Sixteen of South Dakota’s own soccer players competing in the US Youth Soccer Region II Midwest Championships have signed on to compete at the collegiate level this coming fall.
Hosted in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the tournament brackets will include 224 soccer teams from across 14 states. The Dakota Alliance Soccer Club has 11 teams competing in the tournament this weekend, with college committed players filling out their 18 and 19-20 year old brackets.
Players pursuing a college career in soccer include:
| Derek Zevenbergen | Northwestern College |
| Jon Orvarsson | St. Mary's University |
| Andrew Unruh | Norwestern College |
| Jack Scott | Norwestern College |
| Marisa Schulz | South Dakota State University |
| Cait Kelly | Black Hills State University |
| Olivia Harriger | Southwest Minnesota State University |
| DeLynne Zevenbergen | University of Sioux Falls |
| Izzy Hedge | Augustana University |
| Kaityln Bravek | Simpson College |
| Theresa Pujado | University of Nebraska |
| Olivia Surrell | Presentation College |
| Skular Moen | Augustana University |
| Kennedi Keller | North Dakota State University |
| Cassidy Erickson | Southwest Minnesota State University |
| Logan Auske | Dordt College |
“We are very proud as a club to have these players moving on,” Benjamin Gaddis, the competitive director for DASC said. “It’s one of our goals that our club be nationally and regionally recognized for producing quality players”.
Gaddis also noted how the majority of players started playing with the DASC program between the ages of nine and eleven. “To have them go through the entire system and have us be responsible for their development and send them off is fantastic,” Gaddis said.
However, having 16 college commitments is no surprise to the DASC program, as the organization produces similar results every year, producing 15 players in 2015 and 13 players in 2016.
“Typically our traveling teams will put themselves into leagues or events where college coaches will come see them play,” Gaddis said. “That’s the easiest and best way to get recognized at these college showcases”.
For more information on tournament schedules and brackets, check out the 2017 US Your Soccer Region II Midwest digital program.