UVa recruit garners national recognition

It was at a tournament over Christmas in Orlando back in 2006 when Virginia coach George Gelnovatch became convinced that Chris Agorsor was the “real deal.”
Agorsor was only a sophomore in high school at the time, but Gelnovatch and his staff zeroed in on the Owings Mills, Md. native and decided to make him a top recruiting target.
That decision looks pretty savvy now.
On Monday, Agorsor was named the 2007-08 Gatorade National Boys Soccer Player of the Year.
Past winners of the award include — in their respective sports — Alex Rodriguez, Emmitt Smith and Lisa Leslie.
In addition to recognizing athletic excellence, the award also takes into account academic achievement and “character on and off the field.”
Agorsor graduated near the top of his class from the McDonogh School — a year early.
“He’s got it all,” said Gelnovatch, who was able to beat out a slew of schools for Agorsor’s services, mainly because he was able to identify the forward as a top player before everyone else. “Not only does he have the soccer, but he’s an articulate, intelligent kid who also has leadership skills. These kids don’t come along very often.”
The 5-foot-9, 145-pounder had 24 goals and eight assists in just 15 games for McDonogh in leading it to the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Championship this past season. Agorsor finished his career with 55 goals and 22 assists.
A standout in the United States Soccer Federation Under-18 Development Academy and a multi-time travel squad invitee to the U-20 National team, Agorsor recently spent three days in England competing with the U-20 squad against English Premier League reserve teams.
Agorsor’s incredible athletic ability is the first thing that caught Virginia’s staff’s eye. Gelnovatch says Agorsor is the best athlete he’s recruited since Brian West, who went on to play MLS.
“He’s very fast and very strong for his size,” Gelnovatch said. “He’s not a big kid, but he’s strong and he’s tough. It’s not easy to knock him off the ball.
“[Former UVa player] Adam Cristman was pretty fast and could get behind people, but Chris is a different gear.”
Gelnovatch says Agorsor has the skills, too.
“He has good feet. He can beat people one on one and is a very good finisher. A lot of times kids who are very fast and very athletic sacrifice the soccer or the finishing, but he has that stuff.”
Gelnovatch believes Agorsor — provided he doesn’t eschew college for a pro career — can make an immediate impact.
“I tell all of our kids —and that includes the National Gatorade High School Player of the Year — that there are no guarantees you’re starting … I don’t promise anybody that they’re going to come in and start.
“But he has all the tools to come in as a first-year guy and score goals for us.”