Four Blackbirds Sign With Premier Developmental League Squads

5/10/06 -- Four current Long Island University men's soccer team members have signed to play in the Premier Developmental League, a development ground for elite soccer players.

Sophomore Alex Fatovic (Falls Church, Va.) and freshmen John Crawley (Glasgow, Scotland), Adam Kelemet (Morris Plains, N.J.) and Michael Marten (Ogden, Ill.) are all scheduled to compete in the U23 North American league. Kelemet and Crawley will both play for the Palm Beach Pumas, Fatovic with the Cocoa Expos and Marten with the Cascade Surge.

Fatovic recorded three shutouts in goal for the Blackbirds as he posted three victories and one tie as a sophomore. He played all 110 minutes of a scoreless tie at Monmouth and recorded wins over Manhattan (2-0) and St. Joseph's (3-0). As a freshman, Fatovic notched a pair of wins, including a 1-0 victory over Central Connecticut State.

Crawley battled through knee problems in his freshman campaign, playing in a total of eight games, including seven starts. The Scottish product also scored a goal in LIU's victory over Robert Morris and registered an assist and tallied a season-best five shots against Central Connecticut State.

Kelemet saw action in 16 games, starting eleven primarily at the midfield and forward positions. He recorded his first career goal in a 3-1 Northeast Conference victory at Quinnipiac.

Marten ranked fourth on the team in points (7) after recording three assists and a pair of goals in his opening campaign. Marten tallied a goal and an assist in LIU's thrilling overtime home victory over Robert Morris on November 4.

Two other Blackbirds have already signed on to play in the PDL. Freshmen Mohammad Mashriqi (Flushing, N.Y.) and Josh Merchant (New Orleans, La.) are each scheduled to suit up for the Bakersfield Brigade.

The 2006 PDL campaign features a 59-team format within four conferences, consisting of 16 regular season matches, 8 home and 8 away. For more information on the PDL, visit their website at http://pdl.uslsoccer.com/