May 14, 2003

SPOKANE, Wash. - Gonzaga University head men's soccer coach Einar Thorarinsson has announced the addition of two freshmen goalkeepers for the 2003-04 season. Dade Smith of Bozeman, Mont., and Vito Higgins of Kailua, HI, will compete for the Bulldogs starting goalkeepers job next fall.

Smith, a senior at Bozeman High, was accepted to Gonzaga University and will attend classes in the fall of 2003. The 6-2 goalkeeper has been a starter at the high school, club and Montana State ODP levels for the past several years. Smith recently lead BHS to a second place finish at the 2002 Montana Class AA State championships with Bozeman losing the title game 2-1 in overtime. He is currently a member of the FC Bozeman which placed 4th at the U-19 President's Cup in February 2003 in Phoenix, Ariz.

Higgins, a senior at Academy of the Pacific, signed a national letter of intent with the Bulldogs after leading his high school Pac-Five team to a second place finish in the ILH Boy's Soccer League. Pac-Five is a team filled with players from several Hawai'i high schools which are to small to field their own teams. Higgins currently plays as a member of the Honolulu Bulls soccer team and is a member of the Hawaii State ODP team. Last season Higgins allowed only 5 goals as his high school team posted a 10-1-3 record. Higgins comes from the same home town as former standout Gonzaga goalkeepers Josh Fouts and Mike McCarthy.