Schellas Does It Again

[50's PONY]

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Posted on Thu, Feb. 03, 2005



Local trio picks national power

By Tobias Xavier Lopez
Star-Telegram Staff Writer

Brazilians Paulo da Silva and Bruno Guarda were brought to the United States at 15 to play soccer.

They've done that so well that the Oakridge duo joined Flower Mound's Richard Oliva by signing letters of intent with national power SMU on Wednesday.

The three future Mustangs highlighted nearly a dozen area boys signings, which were dwarfed by the more than 50 area girls who also signed their college letters of intent.

The TCU women's program signed forward Caroline Starns and defender K.D. Waters from Arlington High.

The Marcus girls program boasted the largest signing class with eight players.

Guarda (8 goals, 13 assists) and da Silva (21 goals, 18 assists) came from Piracicaba, Brazil, to play with the Dallas Texans club and have played together since they were 2.

"My first goal when coming to the U.S. was to graduate and play college soccer. So I've got that goal," Guarda said. "My second goal would be to graduate from SMU, and one of my dreams would be to play professional soccer."

Oliva was one of two area players named an All-American by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. He holds school records for goals and assists.

The three players join college soccer coaching icon Schellas Hyndman, who last month was named president of the NSCAA.

Hyndman is SMU's all-time winningest coach in any sport with a 323-85-29 record in 21 years with the Mustangs and an overall record of 421-109-40, second among active Division I men's coaches. SMU has earned an NCAA tournament berth 20 of the past 21 years.

An SMU player has been selected in the top 10 of the Major League Soccer SuperDraft the past four years, including Cedar Hill's Ugo Ihemelu last month at No. 5.

IN THE KNOW

Soccer signings

GIRLS

Aledo: Katie Garrison, Louisiana Tech

Arlington: Lauren Arditti, East Central (Okla.); Chloe Adams, Dallas Baptist; Caroline Starns, TCU; K.D. Waters, TCU

Arlington Bowie: Christy Sarginson, East Central (Okla.)

Arlington Heights: Courtenay Young, Lambuth (Tenn.); Birdville; Lindsey Noteboom, Cincinnati; Candace Gonzales, Georgia State

Carroll: Jessica Badders, Florida Atlantic.

Colleyville Covenant: Beth McClendon, Troy State

Colleyville Heritage: Christine Petric, Rice; Katy Booth, Memphis; Megan Walker, Missouri Southern

Crowley: Tara Adams, Angelo State; Elisabeth Gafford, Sterling College (Kan.); Naomi Gafford, Sterling College

Cleburne: Katie Beth Benson, East Central (Okla.)

Flower Mound: Micah Stephens, Texas A&M

Grapevine: Dannae DeVahl, Louisiana-Lafayette

Keller: Sara Boakye, Western Kentucky

L.D. Bell: Amanda Brooks, Western Kentucky

Mansfield: Ashley Guinn, Northwestern Oklahoma State; Heather Primavera, Midwestern State; Jenae Perez, Lambuth (Tenn.); Kendall Oliver, Cisco JC; Tiffany Williams, Cisco JC

Marcus: Kelly Lunsford, North Texas; Brittany Cleveland, North Texas; Jessica Jarrell, Oklahoma State; Katie Corbitt, Oklahoma; Natalie Holovach, Alabama; Lauren Huffman, Nova Southeastern (Fla.); Kyra McDonough, McNeese State; Debra Cummings, Centenary

Martin: Tracy Leverenz, Cisco JC; Amanda Johnson, North Texas; Marty Wright, Texas State; Sarah Chozanec, Louisiana Tech

Nolan Catholic: Brittany O'Brien, Drury (Mo.); Heather Ulliman, Louisiana-Lafayette; Audrey Brown, Georgia Southern; Caitlin Gallagher, Mississippi State

North Crowley: Hannah Casey, Northwestern (La.) State; Krystal Wright, Southwestern Oklahoma State; Ashley Fowler, Adams (Colo.) State; Megan Bibilone, Midwestern State

Oakridge: Amanda Alders, Stephen F. Austin

South Grand Prairie: Lauren Pierce, UT-El Paso

Summit: Lauren Fricks, Texas Tech; Ja'nae Powell, McNeese State; Lauren Korham, Cisco JC; Ciera Lima, Ouachita Baptist; Sarah Goodman, Drury (Mo.); Trinity Valley; Caitlin Carter, SMU

BOYS

Arlington: Bryan Cochrum, Oklahoma Christian; Flower Mound; Richard Oliva, SMU

Grapevine: Kevin Brolan, Hartwick College

L.D. Bell: Aaron Chibli, Hartwick College

Marcus: Sam Reeder, San Diego

Martin: Chris Bush, Ouachita Baptist; Casey Cartusciello, Florida Atlantic

Northwest: Chad Salyer, Rutgers

Oakridge: Paulo da Silva, SMU; Bruno Guarda, SMU

Summit: David Smith, South Carolina


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Tobias Xavier Lopez, (817) 584-5451 tlopez@star-telegram.com





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© 2005 Star-Telegram and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved.
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[mustangbill67]

Defender Luiz Rizental from the Austin area is also Brazilian. Schellas has had connections to Brazil for many years but this is the first time I can remember this many Brazilian players at one time. Coupled with what we already have coming back this team could be special. I hope his entire class makes it into school. Last year the class was ranked around 4th in the nation but two of the signees were never admitted.

[NavyCrimson]

any plans for a new soccer stadium like brick bleechers, etc instead of those steel ones? any word from anyone?

[DallasDiehard]

I believe a better facility is on the wish list, but funds are being raised privately -- I think. Someone needs to make a big donation to the soccer programs -- they deserve it. When Westcott Field was built in .... 1994, I think, it was pretty nice, because it didn't have that awful Ownby turf. But the surface needs to be re-done, if nothing else. Personally, I'd like to see the field somewhere that doesn't have a track around it. They could have a much bigger playing surface, and I'm still waiting to see a horrific injury as someone slides or runs out of bounds through the high jump pit, over that metal railing on the turns of the track, etc. The two sports need separate facilities.

[Col. Nathan R. Jessep]

How much would it cost to put a brick veneer around the field & marry the field to the rest of the campus?

[peaker]

As far as college facilities go, Westcott is in the middle of the spectrum.

The pole vault pit is the real danger, concrete within 2 feet of the midfield is a serious accident waiting to happen. The proximity of the long jump pit is just as bad. The track around the pitch is probably inevitable because of lack of space elsewhere on campus. However, the track does not meet dimensional requirements to hold a track meet on campus so they might at least find training space for the women's jumping events elsewhere in order to increase to a full size pitch.

In a perfect world there would be no track and the wonderful SMU soccer fans could be upclose to the pitch like at other college venues so we can develop a homefield advantage. The stands would be brick and concrete with premium reserve seats for season ticket holders. The success of the men's and women's programs warrant the institutional attention.

In order to boost football attendance next fall, Mr. Copeland could give free football tickets away to the soccer fans before the NCAA comes a knocking to welcome SMU to Div I-AA. At least this would be a recognition by his office that these fine programs exist (other than the three paragraphs they got in half-a-year's worth of AD Notepads).

[Cheesesteak]

Of SMU's Olympic sports, soccer and swimming/diving are the most deserving of new state-of-the art facilities.

I am always hopeful that a very wealthy and generous donor feels the same way.