February 5, 1999

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Angelo Herrera (Albuquerque, N.M.), the NSCAA/adidas National High School Player of the Year, and a member of the U.S. U-18 National Team, headlines the list of prepsters who have signed National Letters of Intent to play soccer for head coach Sasho Cirovski at the University of Maryland as announced today.

A two-time high school NSCAA/adidas All-America performer, Herrera led St. Pius X to a 40-3-3 record the past two seasons, which included back-to-back state championships. The forward paced his team to a third place 1997 finish in the NSCAA high school rankings with a 22-1-1 mark. The following season, Herrera and St. Pius X returned to the poll with a state championship run, ending the campaign with an 18-2-2 slate and a national ranking of 24.

Two talented youth players from Ghana, who both attend the Walden School in Louisville, Ky., will join Herrera next fall on the Maryland campus. Sumed Ibrahim and Siba Mohammed both expressed excitement about their decision to play for Cirovski. The two midfielders burst on to the American soccer scene at the 1997 U.S. Youth Soccer National Championships as they were instrumental in their club team, Javanon of Louisville, capturing the U-16 title, the first national crown for a club from Kentucky. Ibrahim, an NSCAA high school All-American, was the consensus vote for the NSCAA Kentucky High School Player of the Year, while Mohammed earned all-state honors.

Scott Buete, a local product from Bowie, Md., rounds out the list of signees. A natural left-footed midfielder who played his prep career at Bowie High School, is a Region I team member, and also earned all-state and All-Met honors. Last summer he led his club team, the Baltimore Stars, to the Region I championship and to the U.S. U-18 boy's national semifinals. The two-time Prince George's County Player of the Year, Buete is ranked No. 1 academically in his class.

"I'm extremely excited about this class. All four of these gentlemen are highly skilled and dynamic players. They fit our attacking style of play perfectly, but more importantly, they are great people with high values, character and humility," said Cirovski.