.png&width=24&type=webp)
Princeton University Athletics
Nine Newcomers To Join Princeton Men's Soccer in 2007
May 29, 2007 | Men's Soccer
Nine freshmen players, hailing from seven states and a host of successful high school and club programs, will join the Princeton men's soccer team in the fall of 2007.
“We think this group can be special,” says Princeton head coach Jim Barlow. “Each player brings unique qualities to our program, and they've combined to win a lot of championships. We are excited about challenging for Ivy titles with them over the next four seasons.”
Princeton begins its 2007 season Aug. 31 when its hosts Loyola at Princeton Stadium. The Tigers will play all their home games at Princeton Stadium in 2007 during the construction of the new Princeton Soccer Stadium, slated to open in fall 2008.
Princeton's nine newcomers in 2007 are as follows:
Ben Burton (Defender -- Minneapolis, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret's School) was originally accepted as a member of Princeton's Class of 2010 but deferred admission in order to study in Ecuador for the past year.
A team captain as a senior, he was named first-team all-state by both the Minneapolis Star-Tribune and the St. Paul Pioneer Press and also earned NSCAA All-Midwest Region honors. The team MVP in both his junior and senior seasons, Burton also helped Benilde-St. Margaret's win a state championship as a sophomore. He played club soccer for Wings National in Minnesota and for the Federation of Manabi while in Ecuador and also traveled to Spain with the Region II ODP team.
Brandon Busch (Midfield, Forward -- San Diego, Calif./The Bishop's School) was a prolific scorer during his prep career and has also played internationally in Europe as part of the U.S. Under-18 Youth National Team pool.
Busch scored 78 goals and had 39 assists in four seasons at The Bishop's School, where he earned first-team all-league honors four times and first-team All-CIF honors three times. He also was a two-year team captain. As part of the Cal South ODP, he won both regional and national titles, and his Arsenal FC team won three club national championships.
Thomas Gasparini (Goalkeeper -- Rye, N.Y./Rye Country Day School) had an outstanding two seasons on both the prep and club levels.
A goalkeeper, he was Rye Country Day's Most Valuable Player and a team captain in 2006, helping his team to the quarterfinals of the New England Prep School tournament. He also earned all-league and all-Western New England honors and helped Rye Country Day to two league championships. Gasparini played club soccer for the Beachside Soccer Club.
Iiro Honkanen (Midfield, Forward -- Tucson, Ariz./Catalina Foothills) is a native of Finland who attended high school in Arizona.
Honkanen earned all-state honors in Arizona in each of his last three seasons, and he was a four-year letterwinner and two-time team captain for Catalina Foothills. He was a member of an ODP team that won the 2003 ODP championship and also was named to the Region IV ODP pool. Honkanen also played club soccer for the AZ Nike Rush.
Sean Lynch (Goalkeeper -- Oceanside, N.Y./Oceanside) is a goalkeeper who earned honors on both the prep and club levels prior to attending Princeton.
A four-year varsity starter at Oceanside, he was his team's captain in 2006 and earned all-county, all-Long Island, all-region and all-state honors as a senior. Lynch also won two state championships with his Blau Weiss Gottschee club program, and he was a member of the Eastern New York ODP and the Region 1 ODP pool. He also played varsity basketball at Oceanside.
Teddy Schneider (Defender, Midfield -- Long Valley, N.J./Delbarton School) was a team captain for both his prep school team and his PDA Vieira club team.
Schneider, a three-year starter at sweeper at Delbarton, was a second-team all-state pick in both 2005 and 2006 and a first-team all-conference, all-county, all-area and all North-Jersey pick. He played in the New Jersey Coaches Senior All-Star Game in 2006, and his Delbarton team won a state title and was ranked No. 1 in New Jersey in 2004. He also helped Delbarton to three conference championships and a county title in 2004.
Tim Sedwitz (Defender, Midfield -- San Diego, Calif./La Jolla Country Day School) was a record-setting scorer in the prep ranks who also had success on the club and ODP levels.
A four-year letterwinner, he holds the LJCDS record for total points in a career. He led his team in scoring in each of his last three seasons and had 21 goals and 14 assists as a senior. Sedwitz earned all-CIF honors four times and was a two-time San Diego All-Academic Team member. While playing for the San Diego Surf, he won a regional championship and Surf Cup title in 2006. Sedwitz also played with the Cal South ODP program for four years and was a member of the ODP regional pool in 2004.
Alex Thompson (Defender -- Nashville, Tenn./University School) will join the Tigers this fall after an outstanding career on the high school and club levels.
Thompson was an all-state and all-region selection during his prep career, and he also played club soccer for the Brentwood Burn. He was active in the Model United Nations while at the University School and also worked heavily with the Oasis Center, a volunteer organization committed to Nashville youth. Thompson's brother Jason graduated from Princeton in 2006.
Josh Walburn (Defender -- St. Louis, Mo./St. Louis Priory School) helped both his Priory School and club team to state championships during his prep career.
Walburn was a first-team all-state selection and the ABC League Player of the Year in 2006, when he also earned second-team all-metro and first-team all-conference honors. As a junior, he led the Priory School to the Missouri Class Two state title while winning the first of his two straight team MVP awards. His Scott Gallagher club team won two state titles and a 2006 regional championship and finished third at the national championships.