Munga Eketebi Announces FIU Men's Soccer Recruits

4/22/08

After falling just short of the NCAA tournament last season, men's soccer coach Munga Eketebi has gone out and brought in a crop of players to fortify every aspect of the team.



Even though the offense came alive in the Conference USA Championship Tournament, the Golden Panthers struggled to score goals last season. In an attempt to solidify the attack that showed flashes of brilliance in the C-USA tournament, Eketebi signed Ricardo Ximenes, a junior transfer from San Jacinto College in Houston, Tex. "He's powerful. He's got a tremendous shot. He has great technical ability, and his job is to put the ball in the back of the net," said Eketebi about Ximenes. "That's what he's coming here for. Last year we could have won a lot more games if we could have even scored one goal." As a sophomore at San Jacinto, the native of Kingston, Jamaica netted seven goals and assisted on three others as he helped the Coyotes to a No.5 final ranking in the National Junior College Association poll.



Coming in to help fortify the Golden Panther midfield is freshman Brian Carvajal from Felix Varela High School in Miami. "We're probably going to use him as a defensive mid. He's good with the ball and he sees the field very well. He's a clever player," said Eketebi about the local product. "His job is going to be to act as the liaison between the defense and the attack."



Last season the defense was clearly FIU's calling card. After losing two key pieces of the defense to graduation in Raoul Voss and Ainsley Deer, the FIU backline will be helped by the addition of Kingston Jamaica native Dane Smith. Smith played at Montreat College in North Carolina his freshman year (2006), and now brings his strong game to University Park. "He's powerful. He's mainly a defender, and he can play anywhere in the back. He's good in the air and has good speed, and he's a strong tackler."



All three players are expected to make an immediate impact on a squad that is looking to build on its amazing C-USA tournament run. "We expect them to be playing and contributing right off the bat."





Ricardo Ximenes – Junior

Forward

San Jacinto College (Houston Tex.)

Kingston, Jamaica





Brian Carvajal – Freshman

Midfielder

Felix Varela HS

Miami, Fla.



Dane Smith – Sophomore

Defender

Montreat College (North Carolina)

Kingston, Jamaica