Tag Archives: Chris Shuler

Chris Shuler Joins AC St Louis

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Chris Shuler, Real Salt Lake

Chris Shuler, Real Salt Lake

From the St Louis Globe Democrat: Chris Schuler, a 22-year-old former All-America defender at Creighton University, has been loaned to AC St. Louis by Real Salt Lake of Major League Soccer. Schuler will be with AC for at least four games, starting with Wednesday night’s match in Montreal.

The 6-foot-4, 185-pound Schuler was born in St. Louis and grew up in Aurora, Ill. He red-shirted his freshman season at Indiana University before transferring to Creighton, where he played for former Saint Louis University coach Bob Warming. Schuler made the All-Missouri Valley Conference team three times. A third-round selection in the 2010 MLS draft, Schuler has not appeared in any of Real Salt Lake’s games.

Note: Shuler’s father Chris is a Springfield referee and his cousin’s include Michael (Kickapoo/Missouri State) and Tyler Bennett (Kickapoo/Oglethorpe), both Springfield SC players.

Although with a record of 3-9-4 and in last place in the NASL Conference of the Division 2 Pro League, AC is still in the running for a playoff berth with 14 matches to go. The team lost to Montreal last Wednesday night, 0-3 with Shuler starting and playing the whole game. The team followed that up with a 1-0 win over Baltimore on Saturday with Shuler playing the entire match. AC St Louis is hosting the Portland Timbers this evening.

Chris Shuler, Real Salt Lake

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Chris Shuler, Real Salt Lake

Chris Shuler, Real Salt Lake

Major League Soccer pre-season continues and I went looking for information on Chris Shuler, who was chosen in the 3rd round in January, 39th overall. While Chris played his prep ball in Chicago and at Creighton in college, he has Springfield ties. His Dad Chris is an active referee at Lake Country Soccer and his cousins are Michael and Tyler Bennett, Kickapoo and Springfield SC players. The photo came from a pre-season report on RSL Soap Box along with this note:

I was impressed with the pace and intensity shown by both the veterans as well as the new comers, the size of Chris Schuler is simply impressive. It is easy to read that a guy is 6′ 4″ but when you see him moving around and with the other players it is easy to see why many experts think RSL may have gotten a real steal in the 3rd round of the draft:

You can also catch a short audio interview on the KeepinitReal website. Chris is learning the ropes already regarding no inflammatory comments, I’m only a rookie and I’m looking forward to the opportunity. Smart man.

Missouri Valley Conference Has 3 Preseason All-American’s

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75px-MissouriValleyConference_100 College Soccer News has named their Pre-Season All-American teams and there are 3 representatives from the MVC. Creighton, who reached the Final 8 in the NCAA last year after defeating Missouri State 1-0 in the Conference Title game.

Seniors Chris Schuler and Byron Dacy of the Creighton men’s soccer team have been named Preseason All-Americans by College Soccer News. Schuler was honored on the first team and Dacy was tabbed to the second team. The duo is part of a seven member senior class which will look to lead the Bluejays to their fourth straight Missouri Valley Conference regular-season title and 18th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.

Schuler, who’s father Chris is a local referee and is 1st cousin to Michael and Tyler Bennett (Kickapoo), a second-team All-America honoree by both College Soccer News and the NSCAA last year, returns to lead one of the top defenses in the NCAA. The MVC Defensive Player of the Year as a junior last season, Schuler and the Bluejay defense posted a school record 13 shutouts to lead the nation in shutout percentage (.650). Creighton’s 0.48 goals against average ranked second in the country. A leader on CU’s backline, the 6-foot-4 defender paced the team by playing 1,852 of the team’s 1,864 minutes last year.

Dacy has been named to the preseason MAC Hermann Trophy watch list three times in his career and enters his fifth season at Creighton as the active leader in goals (17), assists (19) and points (53). Last year he returned following a medical redshirt due to a torn ACL in 2007 and started 10 of 20 matches for the Bluejays. The forward had two goals and four assists for eight points last year, after leading the team in points scored in both of his first two seasons on campus. The MVC Freshman of the Year in 2005, Dacy had career bests with nine goals and nine assists for 27 points during his rookie campaign.

Garrett Web has been named to the 3rd team after scoring 7 goals and passing out 5 assists last season en route to All-MVC honors.

Creighton and Drake have also been ranked in the Top 30 Preseason poll by College Soccer News.

2. Creighton – The Bluejays return nine starters from the 2008 team that was 16-2-2 overall and advanced to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament. Byron Dacy and Ethan Finlay return to give the Jays a talented one-two punch up top while Chris Schuler and 5th year senior Seth Sinovic anchor a very solid Creighton backline.
21. Drake – Things are looking up in Des Moines as head coach Sean Holmes welcomes back ten starters from the 2008 team that will be looking for a return trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs earned their first ever trip to the NCAA Tourney and secured a school record thirteen wins last year. Seniors Garrett Webb and Kevin Shrout return up-top.

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NSCAA 2009 St Louis: All-Americans

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NSCAA St Louis 2009: All-AmericansNSCAA St Louis 2009: All-Americans

The largest event of the convention from what I understand is the All-American Luncheon, held the final day full day of the event. Springfield was represented today by Patrick Carver (Emory 2009, Parkview 2005) who was recognized for the second straight year as a 1st Team All-American. He’s pictured on the left above along with his College Coach Sonny Travis and his teammate, Marc Del Marmol, who was a 2nd Team All-American. Coach Sonny Travis was named the NSCAA/ Adidas NCAA Division III South Region Coach of the Year for 2008 as well. Patrick and Marc helped lead the Eagles to one of the most successful seasons in the program’s history in 2008, as the squad claimed its first University Athletic Association (UAA) Championship since the 1998 season, advanced in the NCAA Division III Tournament for the first time since the 1988 season, and matched a program record with 16 wins during the campaign.

Patrick scored 13 goals this year, with 7 assists for 33 points. He finished his career with 50 goals, 29 assists and 129 total points in 72 games. He started every game as a junior and senior and has future plans in the game of soccer that I’m looking forward to enjoying.

By the way, the second photo is of Lori Chalupny who was on stage to congratulate each of the winners today and this young man, who was recognized as an NCCAA All-American, did what I think many of them would like to have done – he got a photo with St Louis’ National team hero and pride of Nerinx Hall. There are hundreds of stories like these and I got to share in a couple.

I came late to the Hall Saturday afternoon and found a table in the back that had an open seat. Turns out I was sharing it with Coach Rachel Bostick and her two All-Americans, Bri Rodriguez and Vanessa DiBernardo. Waubonsie Valley (Aurora, IL) finished with a 26-0-1 record and extended its unbeaten streak to 58 games in front a record championship-game crowd of 2,588 at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium in the Illinois State Championship game last May. It was their second straight IL title. You can read more, and catch video with Vanessa post-game, in this Chicago Tribune story. There’s a back story as well. How many of you recognized Vanessa’s last name? Her father is Angelo DiBernardo, here’s how he’s described in Sports Ilustrated in 1976

The second part of Indiana’s secret is an amazingly gifted goal scorer (10 so far this season), Angelo DiBernardo, 22, a darkly handsome, elegantly turned-out, shy young man who has road-burning speed, an uncanny knack of being in the right spot and is a deadly shot with either foot (SI, Nov. 15, 1976). If DiBernardo decides to turn pro (although a senior academically, he has a year’s eligibility left), he will probably be the No. 1 pick in the North American Soccer League’s college draft in January.

He’s in the Indiana Soccer Hall of Fame, played for the New York Cosmos for four years and also spent a decade coaching at Waubonsie, including one season for the girls team in 1991-1992. That team went 19-2-3 and would have been about the time Vanessa was born. I know this because I asked how old she was when the World Cup came to Chicago (and the US) and she responded immediately that she was 2. There are pictures of Angelo with his daughter and with former Waubonsie player, and current Creighton All-American Chris Shuler, son of Springfield’s Chris Shuler.

As large an event as the NSCAA can be, it’s a great opportunity to learn, meet and develop your game. If you’re considering soccer as a career, joining the NSCAA and participating in it’s programs and the Convention should be considered a requirement.

Represent Springfield Soccer

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Robbie Curtis (Ozark 2008) has played in 9 of the 10 games at Lincoln Memorial University (D2, South Atlantic Conference). He’s scored one goal, the game winner against Sheperd University, which is described below:

In the 87th minute, freshman Robbie Curtis (Ozark, MO) who had recently checked into the game for the first time used a pass from teammate James McLeish (Amprior, Ontario, Canada) and Willian Moura to find the back left corner which gave the Railsplitters a 2-1 lead. As fate would have it, the goal turned out to be the game-winner and the final blow in LMU’s victory over Shepherd University.

The Railsplitters are 7-2-1 overall, 2-0 in the SAC and are ranked 8th nationally.

Maggie Schrier (Glendale 2008) has started 4 of the 8 games this season for the Hendrix College Warriors (D3, SCAC), while playing in all 8 games. She is playing both outside Midfield and Defense. The Warriors record is 4-4, 1-3 in the Conference.

Adam Legg (Kickapoo 2008) has started 7 of the 8 games for the Hendrix College Warriors (D3, SCAC), as the team has opened the season with a 3-5 record, 1-3 in the Conference.

Quincy Conduff (Kickapoo 2008) is also a member of the Warriors (D3, Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference) and has played in 5 of the 8 games this season.

Jason Matthew Taylor (Ozark 2008) helped lead Rockford College (D3, Northern Athletics Conference) to their first victory in four years on September 12th when the Regents defeated Marantha Baptist Bible College 2-1. Jason has started all six games and already has 51 saves as the team is 1-0 at home, 1-5 overall.

Michael Handley (Webb City 2008) is now the starting center back for the Ashford Saints (NAIA, Midwest Collegiate Conference ), starting 8 of 10 games including the past seven games. The team is 6-4 overall, 1-2 in the MCC. He cracks a lineup that lost only one starter last year.

Jacob Plocher (West Plains 2004) has played in 11 of the 13 games this season, starting 3, for the William Penn Statesmen (NAIA, Midwest Collegiate Conference) while scoring a pair of goals.

Matt Saner (West Plains 2006) joined Jacob at William Penn this year, transferring from Neosho CC. He has played in 5 games this season, starting 1. They’ll play at Ashford on October 15th.

Chris Shuler was named the MVC Defensive player of the week for his play in the non-conference games against Cal-Northridge and SLU.

Northridge managed just six shots in the 1-0 Bluejay shutout last Wednesday, while Schuler helped slow a talented Billiken attack Saturday at SLU. SLU striker and Hermann Trophy candidate Kyle Patterson managed only one shot in the match, with Schuler marking the gifted attacker. Schuler was given the second captain’s armband before the SLU match and responded with great leadership and terrific defensive plays.

Chris Shuler Named to Soccer America Preseason All-American 2nd Team

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Chris Schuler of the Creighton men’s soccer team has been named a second-team preseason All-American by Soccer America, as announced by the publication Tuesday. The junior defender has started 39 of his first 40 matches at Creighton and helped anchor the backline since his arrival.

Schuler, a first-team all-Missouri Valley Conference pick and second-team NSCAA All-Midwest Region selection last year, started all 20 matches a year ago. He played the second-most minutes of all field players and played all but one minute of CU’s final 19 matches last year. The Bluejay defense logged seven shutouts and led the MVC with a 0.79 goals against average in 2007.

The Aurora, Ill., native is the son of Springfield, MO referee Chris Shuler and the cousin of Tyler Bennett of the Kickapoo Chiefs. Chris has a sister Christen who plays for the Northern Illinois Huskies.