Mario Soto signs with UPike

Mason County senior Mario Soto signed today to play soccer at the University of Pikeville.

"I really like their campus, it kinda reminder, like, a little bit of Maysville, Morehead, it was kinda of small, but you had a decent amount to do," Soto said. "And they're a small college, but they're really developed." 

Soto was a goalkeeper for the Royals last season, but was recruited by UPike as a midfielder.

Mason County coach Daniel Forsythe said the transition to midfielder will be seamless for Soto "because we played him at different positions last year; he's excellent at goalkeeper and I hope that he gets to transition back to that position at some point and time when they have an open spot for him."

Soto said it won't be a problem learning to play a new position.

"I feel like I know a lot about soccer, so I feel like I'd be able to, you know, just practice, you know, I think I will get better with experience," Soto said.

Forsythe said Soto had a leadership quality that created a team atmosphere where everybody is involved and everybody belongs.

"(He) made everyone feel welcome, whether you were freshmen, eighth grade, even had a seventh grader last year on the team, everybody has really looked up to Mario and he's really fulfilled that position of being a leader," Forsythe said.

Soto was a kicker on the football and has been a member of the swim team and JROTC.

Soto has not decided on a major.

Brock Gilligan signs with Georgetown College

Mason County senior Brock Gilligan signed today to play soccer at Georgetown College.

"The opportunity to play soccer close to home was one of the main reasons that I decided to go there," Gilligan said. "Another reason is they have a great academic program. They're going to give me a lot of opportunities through their distinguished programs to study aboard, study and do research projects somewhere else in the country."

Gilligan was the Royals' captain. He scored seven goals and had two assists last season.

Gilligan was the place kicker on the Mason County football team the past two seasons.

Mason County principal Seth Faulkner and Royals coach Daniel Forsythe both said Gilligan is the epitome of a student-athlete.

Gilligan plans to study engineering arts or major in mathematics and physics.

He said mathematics and physics would give him the opportunity to study at the University of Oxford in England his senior year at the same tuition rate as Georgetown College.

Mason County boys soccer coach Daniel Forsythe on SportsTalk

Mason County Royals soccer coach Daniel Forsythe was my guest on SportsTalk this morning.

Here is a link to the podcast.

Daniel Forsythe is the new boys soccer coach at Mason County

Daniel Forsythe is the new boys soccer coach at Mason County. Here is the press release from the school:


Maysville--- The Mason County Athletic Department is proud to announce the hiring of Daniel Forsythe as the new boys head soccer coach.  Coach Forsythe will meet with his players in the near future.

Forsythe has recently served as the boys soccer assistant coach under former coach Andy Bisotti here at Mason County.

Forsythe was a 4-year soccer player at Mason Co High School, having graduated in 2003. He was also actively involved in the track and field program as a student here.

In making the transition, Assistant Athletic Director Jeremy Hawkins said Forsythe was a great fit for our soccer program and exactly the type of coach they were looking to hire.

“As an athletic department, we are always searching for a candidate that will represent our school the correct way and work well with our student athletes, parents, and administration. Coach Forsythe has an obvious  passion and deep foundational knowledge of the sport of soccer and is very excited to continue to foster growth in the soccer program.  Coach Bisotti did an unbelieveable job with our soccer program for the past few years and losing him as our head coach was a difficult loss, but I’m very confident in Daniel’s passion for the sport and am excited to see him continue to build the program. Currently, Coach Bisotti plans to continue helping with the program in an assistant’s role. Our soccer program, both girls and boys, has seen incredible growth over the past few years. Coach Forsythe’s knowledge of the game, leadership skills, and the ability to build relationships with his players will undoubtedly continue that trend.”

Forsythe is very excited to lead the Royals soccer program.

“Last year I was approached by Andy Bisotti to help assist with the high school program. It was a great opportunity to get involved in soccer again. I had coached my own children on different soccer teams in different programs throughout the years but this was my first competitive coaching experience.”
Forsythe on why he wanted to accept the position.

“I'm very honored and excited to have been asked to continue coaching soccer at the high school next year. I've always wanted to return to help with Mason County soccer in some capacity, and I'm thrilled that it will be as head coach. I'm glad we'll still have Bisotti in an assistant coach role as he has been a vital part of this team moving toward a winning record. This upcoming season looks to be just as exciting as the last, with many returning student athletes to watch for and rivalries to look forward to.”