Oklahoma Trio Highlights Tulsa Men's Soccer Recruiting Class
4/9/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
April 9, 2003
Tulsa, Oklahoma - University of Tulsa head men's soccer coach Tom McIntosh announced today the signing of seven players, including three standouts from the state of Oklahoma, for the 2003 season. The 2003 newcomers include Justin Durst (Destin, Fla.), Anthony Holloway (Oklahoma City, Okla.), Jonathan Lange (Flower Mound, Texas), Brian McCurdy (Jenks, Okla.), Matt Thomas (Oklahoma City, Okla.), Ben Turner (Carrollton, Texas) and Cary Wicker (Dallas, Texas).
Durst is a 6'1" transfer from TCU, where he was a back-up goalkeeper for the Horned Frogs before the school de-emphasized the soccer program to a club sport. During the 2002 campaign, Durst started eight of 10 games played and recorded 44 saves against 18 goals allowed for a goals-against-average of 1.98. He received a redshirt during the 2001 season. Prior to TCU, Durst was a three-year letterwinner at Fort Walton Beach (Fla.) High School where he was a three-time all-area goalkeeper.
"Justin is a very athletic goalkeeper that will challenge for a starting position right away," McIntosh said. "He has all the tools, including size, strength, shot-stopping ability and distribution abilities to be a great goalkeeper."
A 5'9" defender, Holloway prepped at Oklahoma City's Bishop McGuinness High School where he was a four-year letterwinner. Holloway tallied four goals and five assists for 13 points as a junior and accounted for three goals and three assists for nine points during his sophomore campaign. As a member of the Royals F.C. Club Team, he led the team to four state championships and the team was a finalist for the Superclub Nationals.
"Anthony is an extremely fast and athletic defender that will challenge for a starting spot during his first season. I feel that he will also help us on the attack out of the back as well as in the midfield depending on where we need him to play," McIntosh said.
Lange is a 6'2" forward who transferred to Tulsa after spending his freshman season at the University of North Carolina. Lange earned a starting assignment in his only appearance in 2002 and attempted four shots in that game. Prior to UNC, Lange was a four-year letterwinner at Flower Mound Marcus High School where he led the team to back-to-back state regional finals during his final two prep seasons.
"Jonathan is an excellent target forward who has a knack for scoring goals from inside the 18-yard box. I believe he will give us a different look up front and will help immediately in the fall," McIntosh said.
A native of nearby Jenks, McCurdy is a 5'11" midfielder who earned three letters in soccer at Jenks High School. He totaled 15 goals and nine assists for 39 points as a junior and registered seven goals and 10 assists for 24 points during his sophomore season. Last year, he was named to the Frontier 6-A all-conference and all-district team. He is the all-time leading scorer for his club team, the Tulsa Nationals, and led the team to a 2002 state title.
"Brian is not only a great person, but he is also a talented player who has a terrific work-rate all over the field. He is a very athletic, technical and versatile soccer player who has a great opportunity to play a number of positions for us," McIntosh said.
Thomas is a 5'7" midfielder who prepped at Oklahoma City's Bishop McGuinness High School and was a teammate with Holloway on the same high school and club team, the Royals F.C. Thomas was an all-district performer as a freshman and was named to the all-city squad as a sophomore. He helped his club team to four state championships and to the Dallas Cup quarterfinals. He spent three years each on the United States and Oklahoma Olympic Development Program regional team.
"Matt is a great technical and tactical midfield player who plays with a tremendous amount of speed and vision. He also possesses a tireless work ethic and excellent leadership skills. I believe he will have an immediate impact on our team in the fall as well as a lasting impression on our program," McIntosh said.
A 6'4" goalkeeper, Turner comes to Tulsa from the University of New Mexico where he spent his freshman season, but did not play. As a prep player at Creekview High School in Dallas, Texas, Turner recorded 14.5 shutouts and was named the District 6-5A and team defensive MVP as a senior. He led CHS to a district and area title and a regional quarterfinal appearance. The team was 23-2-2 during his senior season and was ranked No. 18 in the nation in the Fab 50 Poll. During his junior campaign, he was honorable mention all-district. Turner played for the Andromeda Dallas `84 Blue club team. Off the field, he was a member of the National Honor Society.
"Ben is a very good goalkeeper that has great size and is also good in the air. With some consistent training, I believe he will be able to provide us with depth at the goalkeeper position," McIntosh said.
Wicker is a 6'2" midfielder/defender who was a four-year letterwinner at Greenhill High School in Dallas. As a junior, he was the team MVP and was named to the Dallas Morning News' All-Conference team. He also garnered all-area second team honors and all-area player of the week honors as well during his junior campaign. Wicker was a two-year team captain and three-time member of the All-Southwest Prep Conference first team. He was also named his team's freshman of the year in 2000. During his career, he played for two club teams, the Solar `85 and Texas `85. He helped the Solar `85 to a league title and helped the Texas `85 to three league championships and the squad was a finalist in the state cup four times. He also earned three letters in football where he was a team captain and a member of the All-Southwest Prep Conference first team.
"Cary is a big strong and technical center midfielder who is a very solid ball-winner. I believe he will add some much needed size to our team along with depth and speed to the center of the field," McIntosh said.
