March 22, 2007

ST. LOUIS - Saint Louis head men's soccer coach Dan Donigan announced today that Brandon Barklage (St. Louis, Mo./CBC) will transfer to SLU after spending the previous two seasons at New Mexico. He enters the program with two years of eligibility remaining.

"We are excited to have Brandon return to his hometown to play in front of his family and friends," Donigan said. "He is a proven and creative goal scorer at the NCAA Division I level. Brandon has had a great start to his collegiate career, and we anticipate that he will continue his development with us and contribute to our attacking style of soccer. It was unfortunate that Brandon initially left St. Louis for college, but we are excited that he is going to come back and make an immediate contribution to our program."

Barklage, who helped New Mexico to the NCAA Tournament the past two seasons, totaled 19 points (5G, 9A) in 42 games over his two-year playing career with the Lobos. Last season, the 5-foot-11 forward tied for second on the team with 10 points (3G, 4A) while earning first-team Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) honors. In addition, he was tabbed as a third-team selection on the National Soccer Coaches Association of America's (NSCAA) All-Far West Region team.

As the only New Mexico freshman to play in every game in 2005, Barklage finished with nine points (2G, 5A). He started 17 games in the midfield, including all five matches during UNM's run to the College Cup final. None of his goals was bigger than his tally against Clemson in the College Cup semifinal, a game the Lobos went on to win 2-1. Named as one of the Top-100 Freshmen to Watch by collegesoccernews.com, Barklage ranked second among freshmen in the MPSF in both scoring and assists.

A St. Louis native, Barklage helped CBC to a state championship in 2004 after netting 16 goals as the Cadets finished the season ranked No. 5 in the nation by the NSCAA. A St. Louis Post-Dispatch first-team All-State selection in 2004, Barklage also starred for the Scott Gallagher club team, with whom he won a pair of national titles.

The addition of Barklage bolsters an incoming class that includes Josh Boemecke (O'Fallon, Ill./O'Fallon) and Casey Herd (Arlington, Texas/Martin).

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