Two prep soccer stars, Corey Bronner of Morrisville, Vt. and Patrick Wyld of West Simsbury, Conn., will attend the University of Vermont, coach Roy Patton announced today.
The two student-athletes signed national letters of intent during the recent fall sports signing period.
“We are extremely excited to get these two talented and skilled players,” Patton said “Both will compete for spots in the lineup right away. Naturally, we have seen Corey quite a bit and he’s a very dedicated player who has held his own at whatever level he has played. That’s rare for a rural player who has jumped in against top competition in the regional Olympic Developmental program.”
Bronner, a 6-foot-1 midfielder out of Peoples Academy in Morrisville who played for the Nordic Spirit club program, was recently named the Gatorade High School Player of the Year for Vermont.
A two-time all-New England selection, he was named all-state the past three seasons and twice has led the Wolves to the Division III state championship (including 2002).
In four years at Peoples, he scored 50 goals with 57 assists and his on-field leadership this fall included a stint in goal during a penalty-kick shootout in the Vermont state semifinals.
Next fall, Bronner will join three regulars from the Green Mountain state, T.J. Mead (Hinesburg/Champlain Valley), Ethan Hutchins (Barre/Spaulding), Jason Leahy (St. Albans, Vt./ BFA St. Albans) and another Peoples alum, Travis Owen (Morrisville), on the Catamounts roster.
Wyld, whose parents are both UVM alums, led Loomis Chaffee to the Class A New England Prep School title and their second straight undefeated regular season. He was named to the all-state team and played in the Western New England all-star game.
A defender in high school, Wyld, who has great speed and plays with good pace, will be a candidate at outside midfield for the Catamounts.
Vermont, 11-7-1 overall and 5-1-1 in America East play last season, graduates six seniors from the 2002 squad that was the America East runner-up. Among the six were three midfielders including four-year starters Tim Parisi (Ivyland, Pa.) and David Said (Stone Mountain, Ga.).
-SportsInfo
