May 18, 2000

EASTON, Pa. - Lafayette College's men's soccer star Leidy Klotz (Cortland, N.Y./Homer Senior) has parlayed his stellar collegiate career into a new professional opportunity with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds of the United Soccer League (USL) "A League."

The Lafayette senior was originally drafted by the Hershey Wildcats in the 2000 A-League Draft, but decided to pursue a tryout with the Pittsburgh squad. He has played at forward in all three of the Riverhounds' (2-0-1) games. The Pittsburgh organization plays 29 games primarily against USL opponents and one matchup with the Columbus Crew of Major League Soccer (MLS).

Klotz is a two-time Mid Atlantic Region All-America selection who led Lafayette to consecutive Patriot League championships in 1998 and 1999. In 1998, his 12 goals and 8 assists helped spark the seventh-best turnaround in NCAA history, as the Leopards buried thoughts of a 4-12 season in 1997 and converted it to a 16-5 campaign. Klotz shined in the Patriot League Tournament, scoring both Lafayette goals in the opening round vs. Holy Cross and the game-winner vs. Lehigh in the championship game. The performance earned Klotz Tournament MVP honors and advanced Lafayette to the NCAA Tournament and an opening round meeting with No. 1 Clemson.

As a senior, Klotz scored four goals and passed for seven assists while starting 18 games for Lafayette. The Leopards again won the Patriot League championship, this time using a pair of double-overtime victories over Holy Cross and Navy to bring home the title.

A two-time All-Patriot League First-Team honoree, Klotz finished his Lafayette career with 68 points, tied with two others for the fourth-highest total in program history. His 24 career goals and 20 career assists place him tied for fifth all-time on each list.

One Klotz can still be seen playing in the college ranks, as his sister, Carrie, is a sophomore on the University of Maryland women's soccer squad. Leidy's brother, Ricky, plays for Homer Senior High School, the same high school Leidy attended.

Klotz, whose consistent academic success was marked by Dean's List honors and a selection to the GTE CoSIDA All-America District II second team in 1998, will graduate on Saturday with a degree in civil engineering.