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Matthew McLaughlin and Kyle Folds Named Allstate All-Americans

By Joe Ginley '12, 12/04/18, 11:30AM EST

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Two of the 125 best boys high school soccer players in the United States are Wildcats.

On Tuesday morning, Matthew McLaughlin and Kyle Folds were named Allstate All-Americans.

"This is a wonderful honor for these two fine young men," said Head Soccer Coach Mike McLaughlin '85. "It's also an honor for their families and the school. Congratulations to both of them. I'm very proud of them."

For the first time, Allstate is crowning 250 high school soccer players from across the United States as All-Americans. In the summer of 2019, 40 boys and 40 girls will be selected to play in the Allstate All-America Cup during the Major League Soccer (MLS) All-Star festivities in Orlando. 

McLaughlin and Folds may be selected to play in the game. But either way, these two Ignatians are All-Americans.

The two enjoyed a great season during the Wildcats' Final Four run. McLaughlin and Folds provided excellent play all over the field in 2018.

McLaughlin led the team in scoring this year. The junior scored a team-high 16 goals and 17 assists for a total of 49 points. McLaughlin was an ironman this year, starting all 22 games and playing 1,447 minutes. 

Over the span of his career, McLaughlin has an impressive 36 goals and 33 assists for 105 total points. The Broadview Heights native is just 9 helpers away from surpassing the career record for assists previously set by Mark Blades.

Besides his work on the field, McLaughlin has excelled off the field. McLaughlin earned the #34 Jim Skerl Award for his work in the classroom and in the community. McLaughlin sports a 4.09 GPA.

Folds served as a hard-charging utility knife. As Coach Mike McLaughlin said at the end of the season banquet, Folds is one of the few players he's coached to play every position on the field (except for goalie) in a season. Folds starred at forward, midfielder, and defender this season, excelling wherever he lined up. Folds started all 22 games, playing 1,476 minutes, ranking third on the team in playing time. 

Folds tallied 9 goals and 2 assists during a stellar junior campaign. Folds scored several highlight reel goals, including a marvelous top-shelf tally vs. St. Edward that made ESPN's SportsCenter Top 10 plays. 

For his career, Folds has tallied 17 goals and 5 assists, totaling 39 points. Colleges have craved his size and special skills from the start of his career, as Folds accepted a scholarship offer from the University of Louisville before the 2018 season. Folds is also a great student, recording a 3.80 GPA in the classroom. 

Congratulations to these two men on a well-deserved achievement!