Syracuse Men's Soccer Adds Nine for 2015
Orange head coach Ian McIntyre announced addition of nine players to the Syracuse University men's soccer program on Thursday, Feb. 12.
The Orange's incoming class is ranked No. 8 nationally by College Soccer News and No. 9 by TopDrawerSoccer.com. It includes four members of the TopDrawerSoccer.com Top 100, as well as junior transfer Oskar Sewerin who enrolled at Syracuse in January.
"I am delighted to welcome these outstanding young men into our program," McIntyre said. "I would like to thank my entire staff for working so hard to identify and attract such a talented group of players who share similar goals and a similar vision. It is a group that's excited to represent Syracuse University and they are fully committed to the work required to help us build upon an outstanding 2014 season."
Austin Aviza
Position: Goalkeeper
Hometown: Medway, Mass.
High School: Medway
Club Team: New England Revolution Academy
Aviza is rated the No. 47 overall prospect by TopDrawerSoccer.com. He has been invited to train with the U.S. U-18 Men's National Team and also traveled and trained with the New England Revolution's first team during the 2014 preseason.
"Austin continues to grow and develop within an outstanding New England Revolution training environment," McIntyre said. "He is a real presence in goal and an excellent shot-stopper. He has an extremely bright future ahead of him."
Christopher Gomez
Position: Defender
Hometown: Jamison, Pa.
High School: Central Bucks East
Club Team: Philadelphia Union Academy
Gomez spent time with the Philadelphia Union of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy (USSDA). He is the No. 18 overall prospect according to College Soccer News and he is ranked 58th in this year's class by TopDrawerSoccer.com. Gomez has participated in several U.S. youth national team camps and he is a member of the U.S. U-18 Men's National Team player pool.
"Chris is a very technical player who will provide additional balance on the left-hand side of our team," McIntyre said. "He is a skillful player who has the ability to glide past opponents and we feel that he has a very high ceiling here at Syracuse."
Morgan Hackworth
Position: Midfielder
Hometown: Wallingford, Pa.
High School: Strath Haven
Club Team: Philadelphia Union Academy
Hackworth captained the USDAA Philadelphia Union U-16 squad and led the team to a fifth-place finish in the 2014 Generation Adidas Cup. The son of current U.S. U-15 National Team head coach John Hackworth, Morgan is the No. 140 overall recruit in the nation according to College Soccer News.
"Morgan is a smart player who has a knack for finding space and time on the pitch," McIntyre said. "He makes the game simple and is a player who gets his teammates involved in the game."
Jonathan Hagman
Position: Midfielder
Hometown: Enebygerg, Sweden
High School: Danderyds Gymnasium
Hagman is a central midfielder who has developed within the AIK Stockholm Academy. He tallied eight goals and 10 assists as the captain of Sweden's U-19 national championship team.
"Jonathan is a true modern day midfield player with the energy and enthusiasm to get around the pitch," McIntyre said. "His range of passing is very good and he is a clever player who can dictate the tempo of a match."
Spencer Held
Position: Forward
Hometown: Agoura Hills, Calif.
Club Team: Real So Cal
Held is a physical, dynamic attacking player for the Real So Cal U-18 team of the USSDA. He is ranked No. 87 overall in the Class of 2015 by TopDrawerSoccer.com and he is currently third in the USSDA with 16 goals.
"Spencer works extremely hard to create good goal-scoring opportunities for both himself and his teammates," McIntyre said. "He excelled at our ID camp and he is a terrific complement to our current attacking players. We hope that Spencer will make a quick transition to the college game and contribute important goals for our program."
Jake Keller
Position: Midfielder
Hometown: Wappingers Falls, N.Y.
High School: Roy C. Ketcham
Club Team: Soccer Plus Academy Whitecaps
Keller enjoyed a successful high school career, scoring 47 goals with 25 assists. He also captained the Soccer Plus Academy Whitecaps, one of the top teams in the New York East Region.
"Jake was identified through our ID program and he continues to impress every time that we see him play," McIntyre said. "A technical player with a good passing range, he possesses a real passion for Syracuse University."
Kamal Miller
Position: Defender
Hometown: Scarborough, Ontario, Canada
High School: Blessed Mother Teresa CSS
Club Team: Vaughan Soccer Club
Miller has represented Canada at both the U-15 and U-17 levels. He was a member of the Vaughan Azzurri team that won the 2014 League 1 Championship and was voted to the 2014 League 1 Best Young XI.
"Kamal is an outstanding defender who is very calm and comfortable on the ball," McIntyre said. "He is another player who we feel will continue to improve within our training environment and fits very well into the way that we like to play."
Miles Robinson
Position: Defender
Hometown: Arlington, Mass.
High School: Arlington
Club Team: FC Boston Bolts
Robinson is the No. 35 overall prospect in the country according to TopDrawerSoccer.com. He played in the 2013 USSDA National Select Game and was named to the 2013 USSDA Eastern Conference Best XI. Robinson's sister, Rebecca, is a member of the Orange track & field program.
"Miles has the drive and all the physical traits to make a successful transition to ACC soccer," McIntyre said. "We have graduated some important pieces from our backline and we will be looking for Miles to assert himself early during his time at Syracuse."
Oskar Sewerin
Position: Defender
Hometown: Stockholm, Sweden
High School: Östra Reals Gymnasium
Previous College: University of New Haven
Sewerin is a transfer from the University of New Haven, a Division II school located in West Haven, Conn. He started 33 games in two seasons for the Chargers and was named to the Northeast 10 All-Rookie Team after tallying one goal and three assists in 2012.
"Oskar is an imposing central defender who has excellent range and will allow us to build offensive attacks from the back," McIntyre said.
Trending Videos
Headlines
- Recruiting Roundup: December 2-8
- Tracking Division I Coaching Changes
- Duke’s Path to Women’s College Cup
- MLS NEXT Fest: U17 Players to Know
- GA Champions Cup: U16 Key Players
- UNC’s Path to Women’s College Cup
- Commitments: Lam Lands on UNCG
- ECNL Boys SC Selection Game Rosters
- GA Champions Cup: U17 Key Players
- Wake Forest’s Path to Women’s College Cup