UC Davis -  Three Star Class Ranking - Dwayne Shaffer has added a nine member recruiting class that is loaded with athletic ability and thus has great potential.  Shaffer has done a really good job of   identifying newcomers with the size, speed, and raw athletic ability needed to fit within the system of play that has yielded excellent results at UC Davis.  After two very successful seasons that have resulted in invites to the NCAA Tournament, the Aggies will have a significantly different look when they take the pitch in 2009 due to the graduation of a highly competitive nine member senior class.  For starters, Shaffer has the daunting task of replacing All-Americans Quincy Amarikwa and Dylan Curtis.  Amarikwa, who had an outstanding career up-top for the Aggies, was the 2008 Big West Conference Offensive Player of the Year with fifteen goals including five game winners.  Curtis was named the Big West Conference Midfielder of the Year after a productive 2008 campaign that yielded five goals and eleven assists.  In addition to Amarikwa and Curtis, UC Davis will also be without forward Sule Anibaba (5g, 2a) who was a four-year starter,  midfielders Ian Conklin (0g, 3a), Ahmad Hatifie (2g, 0a), and Greg Hammond, and defenders Jordan Vanderpoorteen who was a Big West Second Team selection, Jake Mogelson and Dan Campbell.  Amarikwa, Curtis and Anibaba combined to score twenty-five of the thirty-seven goals that UC Davis put in the back of the net last year.  As a result the emergence of a new group of goal scorers is a key to the rebuilding process for the Aggies.  Despite the fact that the Aggies will clearly be in a rebuilding mode in 2009, there is no getting around the fact that the program has taken a quantum leap in credibility in the Big West Conference and on the national scene in the past two years.  The standard of excellence at UC Davis has forever been raised due the success that the program has recently enjoyed.  Returning players who Shaffer will likely build on in 2009 include junior goal keeper Ryan McCowan from Lafayette, California who has been a starter for the past two seasons, defenders Nate Jarman and Lance Patterson, midfielders Paul Marcoux (2g, 4a) and Chris Beville (0g, 1a) and forwards Chris Leer (4g, 0a), Miles Hadley, and Rene Cuellar.   The Aggies will have sufficient talent combined with the fact that they are a very well coached team to keep from dropping off the radar screen in the highly competitive Big West Conference in 2009.  However, the restocking of the cupboard that must take place at UC Davis casts doubt on the likelihood that the Aggies will make a third consecutive NCAA Tourney appearance in 2009.  Look for UC Davis to be a feisty bunch in 2009 but they will be a young team which means that they are going to experience growing pains.

 

Jacob Barron - La Mirada, California - Midfielder - La Habra High School -  Second Team All-CIF selection -  Helped La Habra secure 24-3-2 overall record - Great touch on the ball.

 

Sam Del Gobbo - San Rafael, California - Defender - Terra Linda High School -  Three-time All-Marin County Athletic League selection - Played club for Marin FC - Well rounded defender.

 

Michael Garrick - Oakland, California - Forward - Bishop O’Dowd High School -  Two-time All-Hayward Area Athletic League selection - All time goal scorer at Bishop O’Dowd - Strong athlete.

 

Jameil Hall - Elk Grove, California - Forward - Franklin High School - First Team All-Delta Valley League selection - Team captain - Great work ethic and versatility.

 

Taylor Heer - San Jose, California - Midfielder - Bellarmine College Prep - Member of the De Anza Force Academy -  Helped Bellarmine secure a 26-1-2 overall record - Quick and athletic. 

 

Brady Jimison - Redwood City, California - Midfielder - St. Francis High School - First-Team All-West Catholic Athletic League selection - Played club for Juventus Strikers - A playmaker.

 

Dan Reese - Carmichael, California - Defender - Jesuit High School - Helped high school team secure a 27-1-2 overall record - Tough defender with the size and speed needed to make an impact.

 

Pat Reese - Carmichael, California - Forward - Jesuit High School - Helped high school squad secure Delta River League title - Strong forward whose athleticism makes him tough to defend.

 

Riley Newport - North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada - Midfielder - Handsworth Secondary School -  Played club with the Vancouver Whitecaps - Attack oriented player -  A playmaker.