Ask Greg Walter why he chose Marshall University and he'll give you more reasons than goals allowed as a senior soccer player at Slippery Rock High School.

After playing with the Hotspurs in the regional and possibly the national tournament this summer, Walter will be heading to the Huntington, W.Va., school in hopes of getting some playing time as a goalie.

"Marshall is a Division I school," said Walter, who had 14 shutouts for the 18-3-2 Rockets last fall. "They have a great soccer program. It's a great location, a nice town and a good school.

"Their soccer program is excellent," Walter added.

Walter had an enormous list of colleges to choose from, ranging from Penn State, West Virginia, Rutgers, Drexel, Coastal Carolina as well as Division II and III programs.

"At the end, it was between Penn State and Marshall. Marshall gave me a deadline and if I didn't respond by the deadline, they had to start looking at other people.

"My application from Penn State hadn't come yet, so I picked Marshall," Walter added.

Many of the Division I schools were interested but didn't have the money to give. Marshall will give Walter a half scholarship as a freshman, then a full scholarship after that.

Walter was a four-year letterwinner for the Rockets and split time as a sophomore and junior behind Eric Greaves, who was one season ahead of him.

As a senior, Walter helped the Rockets to reach the District 10 championship game and to qualify for the state playoffs, where they gave WPIAL perennial power Thomas Jefferson all it could handle before falling 3-1.

Walter also has served as team captain and was the MVP as well.

Walter has played for Northern Steel's 15-and-16 team and the Pittsburgh Strikers as a 17-year-old, helping the team to the Pennsylvania State Championship and to a ranking of 25th in the nation, before the team changed its name to the Hotspurs for this season.

Three years ago, Walter also played for the United States in the Gothia Cup in Germany, where he was named to the all-star team and won a U.S. Club Soccer national championship.

This summer, Walter will still have his hands full in net.

"Most of the teams we're playing now are all going to Division I colleges and playing the top teams in the United States," said Walter.

The Hotspurs will be competing in a regional tournament over the July 4th weekend.

"If we win, then we'll go to Orlando, but not until the end of July and the first week of August," said Walter. "I just want to keep trying to play all summer."

At Marshall, Walter will have two other goalies in front of him: senior starter Joe Nebel and junior Greg Terhune. They both saw playing time (with Nebel the primary goalie) and keyed the Thundering Herd to a 10-7-3 record overall.

"They say I have a chance of playing for the third spot," said Walter. "It depends on how much I train. I can get a spot if I work my hardest.

"If I share time, I'd love that as long as I get some playing time."