Williamsburg - A total of eight current and former William and Mary men's soccer players advanced to the United Soccer League's (USL) Premier Development League (PDL) Playoffs. Five current Tribe players and two former stand-outs earned a spot in a Eastern Conference playoffs with the Williamsburg Legacy, while junior Chris Wayne (Chesapeake, VA) earned a stop in the Eastern Conference playoffs with the Virginia Beach Submariners.

Seniors Jeff Marklin (Richmond, VA), Brendan McCurdy (Ponte Vedra Beach, FL), Kris Rake (Flower Mound, TX) and Patrick Scherder (Vienna, VA) along with sophomore Andrew Hoxie (Newport News, VA) played for the Legacy over the summer. Former Tribe players Clayton Voss and Brannon Thomas joined the quintet on the Williamsburg squad.

The Legacy claimed the lone wild card spot in the Eastern Conference with 28 points and an 8-4-4 regular season record. They outdistanced Ottawa and Ocean City, both with 24 points, for the final playoff berth. The Virginia Beach Submariners earned a playoff bid by winning the Mid-Atlantic Division with 31 points and a 10-5-1 record. The Legacy and Submariners are division rivals.

The New England Division Champion Cape Cod Crusaders (14-0-2) and the Northeast Division Champion Westchester Flames (10-5-1) round out the Eastern Conference playoff field. The playoffs are set for Friday, July 28, and Saturday, July 29, at the Virginia Beach Sportsplex. The Legacy will battle Cap Cod at 5:30 p.m. in one semifinal on Friday, while the Submariners will face Westchester in the other at 8 p.m. The final is slated for 5 p.m. on Saturday. The winner of the Eastern Conference will advance to the PDL semifinals.

The Legacy clinched its spot in the playoffs with a convincing 6-2 victory over the Richmond Kickers Future on July 23. In the contest, Hoxie led the Legacy charge with five points on two goals and an assist. He scored the eventual game-winner in the 51st minute before assisting on a goal in the 59th. Scherder assisted on the team's first goal in the eighth minute of the victory, while Thomas added a goal and an assist.

Scherder made his return to the pitch a successful one after missing most of the 2005 season with W&M due to an injury. He finished the regular season second on the Legacy in points (11) and goals (5). He notched a pair of two-goal games for Williamsburg, including the final one against Raleigh Elite on July 21. In the game against Raleigh Elite, the Legacy overcame a three-goal first-half deficit to forge a tie. Scherder scored the final two Legacy goals in the 51st and 54th minutes with Hoxie assisting on the final goal. McCurdy also notched an assist in the comeback helping on the Legacy's first goal in the 36th minute.

In total, Scherder started all 14 games in which he appeared, racking up 989 minutes. Hoxie played 11 games for the Legacy with seven starts. The 2005 CAA All-Rookie Team selection ranked third on the team with seven points and second with three assists.

Marklin, McCurdy and Rake were key contributors to the Legacy's defense. Overall, Williamsburg finished the regular season with a goals against average of 1.25 and five shutouts. During the 16-game slate, the Legacy only allowed 20 goals, which ranked 14th in the 59-team PDL and third in the Eastern Conference.

Marklin played in 10 matches with six starts, totaling 626 minutes in the Legacy defense. McCurdy was a constant for the Williamsburg squad in the back as he started 15 matches and played the maximum 1350 minutes during those contests. McCurdy continued his successful position change from the Tribe's spring season. He played his first three seasons with W&M as a forward, but moved to center back in the spring. McCurdy finished the regular season with three points on a goal and an assist.

Rake started the first seven games of the season for the Legacy in goal. He amassed a 3-1-3 record with an impressive goals against average of 0.86. He notched 36 saves with three shutouts. Rake blanked three of the Legacy's first four opponents, racking up a season-high eight saves against the West Virginia Chaos on May 21.

Voss was a four-year starter for the Tribe on the back line. He wrapped up his career at W&M, starting all 18 matches with eight points on two goals and four assists in 2005. He started 11 games, appearing in 13 for 956 minutes with the Legacy. He added a goal and two assist for four points during the PDL regular season.

Thomas capped his career with the Tribe in 2004. He started all 20 matches in the midfield and led the squad with 11 points on three goals and five assists. He was a second team All-CAA selection and scored the game-winner in the Tribe's 1-0 double-overtime upset of then-No. 1 Maryland on Sept. 22, 2004. He played both the midfield and forward positions for the Legacy starting 12 matches and appearing in all 16. He finished the year fourth on the team in points with six on two goals and two assists.

Wayne appeared in nine matches with four starts for the Mid-Atlantic Division Champion Virginia Beach Submariners. He totaled 342 minutes of action and notched a goal from his back position. His goal capped a 4-0 victory over the West Virginia Chaos on July 19.

Incoming freshman Roger Bothe (Chester, VA) also saw action in the PDL over the summer. He started the final three games of the season for the Richmond Kickers Future. In total, Bothe played in four matches and 272 minutes at back.

The Tribe will open up the 2006 season with an exhibition contest against Navy on August 19 at 2 p.m. in Williamsburg. The first regular-season affairs for W&M will be at the Wake Forest adidas Classic against a pair of 2005 NCAA Tournament squads. The College will battle preseason No. 3 (College Soccer News) North Carolina on Friday, Aug. 25, at 5 p.m., before squaring off with the host and preseason No. 19 (College Soccer News) De-mon Deacons on Sunday, Aug. 27, at 2:30 p.m. Season men's and women's soccer tickets are now available by calling the W&M Ticket Office at 757-221-3340 or online at www.tribeathletics.com/tickets.html.