West Hartford, CT - University of Hartford men's soccer coach Dan Gaspar announced the addition of two players who will join the team for the coming season. Kevin Lewis and Ben Poppen have both signed Acceptance of Admission Agreements at Hartford, and will enter the program's roster as true freshman in 2009. “Even though our only senior would have been Andreas Blamo (who red-shirted this year, and will return next year), we still want to add some depth of quality to the team,” commented Gaspar. “Kevin and Ben will give us that.”
Lewis, who hails from Pawcatuck, CT and attends Stonington High School, has played for the Oakwood Soccer Club in the United States Development Academy. He has participated in the Connecticut Olympic Development Program (ODP), appearing in the US Youth Soccer Region I pool, and has represented the United States at the U-15 level.
“Kevin is a player with outstanding technique, and he has been given a great education at Oakwood,” said Gaspar. “He is exactly what we are looking for in a student-athlete here at Hartford; he is a great student, a great person, and a very, very good player. Kevin will immediately compete for time in our midfield, and can also play as a central defender. We have high expectations for Kevin here at Hartford.”
A native of Ankeny, IA, Poppen has played soccer for the Des Moines Menace of the Premier Development League. He has experience with Iowa's ODP team in addition to being a two-time member of the Region II camp in 2005 and 2007. Although Poppen will forgo varsity soccer in his senior year in order to concentrate on his play with the Menace, he was a member of the Ankeny High School team that won the Iowa state championship in 2007.
“Ben is another quality player with good technique, in addition to being a good athlete and student,” continued Gaspar. “He will have a challenging course of study with both engineering and music on his plate, but he's a very bright young man. Ben can play anywhere in the back, and he will add depth and competition to our defense.”
Hartford did not lose any players to graduation from a team that closed out the 2008 regular season ranked fifth in the conference standings with an overall record of 7-8-3, including a 3-4-1 record in the conference. For the second-straight season, the Hawks earned a berth to the America East Championship, where they dropped a 3-1 decision to the fourth-seeded Catamounts of Vermont in the quarterfinals held in Burlington. Hartford returns NSCAA All-Northeast Third Team and America East First Team selection Carlos Villa to the 2009 roster, who led the 2008 squad with 27 points, including a team- and conference-high 12 goals.
