Slideshow Stanford's JJ Koval was picked ninth over by the San Jose Earthquakes in Thursday's MLS SuperDraft. Photo by Don Feria/isiphotos.com. Previous Next

Stanford men's soccer captain JJ Koval was selected ninth overall by the San Jose Earthquakes during Thursday's MLS SuperDraft in Philadelphia.

Koval is the 18th Stanford player to be selected in the MLS SuperDraft, which from 1996-99 was known as the College Draft, and the sixth first-round selection. Koval will join former Stanford standout Adam Jahn with the Earthquakes.

Koval, a center midfielder and two-time All-Pac-12 selection, was one of the top midfielders in the nation in 2013 and drew wide praise from scouts and observers for his performance at the MLS Combine last weekend in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

Over his four-year career, Koval started all but one of the 74 games in which he wore the Cardinal colors. Stanford's center midfielder, he served as the main possession man and distributor for the Cardinal, in addition to earning respect for his standout aerial game. Koval also managed to find his way into the attacking third, scoring six goals and assisting on four others while at Stanford.

After earning All-Pac-12 honorable mention in 2012, Koval enjoyed his finest season on The Farm as a senior in 2013. In addition to scoring a pair of goals with an assist, Koval, now team captain, demonstrated strong two-way play, helping out on the Cardinal defense which allowed just 1.13 goals per game.