June 29, 2006

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ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Navy men's soccer head coach Rich Miranda announced his first full recruiting class on Wednesday, introducing a class that arrived in Annapolis on Tuesday night. The 10-member group represents eight states and several that come from tradition-rich soccer schools.

"We are very happy with this class and feel that they all could contribute right away," said Navy head coach Rich Miranda, who enters his second year as the head coach of the Navy soccer team and was the 2005 Patriot League Coach of the Year. "We have a very strong senior class right now and this class needs to be strong to keep the improvement heading in the right direction. I have been here 17 years now, and this is one of the best classes that we have had since I have been here. All of them have a chance to start or contribute right away. We have seen all of them in person a couple of times and we think they are ready to step in right away."

Kyle Behbehani is a 6-0, 155-pound midfielder from East Greenwich, R.I., and lettered four times at East Greenwich High School. He was named a three-time All-Division selection and was part of the State Olympic Development team five times. His Olympic Development Team won Region I and advanced to the finals in 2004. Behbehani also lettered twice in lacrosse, earning All-Division honors during his senior season. Behbehani comes from an athletic family, as his sister, Erin, played soccer at George Mason University.

Michael Byrd arrives in Annapolis after lettering four times at Pocomoke High School in Maryland and spending one year at Bridgton Academy in Maine. Byrd, a 5-9, 165-pound midfielder from Pocomoke City, Md., served as the team captain at Bridgton Academy and tallied seven points (3 g, 1 a) for the Wolverines last year. In 2001 and 2003, Byrd led Pocomoke H.S., to a pair of state championships and a combined 32-6 record. In 2004, Pocomoke finished as the state runner-up. He was named a two-time All-State selection in Maryland in 2003 and 2004 and earned three All-Conference honors. In 2005 at Bridgton, Byrd earned All-New England accolades. Byrd's sister, Amy Lyn, played soccer at the College of Charleston, graduating in 2006.

Adam Dallas, a 5-9, 140-pound midfielder / defenseman from Surfside Beach, S.C., joins the team after lettering four times at Socastee High School. Dallas led Socastee to the 2004 and 2005 Region Championships and was named 2006 All-Region. He served as the team captain, won the team's Leadership Award and was named the Sun News' Toast of the Coast.

Cash Elston comes to Navy after a standout scholastic career at Eastlake High School (Washington), where he was the team's leading scorer. A native of Sammamish, Wash., Elston is a 6-1, 185-pound midfielder. He earned three letters at Eastlake and led the school to the 2005 Washington State Championship and the 2005 and 2006 King County 4-A League titles. During his senior year, he garnered first-team All-State and All-County honors and was the King County 4-A Co-Player of the Year, as well as being a member of the Seattle Times All-Area team. Elston scored twice in his team's King County-title clinching win over rival Inglemoor, and scored the winner in Eastlake's 1-0 win in the first round of the Class 4A state tournament. Elston, whose full name is Cassius Alexander Elston III, also lettered twice in cross country at Eastlake, and his mother, Ann Louise, ran track and field at the University of Pittsburgh.

Mark Garcia, a 5-7, 140-pound midfielder from Tempe, Ariz., lettered four times at McClintock High School and earned All-City and All-Region accolades as well as team MVP accolades twice. He also served as the team captain for three years while at McClintock, which competed in Class 4-A in Arizona. His father, Mark, lettered three times in track and field at Arizona State, and his grandfather, Benjamin, lettered four times at ASU and competed in the 1956 Olympic Games javelin competition.

Andrew Garcia is a 5-11, 160-pound forward from Dallas, Texas. Garcia played with the prestigious Dallas Solar Soccer Club. Garcia is expected to contribute immediately.

Chris Marino, a 5-7, 145-pound midfielder / forward, arrives at the Naval Academy after lettering four times at Lake Mary High School (Fla.). A native of Longwood, Fla., Marino helped Lake Mary to a state runner-up finish in 2006 and final four appearances in 2003 and 2005. He was named the Seminole County Player of the Year and was a first-team All-Central Florida selection in 2006. He was a two-time All-County and All-District selection and a two-time team MVP and team captain. Marino attended the same high school as rising Navy junior Eric Gorden, who scored six points (2 g, 2 a) for the Mids a year ago. He played in four 3-on-3 national championship tournaments. His father, James, participated in lacrosse for four years and soccer for two at the United States Military Academy and graduated in 1978 from West Point.

Scott Robertson comes to Annapolis after picking up four letters at Thomas Dale High School in Chester, Va. He led Thomas Dale to two Virginia state championships, compiling a 48-0 record in the final two years. He was named All-District, All-Region and All-Metro (Richmond) twice, and earned second-team All-State accolades as a junior and honorable mention All-State honors as a senior. Robertson, a 6-0, 165-pound midfielder, also served as his high school and club team captain for three years. He was a high school teammate of William & Mary's Roger Bothe, James Madison's Matt White and American's Jake Van Yahres. Robertson also lettered twice in cross country at Thomas Dale.

Chris Schneider is a 5-9, 155-pound midfielder / defenseman from Arlington, Texas, where he lettered three times at Martin High School. Schneider was a teammate of fellow recruit Andrew Garcia on the Dallas Solar Soccer Club that advanced to the national tournament twice and won the 2006 Dallas Cup. He was a two-time Class 5-A All-State selection, team captain and was the team's offensive player of the year. In 2004, he earned an All-City selection. His team won two Legion III Championships and two State Cups. Besides Garcia, he was a high school teammate of St. Louis University's incoming freshman Scott Wiznewski (the Mids will play St. Louis on Sept. 10).

Matt Tapajcik arrives at the Naval Academy after lettering twice at Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C. A native of Alexandria, Va., Tapajcik is a 6-0, 175-pound midfielder, who earned WCAC Honorable Mention accolades last year. He was a high school teammate of Virginia Tech's James Carroll and James Madison's Patrick Stevens.

Navy, which is coming off an 8-6-2 record in 2005, will open its season on Aug. 25, against highly-regarded Virginia Tech at the UMBC Soccer Classic at 1:00 p.m.

CLASS OF 2010 MEN'S SOCCER RECRUITING CLASS:

• Kyle Behbehani	6-0	155	Midfielder	East Greenwich, R.I. / East Greenwich
• Michael Byrd	        5-9	165	Midfielder	Pocomoke City, Md. / Bridgton Academy (Maine)
• Adam Dallas	        5-9	140	Mid. / Def.	Surfside Beach, S.C. / Socastee
• Cash Elston	        6-1	185	Midfielder	Sammamish, Wash. / Eastlake
• Andrew Garcia	        5-11	160	Forward		Dallas, Texas
• Mark Garcia	        5-7	140	Midfielder	Tempe, Ariz. / McClintock
• Chris Marino	        5-7	145	Mid. / Forward	Longwood, Fla. / Lake Mary
• Scott Robertson	6-0	165	Midfielder	Chester, Va. / Thomas Dale
• Chris Schneider	5-9	155	Mid. / Def. 	Arlington, Texas / Martin
• Matt Tapajcik	        6-0	175	Midfielder	Alexandria, Va. / Gonzaga College

# GO NAVY #