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Post by dadofkeeper on Sept 2, 2015 12:29:00 GMT -5
For those that don't know, Dalton State College in Dalton, Georgia has started a boys NAIA program this year and will have a girls program starting next year. The coach is Karem Daser, who has been at Georgia State and Georgia Military College. Dalton State is about one hour north on 75 from Kennessaw and 15 minutes south on 75 from Chattanooga.
The boys team consists of one senior and three or four juniors and has been playing very good soccer so far.
Anyway, the thing I really wanted to point out is that they have averaged around 500 people for all of the home games this year, including on a Friday night going against high school football. Granted, Dalton is a soccer town with all of the Hispanics, but I would say that at least a third of the attendees have been Caucasians. I would imagine this attendance rivals some of the SEC women's teams. The soccer field is about 10 minutes away from campus (due to how land-locked Dalton State is), it is an Astroturf field (shocking based on being in Dalton), and they are currently building locker rooms and an indoor practice facility. Again, it is clear the school and the community are putting a lot into this soccer program and all Dalton State athletics (won the basketball NAIA National Championship last year in their second year).
I have a daughter that will be playing there next year when they start the girl's team, so I am excited that it is relatively near where we live.
For you guys around the Atlanta area, I thought you might be interested to know what else goes on outside the ATL area in relation to soccer.
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Post by sweeper on Sept 7, 2015 14:18:00 GMT -5
Thanks for the info. It might be worth a drive to see this team play. Kerem has been the most astute youth coach i have met in this country. My sons development under him was pretty amazing. He can be quite honest and direct and definitely rubs some people the wrong way but he has a love and understanding of the game that you don't find too often.
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Post by Strikermom on Sept 7, 2015 21:14:20 GMT -5
I think they have the Gwinnett player of there signed from Duluth, great news!!
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Post by jkdub1 on Sept 8, 2015 7:31:00 GMT -5
We are HUGE fans of Dalton High Soccer so this is a treat for us! I am very excited for these young men and the opportunities this will bring them. IMO, Hispanic families are very tight knit and that is a problem as young people do not want to be far from their families so this is such a big deal for them and this area. They will now be able to continue their education AND play a sport that will potentially help them pay for that very thing. Win win! We have watched the Roadrunners play and I predict this team will go far. I hope everyone takes an opportunity to see what is happening in this small corner of northeast Georgia.
Good luck to your daughter! We look forward to watching her play as well
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Post by dadofkeeper on Sept 9, 2015 15:46:41 GMT -5
For an update, the Dalton State men's team beat Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee last night 2-1.
For those that do not know, Lee was a pretty successful NAIA program and now plays D2 in the Gulf South Conference. It was a heck of a win for Dalton.
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