Chesapeake High School senior Chris Saul (middle) signed his National Letter of Intent to play soccer at Longwood next year. He was joined Wednesday by assistant coach Kim Novotny (left) and athletic director Chip Snyder.
Severna Park High School senior Mike Rose signed his National Letter of Intent to play soccer at Notre Dame next year. He was joined Wednesday by his parents, Roger and Joni (left), soccer coach Bob Thomas and athletic director Wayne Mook.
by Aaron Gray
Severna Park High School's Mike Rose and Chesapeake's Chris Saul each made the
varsity team at their respective schools as inexperienced, immature freshmen.
Fast-forward four years later.
Both players grew and became standouts in the Anne Arundel County soccer scene.
On Wednesday, they both signed National Letters of Intent and will play
Division I soccer next year. Rose is headed to Notre Dame and Saul signed with
Longwood.
Rose actually committed to Notre Dame before his senior season but after a
successful summer camp in South Bend, IN.
"Making the decision early was good because it took all the pressure off
my senior year," said Rose, who also considered Brown, Harvard and other
Ivy League schools. "Obviously, the prestige of Notre Dame stuck out. I
fell in love with the campus and the coaching staff there is awesome."
Rose received a full scholarship offer from Notre Dame following a week-long
camp he attended. Two other players were also offered so he got to meet some of
the incoming freshman class. He immediately accepted the offer and canceled the
other visits he had lined up.
The 6-foot-1, 165-pound Severna Park resident tallied 16 goals and a team-high
12 assists for the Falcons during their Class 4A state semifinal run this past
fall. Rose, a very heady midfielder, is the first High School All-American
selection in school history and won the Golden Boot during the 2006 National
Championship for club soccer. His performance with the Casa Mia Bays club team,
based out of Baltimore, also helped his recruiting process. Every senior player
on the team has received a Division I scholarship, Rose said.
"Mike is a phenomenal player and a great young man," Severna Park
coach Bob Thomas said. "We're going to miss him big time. I think he has
the potential not only to excel in college but beyond. We'll see what
happens."
Saul had full-scholarship offers from Rutgers and Delaware while Michigan,
Syracuse and Navy showed strong interest. He chose Longwood because he wanted
to stay close to his family. He made the decision two weeks ago.
"My dad (Jeff) has helped me get through a lot and I wanted to stay close
to him," said Saul, a 5-foot-8, 147-pound Pasadena resident. "Plus,
Longwood is going to be a great program. They have a great coach and he saw me
play with my club team. He said he thinks I can play past college and I'm all
for that."
Saul, a fiery striker, played club soccer for the Maryland Junior Terps, which
competed in several high-profile tournaments across the state.
He finished his final year of high school soccer with six goals and eight
assists, while missing a couple games with a concussion.
"Chris' tenacity and play-making ability always made him a threat,"
Chesapeake coach Chris Collins said. "He constantly drew double coverage
and was a leader for a young team."