Ryan Baird, a Class of 2012 goalkeeper from Plainfield, N.J., confirmed Tuesday that he has committed to Rutgers.
Baird plays club soccer for the Ironbound Predators, where he is teammates with fellow Rutgers commit Brian Bennett.
He has six shutouts this high school season while playing for St. Peter’s Prep (Jersey City, N.J.).
Baird is the fifth confirmed Rutgers commitment, joining Bennett, Mael Corboz, Drew Morgan and Mitchell Taintor.
(click banner above to view on ESPN HS website)
Ironbound Sends Another Player To Rutgers
October, 19, 2011
By Sheldon Shealer
Dimitrios Vassiliadis was the first of three players from Ironbound Predators to verbally commit to Rutgers.
He re-confirmed the commitment Tuesday night.
Vassiliadis, a Class of 2012 midfielder prospect, originally pledged to the Scarlet Knights in the spring, he said.
He plays high soccer for St. Joseph’s (Metuchen, N.J.), where he is teammates with Georgetown recruit Brandon Allen.
Vassiliadis will join club teammates Ryan Baird and Brian Bennett at Rutgers and the rest of the confirmed recruiting class includes Mael Corboz, Drew Morgan and Mitchell Taintor.
Other School Considered: Delaware, Monmouth, St. John’s, UC Santa Barbara.
Why Rutgers?: "The fact that i was close to home, and that my family and friends will be able to come watch me play was a big part of my decision. Coach [Tim] Donigan, Coach [Brian] Grazier and Coach [Dave] Beck were a big influence on me when making my choice. They were really helpful in the whole process and the fact that they had that much interest in me was great."
* What did you learn about the recruiting process?: "What I learned most about the recruiting process is that you have to go out to every game and play like its your last because you never know who may be watching you. Coach Donigan first saw me play my junior year during high school. He saw me play in states, so it was later in the season. Fortunately I had a great game and we won, which led us to the state final. I had no idea that college coaches would be there. It wasn’t on my mind that there might be something watching me. Thankfully, Coach Donigan was at that game."
