UCF Men's Soccer Announces 2006 Recruiting Class

Erwin adds three transfers, 10 freshmen for fall roster.

ORLANDO (February 2, 2005) - The UCF men's soccer team signed 10 players to national letters of intent (NLI), head coach Brent Erwin announced on Thursday. The addition brings the total members of the 2006 recruiting class to 13 as the freshmen will join three athletes already on campus.

"This is a very exciting day for UCF men's soccer," said Erwin. "We are bringing in a great class of student-athletes who also are great young men, each one of whom has the opportunity to come in and contribute to our program right away.  I am very excited about the future of our program with these players leading the way and joining the very dedicated group of young men who are training hard everyday to represent this university in a positive way.  Coming into this recruiting year we had several needs to fill within the team and I think we have done a very good job filling these holes with both freshmen and a few transfer students who will give us some experience as we navigate our way thru a very difficult Conference USA."

Erwin acknowledges that he wouldn't have been able to bring such an impressive class to UCF on his own. "I must thank our athletics director Steve Orsini for all of his help during the process," he said. "I also appreciate the work my assistant coaches Bryan Cunningham and Paul Nagy have done in bringing in this big class."

Akin Akinrinade
5-9 * 155
Defense
Merrillville, Ind.
Merrillville High School
Two-time all-state, all-district, all-conference and all-area as a defender and midfielder at Merrillville High School*named first-team all-state as a senior*selected rookie of the year as a freshman...also plays for the Chicago Magic club team that captured the state and regional titles...squad advanced to the Y-League Nationals, winning the championship in 2004*recently part of the Y-League ODP Team pool.

Erwin on Akinrinade: "Akin is a very good defender who has played for a great club team and coaching staff at Chicago Magic. He has very good speed and can play on either side in the back or even as a defensive midfielder. I think Akin has the chance to excel in college soccer and I am looking for him to contribute right away."

Hunter Dorton
5-8 * 150
Defense
Bradenton, Fla.
Saint Stephens Episcopal School
Plays with IMG Soccer Academy team...squad twice captured the CDL League Championship* U16 team was a Florida Cup semifinalist*traveled to international competitions with the U17 squad, playing the U17 Australian Men's National Team, Feyenoord and Sao Paulo F.C*.U19 squad defeated the U19 Arsenal Club, 2-0, in 2005.

Erwin on Dorton: "Hunter has played for one of the top coaches in the U.S. under Tom Durkin and is ready to be a very good college player. He has very good feet and a great mind for the game. I believe he is going to develop into a good athlete and soccer player."

James Georgeff
6-2 * 188
Forward
New Castle, Australia
Gosford HS (Clemson)
Transferred from Clemson prior to last fall but sat out the 2005 season*made 25 appearances with 10 starts for the Tigers*recorded three goals and one assist for seven points in 16 matches as a freshman*tallied on assist in nine games as a sophomore*played for the Newcastle Breakers National Youth League team in his native Australia from 1999-2001*member of the U17 Australian National Team pool*graduated from Gosford High School.

Erwin on Georgeff: "James has been training at UCF since last fall. He is a big strong forward who fits our system perfectly.  The team will benefit greatly from his leadership and his international and collegiate experience."

Cam Jordan
5-8 * 155
Midfield
Fort Wayne, Ind.
Canterbury High School
Trained in residency with the U.S. U17 Team at the IMG Soccer Academy in Bradenton, Fla.*returned to Canterbury High School for his final two seasons*was twice named all-district and all-area*earned all-state recognition two consecutive seasons, including first-team honors as a senior*received All-American status in both 2003 and 2005*also played for the Chicago Magic soccer club.

Erwin on Jordan: "Cam is an extremely fast, dynamic attacking player, who is very good on the dribble going to goal. His speed makes him very difficult to cover. Because of his training experience at the IMG Soccer Academy, Cam has the background of training in a college-like environment everyday. I am very excited to watch him develop over the next four years."

Allen McIntyre
5-8 * 160
Defense
Bradenton, Fla.
Lakewood Ranch High School
Has played at the IMG Soccer Academy during the last three seasons*won the CDL League Championship in both 2004 and 2005*U16 team was a Florida Cup semifinalist*traveled to international competitions with the U17 squad, playing the U17 Australian Men's National Team, Feyenoord and Sao Paulo F.C*.U19 squad defeated the U19 Arsenal Club, 2-0, in 2005*member of the High Honor Roll*recipient of Florida Bright Futures Scholarship.

Erwin on McIntyre:  "Allen is a player who has benefited from playing with Coach Durkin at IMG.  He is a great athlete who is a very good defender but has played in a system that requires him to attack.  Allen has been taught the game and is very tactically adept, and he has the qualities that will allow him to adapt to the college game very nicely."

Andy Masteller
6-5 * 175
Forward
St. John, Ind.
Andrean HS
Led his Andrean High School team in goal scoring all four years, while topping the conference his final two seasons*scored a school record 28 goals in his senior season*also holds the record for most goals scored in a single game with six..finished his AHS career second all-time in goals (71) and second all-time in points (170)*four-time all-conference honoree, earning first-team honors during his last three years*twice selected first-team all-area and first-team all-district*recognized as one of the national players to watch as a senior*also earned all-state honors that year*has also played for the Chicago Magic Club that was consistently ranked in the national top 10*team was also U17 state cup champion and Midwest Regional League Champions.

Erwin on Masteller:  "Andy is a great kid who is a just scratching the surface of what he can become as a soccer player.  Although he stands 6-5, he is very nimble and has good feet for a player of his stature. Andy just recently joined with Chicago Magic and his Coach John Hannon is beginning to teach Andy how to be the impact player that he can be."

Nico Mosquera
5-10 * 155
Forward
Miami, Fla.
Miami Sunset Sr. HS
Played for Miami Sunset Senior High School, which won consecutive state championships in 2004 and 2005*named a 2006 Top Drawer Soccer Player to Watch*played club soccer with West Kendall, which won two state championships and was a Super Y League National Finalist*twice qualified for the U.S. Youth Soccer Association Region 3 Championship*also has experience with both the Florida and Region 3 ODP teams.

Erwin on Mosquera: "Nico has been very fortunate to play for great coaches and teams in Miami and is familiar with what it takes to win. With his fantastic club Coach Victor Pastora and his West Kendell Club Team, he won state championships and participated in the regional tournament. He has also earned state championships with Jay Flipse and Sunset High School, so he has played on winning teams and scored goals in important games. Nico fits in very well with how we like to play and has the opportunity to be very successful."

Kyle Pascioni
6-2 * 180
Defender
Lake Mary, Fla.
Lake Mary HS

Plays for Lake Mary High School...named all-conference*earned all-tournament honors at the Craze Tournament*advanced to the state final four in 2005*member of the state ODP squad*earned a spot on the Super-Y ODP All-Star team*also plays for Central Florida United.

Erwin on Pascioni: "Kyle is a local player who comes from a great family. He has great size at 6-2 and has the potential to become the type of central defender who can play with his feet. He is only recently developing toward the player that he can become. I think he could be a top defender in C-USA."

Matt Penn
6-0 * 178
Defense
Orlando, Fla.
University HS
A four-year letterwinner in the backfield for University High School*named MVP and Second-Team All-Metro as both a sophomore and junior*selected all-county honorable mention in 2005*also plays for the Ajax Orlando club that was runner-up at the Disney College Showcase*played with the state ODP program in both 2004 and 2005*earned a spot on the honor roll all four years*recently named to the Y-League ODP National Team.

Erwin on Penn: "Matt was one of the first players we saw in Orlando and he has been developing nicely in the past year. He is a big, strong, athletic defender who is good in the air and has the speed to cover ground. I am looking forward to getting him in an environment where he can train everyday, because I think he will do very well."

Brian Pope
6-1 * 175
Goalkeeper
Lakeland, Fla.
Oyster River HS (East Carolina)
A transfer from East Carolina prior to the 2005 season but redshirted*was the Pirates' starting goalkeeper for two seasons...started 28 of 31 matches with a 1.81 goals-against-average...posted shutouts of Campbell and UNC-Asheville*graduated from Oyster River High School in Durham, N.H....earned four letters in soccer and two in swimming.

Erwin on Pope: "Brian joined us in the fall and is consistently the hardest worker on the team.  He has already proven himself to be a top goalkeeper in his years at ECU. We are very fortunate to have two great goalkeepers to push each other for playing time."

Sonny Renner
5-11 * 180
Defense
Keller, Texas
Carroll Sr. HS
Played one year at Paul VI High School in New Jersey, where he was selected first team all-conference and was the only freshman named Second-Team All-Parochial*moved to Carroll High School in Southlake, Texas for his final three seasons*also played with the Dallas Texas 88 Red Club squad which captured the USYSA National Championship in 2005*team also won three consecutive Classic League and Premier League titles as well as the state championship in 2003, 2004 and 2005*has played with both the Region I and Regional 3 ODP  programs.

Erwin on Renner: "Sonny is a great young man who is going to be a great addition to UCF. He is a hard, scrapping defender who began his career as a forward so he has the ability to attack and score goals. His versatility will allow him to contribute right away."

Marcus Rein
6-1* 193
Goalkeeper
Scotts Valley, Calif.
Edison Academic Center (Fla.)
A mid-year transfer from Wake Forest*.redshirted the 2004 season with the Demon Deacons *a member of the dean's list*after training with the U.S. U16 and U17 National Teams as a freshman moved into the residency program in Bradenton during his sophomore year*earned All-American status as a junior*graduated early from the Edison Academic Center.

Erwin on Rein: "Marcus has been a great addition to our team since coming to UCF at the start of the spring semester. In addition to his impressive resume from his time in residency with the U17 team, he brings a very professional attitude and incredible athleticism. He can step in and be one of the top goalkeepers in C-USA."


Jamal Robinson
5-8* 152
Forward/Midfield
Fort Wayne, Ind.
Fort Wayne Northrup HS
A three-time MVP at Fort Wayne Northrup High School*selected all-conference during the last three seasons*named offensive MVP as a sophomore and junior*also played with the Fort Wayne Fever club team that won the regional championship in 2004 and 2005.

Erwin on Robinson: "Jamal is a good young man who has great deal of potential and has improved dramatically in the past year. He possesses great speed and is very good with his service and finishing. With hard work, Jamal has the ability to be an impact player in the years ahead."