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Men's Soccer Adds Defender, Midfielder
April 21, 2004 SPOKANE, Wash. - Gonzaga University head men's soccer coach Einar Thorarinsson has announced the signing of two players to letters-of-intent. Defender Josh Westermann comes to the Bulldogs from Yavapai Junior College in Prescott, Ariz., while midfielder Scott Meslin will join the Bulldogs out of University High in San Diego, Calif. Westermann, who attended Oregon City High in Oregon City, Ore., was a 2-year starter and team captain at Yavapai while helping the RoughRider to back-to-back National Junior College Athletic Association national championships. Yavapai went 22-2-1 each of the past two seasons. He was named to the All-Regional team as a sophomore. He was the first Oregon City High boy's soccer player to earn All-State honors, capping his senior season with team MVP, All-Three Rivers Conference and All-Oregon State 4A recognition. Oregon City went 12-1-1 his senior season and captured the Three Rivers title. He also competed in track and field, running the 400 meters and long jumping. Westermann played three seasons for the Westside Metros Onslaught club team in Beaverton, Ore. The team captured the Oregon State Cup in 2003 and advanced to the Far West Regional finals in Hawai'i. In 2002 the club won the Oregon Premier League title and was State Cup finalists. "Josh is athletic, versatile and experienced," Thorarinsson said. "He will be a great addition to our defense." Meslin was named team MVP each of the past two seasons for University High, and last fall was named first team All-Western League. He also played for the La Jolla Nomads Soccer Club for four years. The Nomads advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2003 Dallas Cup, placed third in the 2000 Nike Premier Cup North American Finals and won the 2000 Nike Premier Cup Western Regional title. He also played with Austria Memphis in the summer of 1998 and was a member of the United States Maccabi team in Israel in 2001. The Nomads also toured England in 2002 and played several English Premier League teams.
"Meslin is creative and likes to go into the attack," Thorarinsson said. "He also played for the highly-regarded Nomads so he has played at the highest level of club soccer."
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