Hall of Fame Class of 2011 Named in NJCAA Men's Soccer
2011 NJCAA Soccer Hall of Fame Inductees
One coach is joined by eight players who have all impacted JUCO soccer are the 2011 inductees to the NJCAA Soccer Hall of Fame. During the month of November, the nine inductees will be officially honored at the NJCAA Division One Soccer Banquet in Phoenix, Arizona and the NJCAA Division Three Soccer Banquet at Herkimer, New York. They join 59 other coaches, contributors and players already named to the NJCAA Soccer Hall of Fame. The 2011 Hall of Fame class includes:
Sean Worley has compiled over 200 victories and five NJCAA Division Three National Championships in his 15 years at Richland College. A two-time NSCAA National Coach of the Year, he has also led the Dallas, Texas junior college to two national runner-up finishes and 17 consecutive region titles.
Andre Luciano was in goal when Yavapai College captured their first national championship in 1990 with the program’s initial recruiting class. He was named the NJCAA National Tournament Most Valuable Goalkeeper and the ISAA/Adidas National Goalkeeper of the Year. He continued his education and played for Indiana University helping the Hoosiers to two NCAA National Tournament appearances. He was selected Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year in 1993. He graduated with a degree in American History from Indiana in 1994. He is currently in his 11th season as Head Women’s Soccer Coach at Northern Arizona University.
Dane Richards holds the scoring record for San Jacinto College at 45 goals during the 2003 and 2004 seasons. An All-American for the Houston, Texas junior college, he was also named NSCAA National Player of the Year in 2004. He transferred to Clemson University and helped them to two post-season appearances. He was drafted by the New York Red Bull and was runner up in the voting for Major League Soccer Rookie of the Year in 2007. Also, he has been a regular starter for the Jamaican National Team.
Roger Espinoza played at Yavapai College during the 2005 and 2006 seasons helping them compile an overall record of 46-2-3 for the Arizona junior college. In 2007, he led Ohio State University to the NCAA Division One National Championship Game, scoring the Buckeyes only goal in the final. He was drafted by Kansas City of Major League Soccer and has played for the Wizards, now Sporting Kansas City since the 2008 season. In addition, he has a number of national caps representing Honduras, including 2010 World Cup appearances in South Africa.
Davide Somma was a striker for Tyler Junior College and led the Apaches in goals scored during the 2003 season. He has played professionally for the San Jose Earthquakes of Major League Soccer and currently with Leeds United in the Championship Division in England. He was selected to the South African National Team, making his debut against the USA in 2010.
Irving Garcia led Yavapai College to an overall record of 47-2-3 in his two years while helping the Roughriders capture the 2007 NJCAA National Championship. He was named to the NSCAA and NJCAA All-America Teams before moving on to play two seasons at University of California-Irvine. He was named Big West Conference Player of the Year and NCAA Division One First Team All-American by TopDrawerSoccer.com in 2009. He was drafted and played for the New York Red Bull of Major League Soccer in 2010.
Mahlon Sullivan was on the 2001 NJCAA All-Tournament team while helping lead Meridian Community College to a third place finish. He recorded a hat trick as a midfielder during one match in the national tournament. After transferring to Tyler Junior college, he was awarded NJCAA and NSCAA All-American honors while assisting the Apaches to an 18-2-0 record and their first number one ranking in school history in 2002. He was the captain on the Barry University, NCAA Division II National Tournament team in 2003. He later earned his degree from the Florida school in Finance.
Brendan Thomson captained the Meridian Community College team in 1997 and 1998 and helped them to their first NJCAA National Tournament in school history. He was a NJCAA and NSCAA All-American in his sophomore year for the Mississippi junior college. The defender also helped Grand Canyon University to the NCAA Division II National Tournament 1999. He later earned his degree from the Arizona school in International Business.
Jesus Rodriquez was a two-time NSCAA All-American scoring 27 goals and recording 30 assists in helping lead Richland College of Dallas, Texas to back to back NJCAA Division Three National Championships in 2002 and 2003. He was also named the NSCAA National Player of the Year in 2003. He played for the Azzurri Soccer Club when the North Texas team captured both the USASA Amateur Cup and USASA Men’s Under 23 National Championships.