NORFOLK, VA—Old Dominion University Head Men’s Soccer Coach Alan Dawson announced the addition of five outstanding recruits for the 2015 Fall season. Joining the Conference USA Champion Monarch Soccer family are midfielder Philip Grossman (Germantown, MD.), defender James Filerman (Vienna, VA.), midfielder Johan De Picker (Virginia Beach, VA.) and goalkeeper James Knoebel (Warrenton, VA.), all of whom signed national letters of intent while midfielder Quinn Liebmann (Boulder, CO.) is already enrolled at the University.
“We are very pleased with our initial signees and expect them all to contribute to our 2015 campaign,” said Dawson whose Monarchs have advanced to five straight NCAA Tournaments and 11 of the last 13 under his direction. “We return a very solid core group of players and this recruiting class will enhance our overall squad depth. Competition for playing time will be fierce which should raise the bar for the program.” The Monarchs compiled a 13-7-1 record and captured the school’s first C-USA title, advancing to the second round of the NCAA Championships.
PHILLIP GROSSMAN
Played for Bethesda Soccer Club since U9. He is a two-time Maryland State Cup Champion, two-time Region 1 Regional Champion, two USYS National Championship Bronze Medal. The midfielder trained and played against Roda JC Kerkrade of the Netherlands and Luxembourg youth national team. The 2013-800 National Chess Champion and National Honors Society member. He is the son of Deb and Bruce Grossman. NOTE: His sister Ally is captain of the women's soccer team at Yale.
Dawson on Grossman- “Phillip is a hard working box to box midfielder who is technically clean and has a good sense for the game. He has good size and brings good pedigree from the Bethesda Olney club in Maryland.”
JAMES KNOEBEL
James Knoebel is a member of the 2012 region 1 pool. He played on both region one trips which included the interregional tournament in Bradenton, FL., as well as the international trip to Italy. Knoebel was the 2013 U16 McLean Academy starting goalkeeper. He moved up to the U18 team for the second half of the team’s season. He is the 2014-15 starting goalkeeper for DC United U18 Academy team. He is the son of Robert and Dawn Knoebel.
Dawson on Knoebel - “Jimmy has a strong background with the DC United Academy system. He is an agile, athletic keeper who is fearless between the sticks. Furthermore, he is a very confident and composed Goalkeeper who has an excellent presence on the pitch.”
JOHAN DE PICKER
Johan was a first team All-District and All-Region selection as a sophomore at Ocean Lakes High and a first team All-Region and All-District as a junior. He is the team captain and carries a 3.3 grade point average. De Picker has played soccer since he was five years old. He played for UR Namur from U11 to U17 (D1 youth). De Picker has played club soccer for Beach FC in Virginia Beach for the last three years. He was a member of the selection of the Belgian national team from U15-16. De Picker is a Belgian native and moved to the United States in 2012 with his family as his father was assigned to the NATO Headquarters in Norfolk. He is the son of Peter De Picker and Isabelle Hanot.
Dawson on De Picker - “ MF/D –Johan brings us European experience via his native country of Belgium. He is technically clean, has good size and has a very good sense for the game. He also is a versatile player who can play in the midfield or at the back. We are excited to have him onboard and are looking forward to working with him.”
JAMES FILERMAN
Filerman has been playing defensive midfielder and striker for DC United Academy and has helped lead them to the playoffs each year. As a freshman, Filerman was named second team All-Concord District at Oakton High School. He began his soccer career at age six with the Vienna Your Soccer and played until the age 13 when he joined DC United Academy. He is the son of Dianne and Joe Filerman.
Dawson on Filerman - “MF/D –Jimmy is a great competitor who can play numerous positions on the field. He has a strong presence and will thrive in our culture here at ODU. He has been a consistent top level player for the DC United Academy Team. We certainly feel Jimmy is ready to make an immediate impact on our Team.”
QUINN LIEBMANN
Quinn Liebmann is a High School All-American and the 5A Player of the Year in the state of Colorado (all classifications) as well as his league’s Player of the Year. He is a first team All-Conference, and All-State selection. He went to finals week with the Colorado Rapids 15/16 developmental academy where the team placed third and he scored a goal in the third-place match. The Boulder High School graduate is the son of Brant Liebmann and Sandra Stewart.
Dawson on Liebmann - “MF—We are fortunate to have Quinn enrolled at ODU this Spring and we are very pleased with his play to this point. He is technically clean and has a great attacking mentality. He will reap the rewards of getting a semester under his belt while getting stronger physically and acquiring some valuable playing time.”