Settle Drafted Into the MISL
March 12, 2007 | Men's Soccer
Former UW men's soccer player Jake Settle will be headed to the pros. The goalkeeper was selected by the expansion Orlando Sharks as the first overall pick in round one of the Major Indoor Soccer League, held on Wednesday, March 7.
'I'm flattered right now and appreciate the fact that Orlando has taken interest in me,' Settle said. 'I'm very grateful to [UW head] coach [Jeff] Rohrman for having positive things to say about me. The only exposure they had to me was through talking to coach.'
Head coach Jeff Rohrman was elated to hear that Settle's four years of hard work in the program were paid off with the great opportunity.
'I'm so excited for what Jake has ahead of him in Orlando,' Rohrman said. 'For him to be the first pick in the first round, it says a lot about their assessment of how successful they think he'll be with their franchise. '
Settle was actually the ninth player to be selected in Wednesday's draft. The first eight picks were part of the territorial round, where teams must pick a player from their region. The draft then moved to round one where anybody was eligible to be drafted, and Orlando chose Settle ahead of anyone else.
Settle joins Aaron Hohlbein as the second player from Wisconsin's 2006 class to move on to a higher level of play after their years as a Badger. Hohlbein was signed last month by the Kansas City Wizards of Major League Soccer.
'Hohlbein getting into the MLS was amazing, and I'm excited to head to the MISL,' Settle said. 'The fact that guys from our program are continuing their soccer careers after college says positive things about the staff here and how they're handling things.'
Rohrman was excited about the soccer program's direction as well.
'Jake represents another feather in our cap as far as what we're trying to do with our players in giving them the opportunity to play at the next level, ' Rohrman said. 'Jake's drafting into the MISL is another great story for our program.'
Settle will head to the MISL after clocking in a very successful career at Wisconsin. After showing flashes of brilliance in 2003, earning a Big Ten Player of the Week award after shutting out Illinois-Chicago in one of his two starts, Settle did not participate in 2004.
Settle began to shine in 2005, recording two shutouts on the season and winning Big Toe Invitational defensive MVP honors. Settle was also named Academic All-Big Ten.
2006, however, was when Settle would really elevate his game. The senior started all 19 games for UW, giving up a mere 0.77 goals per game. Settle's eight shutouts placed him at fifth all-time on the Badgers for shutouts in a single season, and aided him in winning many awards. Settle was named to the UW-Milwaukee Panther Classic All-Tournament team, was honored as the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week an incredible three times and was chosen to the All-Big Ten second team.
