Feb. 21, 2001
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Two of the top youth defenders in the country and members of the U.S. Under-18 National Team have signed letters of intent to attend Santa Clara University, announced Men's Soccer Coach Mitch Murray. Goalkeeper Steve Cronin (Sacramento, Calif.) and defender Ryan Cochrane (Portland, Ore.) have both been involved in the player selection pool for the U-20 National Team that will compete at the World Youth Championships in June.
"I am thrilled with the prospect of having Steve and Ryan in our program," said Murray, who has led Santa Clara to two national finals appearances and four West Coast Conference titles. "Both of these guys are really among the top youth players in the United States and have a great deal of National Team and international competition experience. They will be able to come into our program, play right away and help us get back into position to win a national championship."
Cronin served as the starting goalkeeper for the first four games of the 2001 season for the U.S. U-18 National Team. The squad began the year with a 2-1-1 record including a 1-0 win against the Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer (MLS). Cronin played in 17 games for the U-18 team in 2000, posting a 0.70 goals against average and recorded seven shutouts. He started all three of the USA's international matches last year, including a 2-1 win over Norway. In 1999, he played on the U-17 National Team that placed fourth in the world. Cronin was selected Sports Illustrated Magazine's Old Spice Athlete of the Month in October, 2000.
Cochrane is a starting defender on the U-18 National Team and was selected to participate in the U-20 National Team's final training camp of 2000. He was the only player to appear in all 19 matches for the U-18 team last year and played all 90 minutes on the U-18 team that battled to a tie against the U-20 National Team at the U.S. Amateur Soccer Festival last summer. He started all three of the USA's international matches last year, including a 2-1 win over Norway.
