February 9, 2004

BLACKSBURG, Va. - Virginia Tech head men's soccer coach Oliver Weiss has announced that seven newcomers have committed to join the Hokies in 2004. Six players signed national letters of intent, while one player already enrolled at Tech in January for the spring semester. The 2004 recruiting class includes highly touted players from Virginia, Texas, North Carolina and Rhode Island.

"I am excited about our 2004 recruiting class. All of these young men fit into our program very well," said Weiss, who will be leading the Hokies into the Atlantic Coast Conference in the fall. "They come well-prepared and have the same goals and ambitions as our current players and staff. This class will help us climb to higher heights. Each year we are trying to improve our squad with a new class, and I know we are going to do just that with these signees."

All seven players have already had successful careers in high school, club and state competition.

"Each player comes from a very rich club soccer background and has proven himself in league play as well as state and regional team competition. All of them are high school standouts," said Weiss.

Forward Gordon Bengtson is a native of Newport, R.I., and prepped at Providence Country Day School where he was a prolific offensive threat. He was named all-New England Prep in 2002 and 2003 and set a Rhode Island state record for goals in a season with 62. Bengtson also holds the state record for career goals with 153. On the club level, he played for the Bayside United Strikers, leading the team to three Rhode Island State Cup championships.

"Gordon is a natural goal scorer. He has a knack for scoring in tight games," said Weiss. "He has shown us that he can score in many different ways, and that's why we liked him. He is also a very humble young man who can improve in our program."

Defender Bryan Collier hails from Fayetteville, Ga., and prepped at Fayetteville County High School. He was listed on Top Drawer Soccer's Top 100 prospects list. In 2003, Collier was named Atlanta Journal Constitution's Player of the Year for the Fayette/Coweta area. He was also a Region III Olympic Development Program (ODP) team member from 2000-2003.

"Bryan brings great athletic talents and determination to our program. His quickness, decision making and competitiveness are a welcome addition," said Weiss. "He is a versatile player who has played forward, midfield and defense for his club teams. We recruited him as a defensive player for our program."

Midfielder/forward Kevin Edwards is from Fredericksburg, Va., where he played for Stafford High School. He broke Stafford's single season record for goals with 17 as a freshman and set the career goal record with his 34^th in his junior year. In addition, Edwards has four years experience on the ODP level, playing with the Virginia State Team from 2000-2003.

"Kevin's 6-2 athletic frame, speed and dribbling skills will play a key role in his integration into our program. He has a great strike at the ball, which helped him score goals from his left midfield position for his club team Herndon Arsenal," said Weiss. "We feel Kevin will add much to our attacking style of play."

Midfielder/forward Brandon Miller is a native of Knightdale, N.C., and played prep soccer for Cardinal Gibbons High School. Miller was named high school Regional Player of the Year in 2003. He also has extensive experience with the CASL Elite club program. Miller led his club team to the North Carolina State Cup championship in 2002 and 2003.

"Brandon comes to us from the CASL Elite club program in Raleigh, N.C. He is a player with excellent dribbling and penetrating skills. He will play in the attacking portion of the field for us," said Weiss. "His cleverness in several positions on the field will pay dividends for him when he'll compete for us in the ACC."

Midfielder/forward Nicholas Norwood hails from Southlake, Texas where he prepped at Carroll High School. He led Carroll to the semifinals of the state high school championship in 2003. Norwood also has club team experience with the Dallas-Fort Worth Tejanos - a team he led to the finals of the 2003 North Texas State Cup.

"Nick's attributes as a player are hard to coach: speed and a nose for the goal," said Weiss. "His explosive pace allows him to get open and pressure opponents well. He also has a great mindset for unselfish play. We know that when Nick comes to Tech, he will improve his level of play and help us achieve our goals for the program."

Midfielder/forward Marcus Reed comes to Tech after a successful career in Chesapeake, Va., at Hickory High School. He was also listed on Top Drawer Soccer's Top 100 prospects list. Reed was a three-sport standout in soccer, football and basketball at Hickory and also gained valuable experience on the club and ODP level. He played for the Beach FC Impact club program and was a Region I ODP team member in 2002 and 2003.

"Marcus will be an extremely versatile player for us in that he can play any position in our attack or in the midfield. His strengths are speed with and without the ball as well as beating opponents one versus one," said Weiss. "He is blessed with a good soccer brain and loves to compete at the highest level. We will make sure he gets to do that for us."

Defender Ian Taylor enrolled at Tech in January and is already working out with the team. He hails from Reston, Va., and played for Thomas Jefferson High School of Science and Technology. In addition, Taylor also played club soccer for Reston FC, leading his team to the finals of the Dallas Cup in 2003. He also helped Reston FC to the finals of the Virginia State Cup in 2002 and 2003.

"Ian's presence as a central defender is hard to miss. His 6-2 frame and ball-winning abilities, especially in the air, are excellent. He will add a new dimension to our defensive structure and strengthen our "team geist" with his thirst for success and excellence," said Weiss. "The fact that he joins us during the spring semester will integrate him faster into our program."

2004 Virginia Tech Men's Soccer Signees

Name	Pos.	Ht.	Hometown	High School	Club Team
Gordon Bengtson	F	5-10	Newport, R.I.	Providence Country Day	Bayside United
Bryan Collier	D	5-8	Fayetteville, Ga.	Fayetteville County	Atlanta FC
Kevin Edwards	MF/F	6-1	Fredericksburg, Va.	Stafford	Herndon Arsenal
Brandon Miller	MF/F	5-10	Knightdale, N.C.	Cardinal Gibbons	CASL Elite
Nicholas Norwood	MF/F	5-10	Southlake, Tex.	Carroll	DFW Tejanos
Marcus Reed	MF/F	5-11	Chesapeake, Va.	Hickory	Beach FC Impact
Ian Taylor *	D	6-2	Reston, Va.	Jefferson H.S. of Sci. & Tech.	Reston FC

* Enrolled at Virginia Tech in January