beginning at 6.30 AM, the kids took a beating.  But the effort was impressive, though several players did downgrade their prospects over the course of the week in the coaches eyes- a risk players must be aware of.  The college soccer community is very small, and someone is always watching.  The OSSC boys hung tough, and did very well.  Tudi, for his part, having begun to focus on soccer just a couple years ago, showed huge improvement over his experience last summer at the same camp.  No longer overwhelmed, he performed solidly, and attracted no attention for errors; indeed he was a solid lineup selection in every match I watched.  Elijah, though young, played well all week, and I suspect learned the value of playing quickly, two-touch stuff, against college-level players.  He certainly did not enjoy the success he has with the U16 squad, but ought to feel he proved himself very capable (with tons of potential yet to realize) against some fine competition.

The GKs, Dan and Sam, if I may risk boasting a little on the efforts of Chris White (Colgate U. Women's GK Coach...Colgate grad and OSSC coach) and yours truly, proved to be in the top 5 out of 23 GKs at the camp in technical terms.  One 2013 boy is being courted seriously by Colgate and was clearly the top dog in this hunt.  However, in terms of mastery of the position, Sam and Dan were solidly at the top of the heap- a credit to their work ethic, athletic abilities and intelligence.

Dan, of course, struggles with his size.  As unfair and beyond his control as such a thing is, his college prospects are daunting simply because of this.  The consolation is that perhaps more than any other GK I have ever worked with (and that list is getting quite long) he is doing more with what he does have going in his favor.  No pissing and moaning here, Dan simply gets on with it, has impossibly high expectations and a positive outlook at all times.  He knows the realities of his dilemma, but fully expects he can learn enough, and be precise enough to make every save.  The hallmarks, basically, of a top-flight competitor.  Some school is going to be very lucky, and pleasantly surprised to find Dan on their roster.  Side by side with the guys at the ID camp, Dan proved his understanding of the position and his technical execution to be as good as anyone in the game...here's hoping for a growth spurt!

Sam, on the other hand, at 6 foot 4, gets a pass on the biggest challenge a GK can face but not change!  However, he hardly has taken a casual approach because of his good genetic fortune, and has matched Dan's efforts in every way to become a happy surprise.  Going into the camp, there was very little attention for Sam from the college ranks.  Coming out, nearly every coach at the camp had taken note of his presence, and while he's not perfect, found him to be an appealing prospect.  SUNY Potsdam, under the relatively new leadership of Adam Parker, have been making some noise in the SUNYAC, and were very happy with Sam's work over the week.  Rensselear Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY thought well of Sam, as did Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh, PA, and most interestingly, the staff of SUNY Albany inquired as to his interest in that institution, and as you may know, that is a Division I program.  Not a bad week.  And those are just the schools that Sam shared with me!  Now he just needs to do his research, speak in detail with the coaches and make a very, very tough choice!

At the end of the week, it was gratifying to walk away from camp (my last official duties at Colgate) having seen our little old OSSC boys proving themselves competitive against some of the best (a couple of FC Delco players, one of two USSF Development Academy programs in PA: PA Classics are the other- as well as players from CA, TX, VA, MN, MI...etc. etc.).  I've said to any boy in the club that will listen that they can all go on to play in college, and these guys proved it over the past week.  And remember too that the U19 team is sending players to try out this fall at: RIT (2 players); TCCC; Buffalo State; and a couple others slipping my mind at press time.  Plus Ty Denton at Sage College (sophomore this fall).  They might not  be heading off to the ACC or whatever, but they are extending their careers, and thereby joining the very, very small minority of players who play at the college level.  The U16s and younger teams have even more potential, and I anticipate tracking them over the next few years with high hopes!