Jan. 11, 2001

Villanova, PA - On Wednesday, January 10, the Philadelphia KiXX announced that they had selected Villanova star midfielder-defender Joe Noonan (Wilmington, DE/Salesianum) in the NPSL Amateur Draft. Choosing seventh or eighth in each round based on last season's regular-season standings, Philadelphia opted for Seton Hall University midfielder Brian Cuddy with its territorial pick. The KiXX then selected Noonan, University of Maryland-Baltimore County midfielder-defender Louie Karko, St. John's University defender Adam Maurer, and University of Virginia midfielder-forward Ryan Trout.

"Our goal in today's draft was to draft players with good speed who can pick up the indoor game quickly," said KiXX Head Coach Omid Namazi. "Cuddy is a crafty player on the ball who brings a lot of quickness, while Karko is a hard worker and very versatile. Maurer is an extremely physical and heady player, Trout offers outstanding ball-handling skills and athletic ability, and Noonan has a top-class work rate."

Noonan, who will graduate in May of 2001, finished his athletic career on the Main Line in November 2000. He helped guide the 2000 Wildcats to a 6-9-2 overall record and 2-7-2 Big East conference mark. Over his senior campaign Noonan netted four goals and handed out two assists for a team-high 10 points. His efforts earned him a selection on the Philadelphia Soccer Seven first team. For his career, Noonan tallied 14 goals and added four assists for 32 points.

Noonan was also named the 2000 Philadelphia Soccer Seven Academic Player of the Year. A native of Wilmington, Delaware, Noonan carries a 3.75 cumulative grade point average while majoring in Electrical Engineering at Villanova. He also posted a 3.97 GPA this past semester.

The KiXX (10-3), who currently own the NPSL's top winning percentage (.769), have matched a franchise record with seven wins in a row and are off to their best start in club history. They host the Buffalo Blizzard this Friday at 7:35 p.m. at Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton, NJ before returning to the First Union Spectrum on Saturday, Jan. 20 to battle the Cleveland Crunch at 7:05 p.m.