Bucknell University Athletics
Former Bucknell Men's Soccer Player Michael Lookingland Signed by MISL'S Baltimore Blast
2/23/2006 7:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Feb. 23, 2006
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Former Bucknell men's soccer player Michael Lookingland was signed by the Major Indoor Soccer League's Baltimore Blast this week. Lookingland joins the Blast for the final 10 games of the 30-game regular season and the playoffs.
Lookingland, a 2005 graduate of Bucknell, was selected with the first pick in the second round of last year's Major League Soccer Supplemental Draft by Real Salt Lake. The 13th overall choice, he became the first Bison ever drafted by an MLS team, and just the sixth player from the Patriot League ever chosen.
A two-time Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year, Lookingland copped a number of postseason awards following his senior season during which he led the Bison to a 7-9-3 record and a berth in the Patriot League Tournament. Along with earning a spot on the All-Patriot League First Team for the second consecutive year, Lookingland was named first-team All-Region by the NSCAA for the third straight year and was honored as a third-team All-American by College Soccer News.
A starter in all 76 games during his time in Lewisburg, and a three-time member of the All-Patriot League squads, Lookingland became just the second two-time Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year. A team co-captain, Lookingland was an integral part of a defense that posted four shutouts and allowed just 27 goals his final campaign in Orange and Blue. In addition to his defensive abilities, the Fallston, Md., native scored one goal and assisted on another as a senior.
Lookingland, who is still on the Real Salt Lake roster, spent much of the 2005 season in the reserve division and scored two goals while assisting on another. He made his MLS debut last July 16 against the Kansas Wizards.
A 2001 graduate of Loyola High School and a native of Fallston, Md., Lookingland joins his hometown Blast two-third of the way through the season. Baltimore, which holds down third place in the standings, owns a 13-7 record. Its next game is Friday, Feb. 24, against the California Cougars, a team based in Stockton, Calif.
