La Crosse, Wis. - Viterbo University men's soccer goalkeeper, Elliott Purdom (So. - Wilmslow, England), has signed a contract to play for the Rochester Thunder of the United States Premier Development League (PDL).

"This is a very exciting time for me personally and I am really looking forward to the opportunity to play against top-notch soccer players from across the Midwest," commented Purdom. "I am very hopeful this opportunity will help prepare me for my upcoming junior season at Viterbo University and believe that I will gain great knowledge that will only help me in the future."

The Rochester Thunder is an affiliate of the Minnesota Thunder which is a professional soccer team of the United States League (USL). The PDL is the top U23 men's amateur league in North America, and serves as the development ground for elite players. Players have the ability to compete in the PDL throughout the summer months in a professionalized setting while maintaining their collegiate eligibility. The league is the proving ground for players who aspire to reach the highest-levels of the game, while providing affordable family entertainment within the community.

"We have always known what Elliott is capable of but it is finally nice to see that individuals at the next level are starting to see the ability that Elliott has," stated Head Coach Andy Lee. "This is a true credit to the amount of work and time that Elliott puts into the game of soccer. From day one, this has been his true goal and reason for coming to Viterbo, to get to the level of playing professionally. He chose Viterbo because he felt that we would be the right platform for him and I am really excited that he is finally getting the opportunity. This is also great recognition for our team here at Viterbo and hope that this is the opening for many more of our players in the future. One of our goals is to help prepare players for that next level and we feel that we have players in our program that are on their way to being able to make this next step like Elliott has."

In just his sophomore season, Purdom has established himself as one of the top goalkeepers in the Midwest Collegiate Conference. This past season, he finished second in the conference in saves (97), save percentage (79.5%), and was fourth in goals against average (1.46). For his efforts, Purdom was named MCC First Team All-Conference; the first time a V-Hawk goalkeeper has done that since 2002. In his two seasons with the V-Hawks, he has played in all but eight minutes.

"Just as important as this is for me personally, I also feel it is very important for Viterbo and I hope that it means a lot to the Viterbo community," commented Purdom. I hope this will help put Viterbo men's soccer back on the map and expand the opportunities Coach Lee has with recruiting. We have made big strides from when I got here to where we are now but we have plenty of more goals to accomplish. I hope this opportunity will massively prepare me for the upcoming V-Hawk season and that we can continue to make steps forward as a program."

This is the inaugural season for the Rochester Thunder who will open their season on Saturday, May 9th in Des Moines, Iowa. The Rochester Thunder will play their home games at The Stadium on the campus of Rochester Community and Technical College with their home opener being Friday May 15th.

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