Peachtree City Sign Boston Defender Joshua Barkoff
Through MOBA's two seasons in the league, defense has been a consistent struggle. That is not to say that no quality defensive talent has passed through the suburbs, as the likes of Adam Sheikali, Salomon Lorenzano, James Thomas, Nick Spielman, and Daniel Olaniran have all seen great success both in the PDL and in college. Despite that, there have been issues with keeping the back line in sync, and a fair portion of that could be attributed to a lack of stability in the management position. 2018 is a prime season for those struggles to end, however, as former professional center-back Omar Jarun has officially taken over as manager. Bringing in a wealth of experience from across the globe, Jarun is exactly the man MOBA need at the head, and now all he needs is players to fill his roster, and it seems entirely likely that this is the year MOBA finally sees success.
Now the second defender to come out of Boston to join Peachtree City, alongside Adam Sheikali, Barkoff brings with him a well-rounded set of skills focused on defense. Out of East Brunswick, New Jersey, Barkoff saw great success during his youth career in the Middlesex area, serving as captain of East Brunswick Blazers Elite for six years and winning the New Jersey State Championship with FC Copa Academy, as well as the U18 Disney Soccer Showcase. Attending East Brunswick High School, Barkoff served as captain of the varsity team during his senior year, making the All-State, All-Area, and All-Conference teams and was selected as a New Jersey All-Star before committing to attend Boston University in 2015.
During his freshman and sophomore seasons with the Terriers, Barkoff did not see any playing time, but that changed dramatically during his junior year. Barkoff played 1003 minutes in seventeen matches with seven starts, including six straight to close the season. Barkoff recorded significant playing time in six of the Terriers' seven 2017 wins, and helped solidify a back line that recorded seven clean sheets, three of which came against top Patriot League teams in Bucknell, Holy Cross, and Lehigh. With Barkoff's assistance, the Terriers made the Patriot League semifinals for the third time in four years before falling to Holy Cross in penalties. Arguably the most important start of Barkoff's career to this point, he played phenomenal in his 110 minutes as the Terriers picked up the clean sheet, but ultimately fell victim to fatigue during penalty kicks, losing 4-1. Despite that, Barkoff picked up invaluable experience that will help him as he makes his way down south.
2018 has a lot of potential, and with the signings of Chris Mikus and Joshua Barkoff, it is evident that Peachtree City are going all out in getting top talent. Both Mikus and Barkoff have the potential to thrive under Jarun, and with the attacking prowess of assistant Nicholas Addlery, any position on the field has the potential to help boost the attack, which MOBA will be craving following their goal-scoring droughts over the last two years. A lot of signings are still to come, with more tryouts to come on March 18th, but already 2018 looks bright.
#MOBAProud
Joshua Barkoff - Defender - Boston University
During his freshman and sophomore seasons with the Terriers, Barkoff did not see any playing time, but that changed dramatically during his junior year. Barkoff played 1003 minutes in seventeen matches with seven starts, including six straight to close the season. Barkoff recorded significant playing time in six of the Terriers' seven 2017 wins, and helped solidify a back line that recorded seven clean sheets, three of which came against top Patriot League teams in Bucknell, Holy Cross, and Lehigh. With Barkoff's assistance, the Terriers made the Patriot League semifinals for the third time in four years before falling to Holy Cross in penalties. Arguably the most important start of Barkoff's career to this point, he played phenomenal in his 110 minutes as the Terriers picked up the clean sheet, but ultimately fell victim to fatigue during penalty kicks, losing 4-1. Despite that, Barkoff picked up invaluable experience that will help him as he makes his way down south.
2018 has a lot of potential, and with the signings of Chris Mikus and Joshua Barkoff, it is evident that Peachtree City are going all out in getting top talent. Both Mikus and Barkoff have the potential to thrive under Jarun, and with the attacking prowess of assistant Nicholas Addlery, any position on the field has the potential to help boost the attack, which MOBA will be craving following their goal-scoring droughts over the last two years. A lot of signings are still to come, with more tryouts to come on March 18th, but already 2018 looks bright.
#MOBAProud
Photo Courtesy: Boston University
Comments
Post a Comment