April 3, 2000

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - University of Virginia head men's soccer coach George Gelnovatch has announced the signings of three student-athletes to national letters of intent to attend Virginia and play men's soccer for the Cavaliers. The student-athletes will enroll at UVa for the 2000-01 academic year. The three individuals are: Alecko Eskandarian (Bergen Catholic/Montvale, N.J.), Ryan Kelly (Cherokee/Marlton, N.J.) and Mahatha Oliver (Dematha Catholic/Waldorf, Md.). The trio of players ranks as one of the top recruiting classes in the country.

Eskandarian, a forward, won four letters at Bergen Catholic High School under coach Jim McGirr. He is a National Player of the Year finalist and was named a National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/Adidas All-American. Eskandarian was chosen as the NSCAA/Adidas New Jersey State Player of the Year after leading the state of New Jersey in scoring with 66 goals and 15 assists through 25 games during his senior year. He was also named a First Team All-State selection by the Associated Press in 1999 and is a three-time All State selection. Eskandarian is a two-time team Most Valuable Player (MVP) and was twice named to the NSCAA All-East team. He also played soccer on the 1999 U.S. Under 17 National team for coach John Ellinger and participated on the 2000 Olympic Developmental Program (ODP) Region I Team.

Gelnovatch on Eskandarian: "Alecko Eskandarian was the leading goal scorer in the state of New Jersey with 66 goals, and finished one goal shy of setting the state record for goals scored in a season. He is a forward and is currently in the U.S. Under 20 National Team Pool. Eskandarian is small, but he's very athletic and fast - he's a very technical player. He is going to add a new dimension to our team. Eskandarian will be a different type of a forward for us in that he's a very tricky, crafty player with his feet and he's a proven goal scorer."

Kelly, a forward/midfielder, is a four-year letterwinner for coach Bruce Wilson at Cherokee High School. He participated on the Region I ODP in 1998 and 1999 and was a 1998 First Team All-Area (Philadelphia and South Jersey), All-State, All-County and All-Conference selection at Cherokee. Kelly is a U.S. Under 18 and 20 National Team Pool Member, competed at the Adidas ESP Camp where he finished as Runner-up MVP in 1999 and was a New Jersey State Team selection in 1994, 1998 and 1999. He also competed on the FC Delco club team, the 1998 Region I Champions.

Gelnovatch on Kelly: "Ryan Kelly is a very athletic, attacking player that can play out wide as a flank player or as a forward. He is also in the U.S. Under 20 National Team Pool and was named the MVP of the Region I International Tournament in Germany last summer (August 8-16) where there were some very reputable teams in competition. We expect for him to come in for us at UVa and play right away. "

Oliver, a defender, earned four letters in soccer at Dematha Catholic High School for coaches Steve Powers (1997-99) and Rob Ryerson (1996). He was a Parade All-American selection in 1998-99 and was named a NSCAA All-American in 1999. Oliver was a two-time All-Metropolitan First Team choice and a NSCAA First Team All-South selection in 1998-99. He was a three-time team captain at Dematha and was named as a All-County and All-Conference selection three times. Oliver competed on the Region I ODP team for four years and was a member of the U.S. National Under 18 (1998-99) and Under 20 (2000) National Team Pool. He also served as the team captain three of the five years he participated on the Maryland State ODP.

Gelnovatch on Mahatha Oliver: "Like Eskandarian and Kelly, Oliver is also currently in the U.S. Under 20 National Team Pool. We expect Oliver to step right in and play right away. He's a defender, a very strong, athletic player that is a ball-winner. He has the versatility to play as a center-back or as an outside back for us."

All three players have been coached by current UVa men's assistant coach Craig Reynolds. when they participated on the Olympic Developmental Program Region I Team.

"These three players will definitely gather some playing time for us," said Gelnovatch. "They are among the top five or six recruits in the country."

2000 University of Virginia Men's Soccer Signees