Former William and Mary standout soccer forward Andrew Hoxie ’09 is going on a road trip. The San Jose Earthquakes announced Hoxie’s name in the third round of the 2010 Major League Soccer (MLS) SuperDraft Thursday afternoon. The 37th overall selection’s next task is to make the nearly 3,000 mile drive from Williamsburg to San Jose, Calf. in time for the first squad workout Jan. 23.
Held in the Philadelphia Convention Center in front of the media, coaches and fans, the draft did not disappoint Hoxie.
“The draft was in a huge room and when someone gets picked the fans go crazy,” Hoxie said. “[Once selected, you] walk up and give a speech … I was just happy to be drafted. I had no idea; I could have gone first round, I could have gone fourth round as coaches are now looking for an individual player to fit certain positions.”
Hoxie expects to see immediate playing time in San Jose. The Earthquakes finished second-to-last in MLS last season and, outside of forward Ryan Johnson, had little punch at the striker position.
“I am going to have to prove myself,” Hoxie said. “The first game is not until the end of March, so we have a long preseason ahead of us. I am hoping to start and play … we’ll see how it goes.”
The Enid, Okla. native became the seventh Tribe player drafted into MLS and the first since 2004. Hoxie was the 10th forward selected, and will seek to join defender Wade Barret ’98 as the only Tribe players on an MLS roster this spring.
After graduating in December, Hoxie set his sights on the invite-only Adidas MLS Player Combine that took place in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Jan. 8-12.
At the combine he was placed on Team Condivo, named after the Adidas line. Four teams are formed by the 62 invites and each participated in matches against the other. Team Condivo went 3-0 as Hoxie led all scorers notching two goals, including the opening goal of the combine, bending a ball around a defender in an one-on-one opportunity.
“Guys from schools like William and Mary, it is hard because you don’t get a lot of recognition,” Hoxie said. “There were a lot of coaches that had never heard of me or seen me play. It was nice to get my name out there early.”
Hoxie was satisfied with his performance at the combine.
“I think I played well, I did what I wanted to do,” he said. “I have been running and lifting, but I haven’t had a lot of opportunities to play soccer because of the weather.”
Hoxie played 72 games for the College, registering 35 goals while capping his career being named to multiple All-American teams and as the 2009 CAA Player of the Year.
Once in San Jose, he will workout with the Earthquakes for a few weeks before heading south to Arizona for a training session. The team will then travel to England for preseason action before returning to San Jose for their home opener against defending MLS Champion Real Salt Lake March 27.
Until then, he’ll just enjoy the ride.
Notes: Hoxie tallied 10 goals and 12 assists this past season on his way to being named the CAA Player of the Year and earning a place on the Hermann Trophy watch list, given to the nation’s top collegiate soccer player.
