Seattle Pacific Signs Two More Men's Soccer Recruits
May 18, 2004

SEATTLE (May 18) – Matt Kemper and Kellen Rosten, both of Colorado Springs, have signed national letters of intent to play soccer for Seattle Pacific University next fall.

Kemper, a 6-foot-2 senior at Palmer High School, was a first team all-state selection and the Colorado 5A player of the year as a center midfelder. He finished his career with 36 goals and 57 assists, with the Terrors advancing the state round of 16 four times.

Kemper also plays defender for the Pride Predators, where he is a teammate of Rosten. The Pride Predators’ assistant coach is Joel Malick, who played on Seattle Pacific’s 1998 Final Four squad. They won the elite II division in 2003 and also the Nomads Coaches Showcase. Earlier this spring the Pride Predators advanced to the state cup semifinals. Kemper will also be one of only two prep player this summer for the Colorado Springs Blizzard of the PDL.

“Matt is a strong tackling, very technical central defender,” said Seattle Pacific coach Cliff McCrath. “He has good speed and athleticism and can help our defense.”

Rosten, a 6-1 senior goalkeeper at Doherty High School, made all-state his final two years and was a three-time all-Metro 5A pick. He posted 17 career shutouts. Rosten also served as punter and placekicker for the Spartans football team.

“Kellen possesses all the physical tools to be a quality goalkeeper,” said McCrath. “Even though we have a veteran keeper, we expect Kellen to compete for playing time immediately.”

Kemper and Rosten become the fourth and fifth recruits to sign with Seattle Pacific. James Coggan of San Jose, Jeff Hallenbeck of Redmond, Wash., and Drew Macha of Eugene, Ore., signed last month.

SPU, a five-time NCAA Division II champion, returns 10 starters from a team which went 9-8-2 last season. It has qualified for the playoffs 28 times while posting 33 consecutive winning seasons.