Valparaiso men’s soccer head coach Mike Avery announced today that Sam Etim (Rockford, Ill./Guilford) has transferred into the Crusader program from Marquette.  Etim, a 5’11”, 190 lb. striker, will have two years of eligibility remaining at the start of the 2009 campaign.

“The only reason we would add a player to our squad this late in the summer is if we were sure the player was going to make an immediate impact on the program - and with Sam, we are absolutely certain,” said Avery.  “Sam's addition gives us a player that has big presence, high end athleticism, a good soccer brain, and some quality experience in the college game.  I spent a lot of time with Sam, and with his family, during this process, and I am thrilled that they have all agreed to join forces with us.”

Etim appeared in 15 matches as a freshman at Marquette, starting on five occasions.  Last season, he played in eight matches, registering an assist, before suffering a season-ending injury.  Etim is spending this summer as part of the Chicago Fire Premier set up, along with Crusader teammates Stefan Antonijevic, Adrian Ortiz, and Ryan Schwarz.  He has appeared with the Fire's u20 and u19 teams, most recently helping the Fire 19's team to the USYSA Region 2 tournament in South Dakota where the team went 2-1 in pool play.

Prior to arriving at Marquette, Etim was a four-year letterwinner at Guilford H.S., helping the Vikings to two regional championship appearances and a state semifinal appearance as a sophomore.  He earned All-State honors as a senior and All-Section honors as a junior, as well as being a two-time All-Conference selection.  On the club level, Etim played for the Rockford Raptors, helping them to a pair of regional titles, one state championship and appearances in the final (2004) and semifinals (2006) at the USYSA national championships.