With a new slate to the season, the FGCU men's soccer team prepares for a tougher schedule than last season with tougher teams that have not played or haven't played in a long time.
Last season, the Eagles were 14-4-3 overall with a 4-1-1 record in conference. They made it to the conference championship as the No. 2 seed and beat No. 5 JU 3-2 to win an automatic bid in the national tournament for the first time since 2014. In the first round, FGCU tied USF 2-2 in double overtime, but advanced to the second round after winning 3-0 in penalty kicks before falling in the second round 2-3 against UNC.
During the season, the Eagles were starting to reach national publicity. After beating FAU, FGCU were starting to receive votes for ranking. After their victory over Rutgers, the Eagles were ranked No. 15 in the nation in the top 25. It soon went No. 12 after beating FIU and USF and then after beating Stetson, FGCU rose to No. 11. After losing to UNF, their ranking dropped to No. 15 and then No. 20, but after the conference tournament, they sprung to No. 18 before finishing the season at No. 20.
Currently, FGCU is ranked #23 in the nation in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll.
The Eagles did lose three players as seniors: goalkeeper Jack Blatchford III, defender Santiago "Santi" Ortiz and midfielder Justin Gavin. Blatchford was a graduate student from Bentley University.
FGCU also lost sophomore Dante Longo, senior Rielee Mohsin, and junior Sawyer Jackman.
Longo has transferred to NCAA DII California State University-San Marcos.
Mohsin is now playing for the Palm Beach Suns FC.
Jackman quit towards the end of the season.
Not only did FGCU lose three players, but they lost the whole coaching staff.
Head coach Bob Butehorn, who coached FGCU for 10 seasons, is now head coach for USF along with his assistant coaches, Joe Dincecco and Henry Apaloo.
So it looked like FGCU was gonna be a ship without a captain, but that suddenly changed.
The team is now led by new head coach, Jesse Cormier.
Cormier will be entering his first season as head coach for FGCU.
Prior to FGCU and his coach career, Cormier played collegiately for the University of Vermont. There, in all four years (1991-94), he was ranked 6th in career points (59) and is tied for 6th all-time in goals (24). He even earned a spot on the America East All-Championship Team as a sophomore. Cormier led Vermont to the conference title game while leading the team in scoring as a senior with 21 points off nine goals and three assists. Following the season, he earned All-New England honors and was selected as the team’s Most Valuable Player.
After graduating from Vermont, Cormier started his coaching career at Oregon State as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. He helped transform the program into a national power with outstanding coaching and recruiting.
After serving three seasons for the Beavers, Cormier became head coach for his alma mater Vermont. In 13 seasons at Vermont, Cormier was 114-89-47 overall with a 45-33-20 record in the America East Conference.
I met Cormier in his office during the 2017 spring semester. At the time, I was super nervous to meet him, but from what I heard is that he loves the Dirty Birds and what we do, so he was really cool to talk to.
For coach Cormier, I look forward to seeing the incredible journey for his first season as head coach for FGCU.
Of course, Cormier won't be alone and will have plenty of backup with assistant coaches, Sheldon Cipriani, Ryan Johnson and Tomas Cerda.
The first of three assistant coaches is Sheldon Cipriani.
A native of Trinidad and Tobago, Cipriani rejoins with FGCU after three years when he was a volunteer assistant coach in 2014. While at FGCU, he served as USF’s Director of Satellite Camps from 2010-12.
Cipriani was a alumnus of Coker College of NCAA DII's South Atlantic Conference.
Cipriani has served as a head and assistant coach in the Premier Development League – the top men’s amateur soccer organization in the United States and was the head coach of VSI Tampa in 2013 and has had stints as an assistant coach with the Ocala Stampede.
For coach Cipriani, I know he will have a great year as part of the coaching staff.
You need a coach who has a lot of playing experience from a professional level and Ryan Johnson is the best choice.
A native of Jamaica, Johnson has plenty of playing experience to bring to the table for his first season as an assistant coach for FGCU.
Prior to FGCU and his coaching career, Johnson played and started his collegiate soccer career at Oregon State University from 2002-05 in which he had a career total 18 goals and 30 assists.
After finishing with the Beavers, Johnson declared to play professional soccer in the MLS and his wish came true. Johnson was drafted as the 26th overall pick in the third round by Real Salt Lake in the 2006 MLS SuperDraft. During the 2006 season, he was traded to Chicago Fire.
At the end of the 2006 season, Johnson went overseas and signed with Swedish football club, Östers IFin, for a year before signing a three year deal with the San Jose Earthquakes from 2008-11.
A year later, Johnson signed with Toronto FC from 2011-12 followed by a one year deal with the Portland Timbers in 2013 before going overseas again and playing in China and South Korea before playing one more season with Rayo OKC of the North American Soccer League (NASL).
During the time in the MLS, Johnson played for the Jamaican National Team for seven years. He made his debut in an international friendly in 2006, scored his first national team goal in 2010 against world power Argentina, continued his strong play throughout 2010 and 2011, securing the game-winning goal versus Costa Rica and winning the Caribbean Cup with Jamaica.
He also played in the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup, in which he was the team’s second-leading scorer, as well as participating in nine 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers for Jamaica, including scoring a goal against Guatemala.
Johnson started all four matches of the 2012 Canadian Championship, leading Toronto FC to a fourth-straight Voyager’s Cup and, in the process, was awarded the George Gross Memorial Trophy as the championship’s best player.
The interesting thing is Johnson will reunite with Cormier, who was associate head coach for Oregon State during Johnson's freshman and sophomore year.
With his playing experience from a professional level, Johnson will show his true skills as a coach for the team.
Last, but never least on the coaching is Tomas Cerda.
Cerda, a native of Orlando, has been with FGCU since 2011 as a volunteer assistant coach, so you could jokingly say he's been at FGCU forever.
Prior to coaching, Cerda played for FGCU as a goalkeeper from 2011-13 before becoming an volunteer assistant coach.
Cerda has worked with many great goalkeepers at FGCU for men's and women's soccer including Nathan Ingham and Brittany Brown.
With his experience behind the lines with FGCU, Cerda is a top coach to keep in the long run.
On this season's team, it consists of nine seniors, four juniors, five transfers (four sophomores and one redshirt freshman), five true sophomores and seven freshman (three redshirts).
Position wise, there are four goalkeepers, six forwards, nine defenders and 11 midfielders
The nine seniors have been a great factor for the team: Eli Roubos (D), Nicolas Samayoa (D), Jiro Barriga Toyama (MF), Robert Ferrer (MF), Miguel Jaime (MF), Caleb George (D), Dylan Sacramento (MF), Kamar Marriott (MF) and Albert Ruiz (F).
The first of the nine seniors is Eli Roubos.
The 6-2 defender from Toronto, Ontario, Canada has come a long way to help FGCU.
Prior to FGCU, Roubos started his freshman year at Oregon State University, starting four of his seven games played before transferring to FGCU.
In his sophomore year, Roubos started 12 of his 13 games played and helped anchor a defensive unit that paced the A-Sun in goals allowed (13 – nine fewer than any other team), goals-against average (0.88 – 0.45 better than any other team) and shutouts (seven – two more than any other team) and helped lead FGCU to an unprecedented sixth-straight A-SUN regular-season championship with a league record of 4-0-1 while logging 1,162 minutes.
His junior year was his time to shine. Starting seven of his 11 games played, despite battling injuries, Roubos had three goals, two assists and eight points in 761 minutes. His moment to shine was in the A-Sun Championship game against JU. Roubos scored the game-winning goal to send FGCU to the national tournament.
Because of his successful junior year, Roubos was an A-SUN Second Team selection and was named a member of the A-SUN All-Tournament Team.
For his senior year, Roubos will no doubt keep the defense in line.
One of Guatemala's best defenders to talk about next is Nicolas "Nico" Samayoa.
The 6-2 defender from Guatemala City, Guatemala has been one of the key anchors in defense for FGCU.
In his freshman year, Samayoa proved to be a crucial member of FGCU’s league-leading defense as a central defender. He started all 19 games and in 1,808 minutes, he had one goal, one assist and three points. Like Roubos, Samayoa helped lead FGCU to an unprecedented sixth-straight A-SUN regular-season championship with a league record of 4-0-1.
In his sophomore year, Samayoa started all 12 of the games, logging in 1,115 minutes with, once again, one goal, one assist and three points.
He did so well that he was named on the A-SUN All-Conference Second Team.
Samayoa's junior year was his time to shine as well. He was still a vital member of FGCU’s backline which allowed just six goals in A-SUN action. Starting 19 of his 20 games played, he logged the 3rd-most minutes on the team with 1,628 with once again, one goal, one assist and three points. Because of his strong defense as a defender, Nico was named a member on the A-SUN First Team.
With his strong defense, Samayoa is gonna keep the defense in line against all of his opponents.
If you're looking for a player with the best fancy footwork, then keep an eye out for Jiro Barriga Toyama.
The 5-9 midfielder from Chiba, Japan is known for the best footwork on the field.
Prior to FGCU, Toyama started his first two years at Barton Community College of the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference (KJCCC) in NJCAA Region 6. Although suffering an injury in his sophomore year, Toyama played a total of 25 games combined with seven goals, 10 assists and 24 points in both years.
Toyama transferred to FGCU his junior year and was a force to be reckoned with. Starting 17 of his 20 games played, Toyama had two goals, three assists and seven points while logging in 1,091 minutes. His top moment was in the home game against Stetson where he deftly dribbled around two players along the goal line.
For Toyama and his fancy footwork, There is no doubt he will light the fire for the team.
At first, I thought Robert Ferrer was Nico's twin because they looked similar, but that doesn't stop his hard fought fight.
The 5-10 midfielder from Barcelona, Spain shows he is one of the top contenders for FGCU.
Prior to FGCU, Ferrer started his collegiate soccer career at NCAA DIII Brevard College of the USA South Athletic Conference. There, in his freshman year, he appeared in 16 games with 14 starts, two goals and two assists.
By sophomore year, he transferred to FGCU. He started three of his 14 games played and logged 591 minutes.
In his junior year, he was the only Eagle to start all 21 games played. He had three goals, four assists and 10 points in 1,667 minutes.
For his senior year, Ferrer will give it all he's got.
If you want a player who is strong like the Rocky Mountains, then you're looking for Miguel "Miggy" Jaime.
The 5-7 midfielder from Denver has that strength like the mountains.
In his freshman year, Jaime started 12 of his 17 games played with one assist and one point while logging in 941 minutes. As a result of his hard work, he was named on the A-SUN All-Freshman Team.
In his sophomore year, Jaime started 11 of the 12 games he played in and had two goals, two assists and six points while logging in 719 minutes. Jaime was so phenomenal, he was named a member of the A-SUN All-Conference Second Team and A-SUN All-Academic Team.
In his junior year, Jaime started 16 of his 21 games and had two goals, three assists and seven points while logging in 1,083 minutes. He did so well that during the conference tournament, Jaime was named on the A-SUN All-Tournament Team and was a A-SUN All-Academic Team member again. He was the second FGCU player in program history to be named to the A-SUN All-Academic Team twice.
For Jaime's senior year, he will show the A-SUN what this Colorado boy can do.
Coming to help a strong defense, Caleb George knows his way around.
The 6-1 defender from Tampa provides strength to help Ferrer, Samayoa and Roubos.
Although he only played one in his freshman and sophomore year logging in 22 minutes combined, his junior year was his moment. Starting nine of his 15 games played, George became an important defender. He had one assist and one point while logging in 1,019 minutes.
With his strong defense, George will show how stronger he is than anyone can imagine.
If you want another soccer player who represents Canada with style, then you better watch out for Dylan "Saca" Sacramento.
The 5-7 midfielder from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada is one of Canada's best midfielders.
Prior to FGCU, Saca spent his freshman year at York University of the Ontario University Athletics Association (OUAA). There, he started six games and finished fourth on the team with four goals.
When Saca transferred to FGCU, he received a medical redshirt his sophomore and was able to maintain his three years of remaining eligibility.
In his redshirt sophomore year, Saca went on a tear. Starting three of his 10 games played, he provided a good spark off the bench with six goals, one assist and 13 points while logging in 439 minutes. Because of his success, he was named a member of the A-SUN All-Conference Second Team. During the game against Lipscomb at home, Saca made a abbreviated bicycle kick that earned him the No. 7 spot on ESPN Sportscenter's Top 10 Plays.
In his redshirt junior year, despite missing eight games due to an injury, Saca started 10 of his 13 games and had four goals, three assists and 11 points while logging in 736 minutes. Saca was so successful that year, he was named an A-SUN All-Conference Second Team member for the second time and a member of the NSCAA All-Southeast Region Third Team.
For Saca, he will show what one of Canada's best soccer players is all about with soccer.
This guy looks more like a basketball player than a soccer player, but if you say that to Kamar Marriott, then you will be in for a surprise.
The 6-4 midfielder from Tampa (Yes, I said 6-4) gives quite a height advantage for the team.
In his freshman year, Marriott started five of his 16 games played and had one goal and two points while logging in 804 minutes.
In his sophomore year, Marriott started six of his 13 games with four assists and four points while logging in 657 minutes.
It was his junior year that shined the most. Starting 20 of his 21 games played, Marriott had one goal, two assists and four points while logging in 1,798 minutes. He did so well for his junior year, he was named a member of the A-SUN All-Conference First Team, a member of the NSCAA All-Southeast Region Second Team and a member of the A-SUN All-Tournament Team.
With the height he possess, Marriott will no doubt use it to his advantage.
The last member of the senior class, and one of my personal favorite players, is Albert Ruiz.
The 6-2 forward from Barcelona, Spain has been the anchor of scoring for FGCU and it shows.
In his freshman year, Ruiz started 15 of his 20 games played with one goal and two points while logging in 947 minutes. He did so well that was named on the A-SUN All-Freshman Team (w/Jaime).
By sophomore year, he got better. Starting 10 of his 11 games played, Ruiz had seven goals, two assists and 16 points while logging in 639 minutes. During the season, he was named a member of the A-SUN All-Conference First Team and A-SUN All-Tournament Team.
Ruiz's junior year was, by far, the strongest performance he had. Starting all 20 games played, Ruiz went on a tear, not just for the team and in the conference, but in the nation. He had 22 goals, five assists and 49 points while logging in 1,355 minutes. His 22 goals were not just the most on the team and in the A-SUN, but in the nation. It did not stop there though. He was so phenomenal that he was named A-SUN Player of the Year, a member of the A-SUN All-Conference First Team and the A-Sun All-Tournament Team in which he was also named A-SUN Tournament MVP. His success did not stop there either. Ruiz was tabbed as a NSCAA First Team All-American and a member of the NSCAA All-Southeast Region First Team, but what really set the toll for him was being named one of three MAC Hermann Trophy Finalists. Although he did not win, just being one of the finalists and representing FGCU for the MAC Hermann Trophy was well worth it. In fact, during the game against Rutgers University in Rutgers, Ruiz broke an NCAA record for supposedly recording the fastest hat trick in NCAA DI history at 9:02, a 44 year record that was set in 1973 by Indiana University's Steve Burks.
In the first round game of the national tournament against USF, Ruiz scored the game-winning penalty shot to help advance FGCU to the second round.
For Ruiz and his senior year, this is the thrill of a lifetime for him to take the soccer nation by storm.
Joining the junior class are these four top players: Dennis Zapata (MF), Preston Kilwien (D), Jordan Lue (D) and Arion Sobers-Assue (F).
The first of four juniors is Dennis Zapata.
The 5-8 midfielder from Miami, Florida has energy that can outlast Usain Bolt.
In his freshman year, Zapata, as more of a defender, started 12 of his 13 games with one assist and one point while logging in 748 minutes. he was named a member of the A-SUN All-Freshman Team as a result of his hard work.
In his sophomore year, Zapata started 13 of his 20 games with three goals, five assists and 11 points while logging in 1,198 minutes.
With his strong defense as a midfielder, Zapata will give it all he's got.
Joining the defensive fray with Roubos, Samayoa, Ferrer and George is Preston Kilwien.
The 6-4 defender from San Francisco, like Marriott, bring a good height advantage.
In his freshman year, Kilwien started two of his seven games played with one goal and two points while logging in 372 minutes. He did so well as a defender, he was named a member of the A-SUN All-Freshman Team, but what set the bar for him was, like Sacramento, he made No. 3 on ESPN Sportscenter's Top 10 plays for his 35 yard goal against Princeton at home.
In his sophomore year, Kilwien was more defense ready and provided excellent sparks off the bench. Starting nine of his 20 games, Kilwien had four assists and four points while logging in 1,118 minutes. Two of his assists were during the conference tournament championship game against JU to help advance FGCU to the national tournament.
With his strong defense and phenomenal assist rate, Kilwien will give all he's got for this season.
A strong defender who makes great impact is Jordan Lue.
The 6-2 defender from Tampa also comes across with strong defense.
Prior to FGCU, Lue spent his freshman year at UCF where he utilized a redshirt.
Lue transferred to FGCU as a redshirt freshman playing in two games and logging in 21 minutes.
In his redshirt sophomore year, Lue got more playing time. Starting nine of his 11 games, Lue had one assist and one point while logging in 796 minutes.
For Lue, he will continue to provide plenty of sparks on defense.
The last of the four juniors is Arion Sobers-Assue.
The 6-0 forward from Miami, Florida was a dominant force for FGCU with Ruiz.
In his freshman year, Sobers-Assue started five of his 15 games with one goal, one assist and three points while logging in 613 minutes.
During his sophomore year, Sobers-Assue utilized a medical redshirt, but in his redshirt sophomore year, he became an instant spark in the starting rotation. Starting in 15 of his 20 games played, Sobers-Assue had 11 goals, 11 assists and 33 points while logging in 1,255 minutes. Sobers-Assue's 11 assists were tied for 5th best in the nation along with his assist per game (.55) as 5th in the nation. He was so good, that he was named on the A-SUN All-Conference First Team and the NSCAA All-Southeast Region Third Team with Sacramento.
With his strong ability, Arion will show what he's got in the A-SUN.
FGCU managed to pick up five transfers to join: Andres Brealey (MF-Freed-Hardeman University), Tom Denat (MF-William Penn University), Javi Navas (D-Carroll College), Lucas Bueno (F-Tulsa) and Connor Gavigan (GK-Creighton).
The first transfer is Andres Brealey.
The 5-10 midfielder from San Jose, Costa Rica comes to FGCU as a sophomore.
Prior to FGCU, Brealey started his collegiate soccer career at NAIA Freed-Hardeman University (Tennessee) of the American Midwest Conference (AMC). There he played in 12 games with four goals, one assist and nine points.
He will be with FGCU with three years of eligibility remaining, but I know he will be a great part of the FGCU family.
Joining FGCU next is Tom Denat.
The 5-10 midfielder from Toulouse, France joins one of our fellow Frenchmen, Thomas Delplace as a sophomore.
Prior to FGCU, Denat started his collegiate soccer career at NAIA William Penn University of the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC). There, Denat played in 16 games wit 15 starts and finished with one goal, four assists and six points.
Denat will have three years of eligibility remaining and show the world what he's got.
Joining Samaoya as Guatemala's greatest players is Javi Navas.
The 6-0 defender from Guatemala City, Guatemala joins FGCU as a sophomore for the team.
Prior to FGCU, Navas spent his freshman year at NAIA Carroll College of the Frontier Conference. There, he started four his 17 games played with one goal, one assist and three points. For his defense, Navas helped protect the goalkeeping unit, which posted a 1.43 goals against average and four clean sheets.
Navas will have three years of eligibility remaining and I'm looking forward to what he's got for FGCU.
Joining FGCU from a different DI university is Lucas Bueno.
the 6-0 forward from The Hague, Netherlands via Rio de Janeiro, Brazil comes to FGCU, like Brealey, Denat and Navas, as a sophomore.
Prior to FGCU, Bueno started his collegiate soccer career at Tulsa University of the AAC. He played two games and logged in 25 minutes with one goal.
Bueno will have three years of eligibility remaining and see the true passion he shows.
The last transfer on the team is Connor Gavigan.
The 6-0 goalkeeper from Aurora, Colorado comes to FGCU listed as a redshirt freshman.
Prior to FGCU, Gavigan spent his freshman year at Creighton University of the Big East Conference and utilized a redshirt for the year.
Gavigan will have all four years of eligibility remaining and I'm looking forward to see another Colorado Rocky strong player.
The five true sophomores come strongly into play: Jared Brown (GK), Jahan Rajaee (MF), Shak Adams (F), Miguel Perez (MF) and Fernando Ramirez (F).
The first of the five sophomores is Jared Brown.
The 6-0 goalkeeper from Aurora, Ontrio, Canada came to me as a surprise as a goalkeeper.
In his freshman year, Brown was originally a backup goalie for Jackman, but soon Brown stepped up.
Starting all 10 games he played, Brown posted 5-3-2 overall record as he logged 963 minutes with 34 saves while allowing 16 goals. Since that transition to starter, he was named a member of the A-Sun All-Freshman Team.
With his new experience as starting goalkeeper, I have no doubt in my mind that Brown give it all he's got.
Next is Jahan Rajaee.
The 6-0 midfielder from Gainsville, Florida is the Modern Day Maharaja for FGCU men's soccer.
In his freshman year, Rajaee appeared in six games with one assist and one point while logging in 68 minutes.
For Rajaee, he will get more playing than anyone can imagine.
If you want a player who has speed like Speedy Gonzalez, then you better look out for Shak Adams.
The 5-6 forward from Antioch, Tennessee has the speed to show his capability.
In his freshman year, Adams had one start of his 21 games played with four goals, eight points while logging in 682 minutes. He did so well that he was named a member of the A-SUN All-Freshman Team.
With his speed on the front line, Adams is show it all on the field.
A guy who can offense as much as defense is Miguel Perez.
The 5-11 midfielder from Weston, Florida comes with one goal (no pun intended): winning.
In his freshman year, Perez started four of his 21 games played. He had two goals, three assists, seven points while logging in 998 minutes.
Because of his hard work, Perez was named to the A-SUN All-Freshman Team with Brown and Adams.
With his hard work, Perez will give it all he's got to make the magic
Lastly on the team is Fernando Ramirez.
The 6-4 forward from Caracas, Venezuela returns as a redshirt sophomore.
He did not play his freshman year and redshirted to maintain all four years of eligibility and played one game as a redshirt freshman.
For Ramirez, he will comeback stronger than before this year.
You can't have a team without freshman to teach the ropes: TC Anderson (D), Gustavo Vasconcelos (GK), Thomas Delplace (D) Chris Clement (F), Kareem Riley (MF), Parker Holland (D) and Josh Morgan (GK).
The first is T.C. Anderson.
The 6-2 defender from Gainsville, Florida is listed as a redshirt freshman, but is here to make a statement.
Although he redshirted to maintain all four years of eligibility, just like Ramirez, he will make his presence known.
Fighting his way to start his mark is Gustavo Vasconcelos
The 6-3 goalkeeper from Recife, Brazil is also listed as a redshirt freshman, but will fight his way to play.
He redshirted to maintain all four years of eligibility and like Anderson, he will make people aware who he is.
Coming back to make a statement and joining his fellow French teammate Denat is Thomas DelPlace.
A 6-1 defender from Toulouse, France, DelPlace, listed as a redshirt freshman, is making a comeback for FGCU.
In his freshman year, DelPlace started all six games he played and logged in 378 minutes before being sidelined with a broken leg that had him miss the rest of the season. He was still able to maintain all four years of eligibility.
After a hard fought rehab, DelPlace will be ready to make his mark.
Joining the team is a player who I'm very confused on what his background is fully and that is Chris Clement.
The 5-8 defender from Mallorca, Spain is American, French and Spanish and I don't know which one to dub him as, even if he was born in Spain.
Prior To FGCU, Clement trained in the RCD Mallorca Academy for eight years and most recently played in the Spanish 3rd Division for Playas de Calvia and Poblense.
With his experience and unique background, Clement is no doubt gonna make his mark.
Joining FGCU with championship experience as well as international experience is Kareem Riley
The 6-3 mifielder from Couva, Trinidad and Tobago comes to you with a Caribbean style of play.
Prior to FGCU, Riley competed with the U-20 Trinidad and Tobago National Team and had a fixture with the U-17 Trinidad and Tobago squad in World Cup qualifer. He was noticed as one of the top youth players in the nation and a top student-athlete at Presentation College-San Fernando and represented his Central FC club team.
With his international and championship experience, Riley will definitely bring fire to the team.
Coming to FGCU next is Parker Holland.
The 6-0 defender from Winter Gardens, Florida is here to make his mark for Florida.
Prior to FGCU, Holland played and graduated from West Orange High School under head coach Scott Fisher. There, Holland helped lead his team to the state final 4 as a senior and state finalist as a junior and was a member of the All-Metro Team in 2015-16.
With his passion, Holland will make his name known for FGCU.
The last member on the team that comes to us from the west coast is Josh Morgan.
The 6-2 goalkeeper from Atherton, California hoping to make a statement from the west coast.
Prior to FGCU, Morgan was a 4-year starter in the USSDA (U.S. Soccer Development Academy) where he was the #12 ranked player overall in Northern California/Hawaii by Top Drawer Soccer.
In addition, Morgan attended youth national team regional ID camps and participated in the Scopigno Cup in Rieti, Italy where he played against AS Roma U-17. He was also a part of the club team, De Anza Force Academy.
Currently, Morgan will redshirt for his freshman year, but I have no doubt he will be ready for the next season coming his way.
Meeting the new men's soccer players and seeing a lot of the returners on the team makes the world known that they are ready. Of course every win they get means they have a target on your back, but will it stop them? To me, I say no, but to the players, that's a question they must answer on their own.
PC: fgcuathletics.com
