As of April 9. the Seton Hall men's and women's soccer teams have gained depth as the Athletic Department announced that the men's program signed two recruits while the women's squad inked five players to National Letters of Intent.
Kevin Bonder and Maximiliano Garcia have signed on to play for the men's program for the 2010-11 season.
Bonder is a goalkeeper hailing from Whippany Park High School in Whippany, NJ. As a senior, he was named "Daily Record" Player of The Year, Independence Division Player of the Year and First Team All-Morris County.
Garcia is a local standout from Jersey City, where he played forward for Dickinson High School. Throughout his career there, he scored 110 goals, a school record. As a senior, he was named to First Team All-State, All-Hudson County and All-Group IV teams.
"It's good to have fresh blood, especially when we're still in recovery mode, when some guys are still physically recovering," men's head coach Manny Schellschiedt said.
The women's soccer team secured Brittany Albrecht, Ashley Clarke, Meghan Hayes, Kaitlyn Ritter, and Amie Ruhe.
"We have a great group of freshman coming in," women's head coach Kazbek Tambi said. "They are seasoned, experienced players who can compete for time on the field."
Albrecht, out of Mahwah, NJ, had 40 goals and 32 assists in her senior season and has played internationally, with her team winning the Trivioli World Cup Championship in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Clarke, out of Paramus, NJ, has played for Tambi before on his World Class Arsenal Hawks Cup Team.
"The great thing about her is that she's a very versatile player, she can play many positions on the field," Tambi said.
Hayes attended Kittatinny Regional High School, where she led the team in scoring in each of her four years. In 2009, she won Conference Player of the Year and Mugs Media Player of the year.
Ritter, out of Hagerstown, Md., attended North Hagerstown High School where she was a three-time First Team All-County recipient.
Ruhe comes to the Pirates from Monrovia, Md. and was a four-year starter at Urbana High School. She was a three-time First Team All-Area and First Team All-Conference.
In addition to the announcement of new players, both men's and women's soccer programs have released the schedules for the 2010-2011 season.
The men's program will start their season on Sept. 3 against Wake Forest, who finished last season 17-4-3 and lost in the NCAA Championship National Semifinals to Virginia. The Pirates will take on their second straight ACC opponent on Sept. 5, when they face off against the University of North Carolina.
"It's big fish to fry, right off the bat," Schellscheidt said. "I want the players to get into very good games, because when they leave Seton Hall, they'll remember who they played against, and type of games they played in for the rest of their lives."
The Pirates' home opener is scheduled for Sept. 10 against Boston University. The Big East Championship will start on Nov. 3 with the Semifinals and Finals being held at Red Bull Stadium in Harrison, NJ.
The women's regular season starts at Fordham on Aug 22.
"The early part of our season is a puzzle for our team, to see who is prevailing early on," Tambi said of the schedule.
The Pirates will open at home against Maryland on Sept. 8, and their Big East will begin against rival Rutgers on Sept. 17 at Owen T. Carroll Field.
David Rind can be reached at david.rind@student.shu.edu.
