Blue Knights men and women’s teams anticipate success in 2009–2010
Dakota County Technical College announced that 12 student athletes—four women and 8 men—have signed National Letters of Intent to attend the college and play soccer for the Blue Knights in the 2009-2010 season.
Commitments on the men’s side include Minnesota prep stars from exceptional local high school programs and the best soccer club in state—the Minnesota Thunder Academy . Outstate recruits Emmanuel Olinga, a 6’2” fullback from Gaithersburg, Md., and Joy Owusu-Achaiw, a 5’6” midfielder from Kumasi, Ghana, round out an outstanding recruiting class. The men’s program will receive the remaining letters of intent in the next few weeks.
The women’s program is looking ahead to a stronger year after falling in last season’s NJCAA Region XI semifinal. The women will benefit from four high school standouts from the greater Twin Cities metro area, including Shelby Smith, a 5’7” All-City fullback from Minneapolis Washburn.
“We have team captains, all-conference selections, leading scorers and a state-tournament-level goalkeeper joining a great group of returners,” said Head Soccer Coach Cam Stoltz. “We plan to sign our remaining six to nine women soccer players in the next two months. This first wave of commitments for both teams is exciting.”
DCTC Soccer National Letter of Intent Player Bios
Ana Brewster – Eagan High School
Brewster is a 5’0″ forward from Eagan, Minn. A leading scorer for Wildcat soccer, she earned two varsity letters. She played club soccer for the Eagan Blue Flames in the Minnesota Youth Soccer Association (MYSA) premier league and has experience as a basketball player. Brewster hopes to pursue a nursing degree at DCTC.
Emily Jorgenson – Prior Lake-Savage High School
Jorgenson is a 5’4” fullback from Prior Lake, Minn. She earned a varsity letter as a Laker on the 2008 soccer squad. Last summer she played on the Prior Lake Soccer Club, which took the 2008 U-17 State Championship. A member of Prior Lake’s varsity track team, Jorgenson is interested in the DCTC Executive and Administrative Assistant program.
Shelby Smith – Minneapolis Washburn High School
Smith is a 5’7” outside fullback from Minneapolis, Minn. She earned three varsity letters playing for the Washburn Millers, who were Minneapolis City Conference Champions. An All-Conference selection, Smith was rated one of the fastest players in her conference. She will play for the Eden Prairie Soccer Club this summer. The captain of the Washburn track team, Smith participates in yearbook and High Tech Girls. She plans to major in interior design at DCTC.
Breann Fitzgerald – St. Michael-Albertville High School
Fitzgerald is a 5’6” goalkeeper from St. Michael, Minn. She led her high school team to their first Minnesota State High School Soccer Tournament. Playing four years of high school soccer, she helped her team achieve a 12–5–2 record in the large-school Mississippi 8 Conference. Fitzgerald was also an MYSA state champion as a member of the summer 2008 Minnesota Revolution Soccer Club.
Brian Conley – Forest Lake High School
Conley is a 5’7” midfielder from Forest Lake, Minn. He lettered at Forest Lake High School for four seasons and was named Suburban East All-Conference as both a junior and senior. Recognized as the best Ranger midfielder in his junior and senior seasons, he was also team captain his senior year, earning the “Ranger Award” as the player who best represents the school’s values for competition, sportsmanship and dedication. Conley plays soccer with the Rise Futbol Club, a men’s state championship team from the Minnesota Amateur Soccer League. He also played high school basketball and performed in his school’s concert choir. His brothers, Shaun and Chris, both played soccer at North Iowa Area Community College, a DCTC rival, earning All-Region 2nd Team honors.
Korbin Klausen – Prior Lake-Savage High School
Klausen is a 6’2” midfielder from Prior Lake, Minn. As captain of the 2008 Laker team, he played every minute of his senior season and was named to the Missota All-Conference team. He plans to major in business at DCTC. Klausen’s father, Lauren, was an All-American soccer player at Bethany Lutheran College.
Michael Morales – Wayzata High School
Morales is a 165-lb, 5’11” midfielder from Wayzata, Minn. He earned three varsity letters playing for the Trojans. As a Classic Lake All-Conference player, Morales was a key member of Wayzata’s 2007 State Runner-Up squad. He played for the Wings Soccer Club and is a current member of the Minnesota Thunder Academy U-18. He is undecided regarding his major at DCTC
Emmanuel Olinga – Watkins Mill High School
Olinga is a 175-lb, 6’2” left midfielder from Gaithersburg, Md. He earned two varsity letters in high school and served as team captain. In 2008, he won his high school team’s Sportsmanship Award. Olinga plays soccer for the Potomac Cougars Soccer Club in the greater Washington, D.C., area. He’s looking forward to majoring in environmental engineering at DCTC. [I don’t think we have this major…]
Dylan Urban – South Saint Paul High School
Urban is a 160-lb, 5’10” forward from Burnsville, Minn. He earned four varsity letters as a Packer. Urban’s high school career included Classic Suburban All-Conference honors in 2007 and 2008. He was his high school team’s leading scorer three years in a row, leading the conference in that category in 2007. That same season Urban propelled his team to the Minnesota State High School Tournament and was named to the All-Tournament Team. As team captain in 2008, he was named MVP and later picked by the St. Paul Pioneer Press to the paper’s All-State Team. Urban played club soccer for Burnsville Fire U-17 and also plays varsity basketball and runs track. A National Honor Society member, Urban eventually hopes to pursue a degree in environmental science. [I don’t think we have this major either…]
Abdi Hassan – Minneapolis South High School
Hassan is a 5’9” midfielder from Minneapolis, Minn. He is a member of the state Olympic Development Program (ODP) and advanced to the U.S. Soccer regional pool. Hassan played for high school coach Danny Diettle and state ODP staff coaches Carl Craig and Terry Doud. He is a current member of the Minnesota Thunder Academy Midwest League program. Abdi is undecided regarding his major at DCTC.
Joy Owusu-Achaiw – Anglican Secondary School
Owusu-Achaiw is a 5’6” left-footed central midfielder from Kumasi, Ghana. He served as team captain on his high school team that won the “Milo” Championship in Ghana. He plays club soccer for the Kotoko U-20 of the Ghana National League. In 2008, the Ghana Football Association named him “best player” in the Under 17 age category. Owusu-Achaiw is the brother of Eagan resident Victor Achaiw, who played for the Minnesota Thunder in 1998 and 1999.
Tim Vitense – Arrowhead High School (Transfer from Milwaukee Area Technical College)
Vitense is a 170-lb, 5’10” forward from Hartland, Wis. He will play his sophomore season with the Blue Knights, bringing the experience of leading the Wisconsin Junior College League in scoring. He played soccer for the FMI Soccer Club and was a Wisconsin Olympic Development Program player. Majoring in business at DCTC, Vitense plans to complete his bachelor’s degree at the University of Minnesota.
