FRISCO, Texas (Dec. 9, 2016) – Eight former North Texas Soccer players will play in the NCAA Men’s Division I College Cup final four this weekend. Denver University have four North Texas Soccer alums, while the University of North Carolina and Wake Forest each have two former North Texas players.
Reagan Dunk was named to the First-Team All Summit League for a second straight year and won his second Summit League Defensive Player of the Year award as a senior at Denver University. The Dallas native was also a NSCAA Second Team All-American in 2015. Dunk has started 22 of 23 games for undefeated Denver while dishing out five assists. Dunk spent his youth days playing for Solar Soccer Club. Blake Elder was named to Second-Team All Summit League and Newcomer-Team All Summit League in his first year with Denver. The redshirt junior from Fort Worth, Texas appeared in every game for Denver and was second on the team with seven goals.
Like Dunk, Elder also played his youth soccer with Solar Soccer Club, including playing in the 2013 US Youth Soccer North Texas State Cup. Ryan Barlow is a redshirt freshman from Coppell, Texas who played his youth soccer with Dallas Texans and Andromeda. Barlow also competed with the US Youth Soccer Region III and North Texas Olympic Development Program (ODP) teams. The midfielder appeared in fourteen matches for Denver. Chandler Crosswait rounds out the group of North Texas alums playing with Denver. The redshirt senior from Bedford, Texas is one of only six players to have started every one of Denver’s matches and played his club soccer for Solar.
Alan Winn was named to the Atlantic Coast Second Team and started every match for North Carolina in his junior season. The forward from Garland, Texas notched three goals and four assists in the 2016 season and played his youth soccer with Solar in addition to playing Region III and North Texas Soccer ODP. Martin Salas is a former FC Dallas Youth player, who after appearing in three games as a freshman in 2015, did not make an appearance in his sophomore campaign.
Hayden Partain won three North Texas State Cups and one Dr Pepper Dallas Cup while playing youth soccer with Solar. The senior midfielder from Frisco, Texas appeared in 22 of Wake Forests’ 23 games and found the back of the net three times for the Demon Deacons. Tater Rennhack is a Region III and North Texas Soccer ODP alum who played his youth soccer with Solar. The redshirt forward from Westlake, Texas made one appearance for Wake Forest in his sophomore year.
Denver will face Wake Forest, while North Carolina will take on defending champs Stanford in the semifinals of the NCAA College Cup today, Dec. 9 at 6:00 p.m. and 8:45 p.m. respectively on ESPNU. The winners will play in the finals on Sunday, Dec 11 at 2 p.m. on ESPNU.