Courtesy: Hofstra Athletic Communications
Release: 07/20/2010
Stephan Barea will make his first appearances with the Puerto Rico national team at the Caribbean Cup in August
Hempstead, N.Y. – Sophomore midfielder Stephan Barea (Levittown, N.Y./Island Trees) was invited to join the Puerto Rico national team and will participate in the group stage of the Digicel Caribbean Cup from August 18-22 in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, joining senior midfielder Steven Ehrichs (Brentwood, N.Y./Brentwood) and Hofstra alumnus Richard Martinez, who graduated last year.
Barea will be making his first appearances with the national team, after playing for the Puerto Rico U-21 team this summer. Ehrichs and Martinez previously played with the Puerto Rico national team during World Cup qualifying games in 2008.
Barea, Ehrichs and Martinez will join the national team’s training camp on August 12, prior to the Digicel Caribbean Cup competition, which will see Puerto Rico face Anguilla, Cayman Islands and the Bahamas. The Digicel Caribbean Cup serves as the qualifier for the CONCACAF Gold Cup next summer.
As a freshman in 2009, Barea tied for the Hofstra team lead in goals with six and was named to the Colonial Athletic Association All-Rookie team. He scored his first collegiate goal just over one minute into his career, as he found the back of the net at the 1:02 mark of the first half of a 1-0 win over Stony Brook on September 1, 2009. He also had goals in the first five minutes of wins over Jacksonville and VCU, and scored the game’s only goal in a 1-0 win over Towson.
Ehrichs is entering his senior year in the Pride midfield, where he has been primarily a defensive midfielder in his career. He had one goal and one assist last season, and has three goals in his career. Martinez was the 2009 Colonial Athletic Association Defensive Player of the Year after capping off a four-year career with the Pride.
Barea and Ehrichs will miss the start of Hofstra’s preseason camp to participate in the Caribbean Cup, but will return in time for its season opener at home against Stony Brook on September 1.
