CHARLESTON, SC ? College of Charleston men’s soccer goalkeeper Hunter Gilstrap was selected by 13th by Miami in the first round of the United Soccer League (USL) Division I draft held this week. Furman's Josh Villalobos was chosen 18th by the Atlanta Silverbacks.
Gilstrap, a senior from Lexington, S.C., played for the Clemson Tigers for three seasons before transferring to the College of Charleston for his senior year. Gilstrap played in 17 games for the Cougars in 2005, starting in 14 of them. He carried a 1.16 goals against average, which led the team and was good enough for fourth in the Southern Conference. His 78.2 save percentage was third in the league and his 61 saves put him sixth. He had three shutouts this past season, including ones against South Carolina and Brown.
Miami is an expansion team this year in the USL Division I, which is the same league and division as the Charleston Battery. Miami’s season begins April 23rd as it hosts the Montreal Impact.
Villalobos, a native of Fayetteville, N.C., netted two goals and added 18 assists during his four-year career at Furman. The midfielder totaled 72 appearances and 49 starts, including 17 appearances on a 2002 Furman squad that claimed a Southern Conference Championship and NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 berth. In addition to posting a 19-3-1 record in 2002, Villalobos and the Paladins registered an NCAA record 11-match shutout streak.
Villalobos saw action in 19 matches last season while leading the Paladins to a 8-8-4 overall record and 4-3-0 SoCon mark. After scoring one goal and notching four assists, Villalobos was named second team All-Southern Conference for the second time in his career.