Georgia Southern Men's Soccer is proud to announce its 2015 signing class. This story will be updated as players sumbit their National Letters of Intent to Georgia Southern.
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8:47 a.m.
A native of Atlanta, Luis Aponte joins the Eagle defense after a youth career at Concorde Fire and St. Pius X High School. Entering his fourth season with the Golden Lions, Aponte was part of the school's 2013 state championship. He is also part of the Concorde Fire defense which allowed the fewest goals in the Eastern Conference in 2014, and was ranked as the No. 4 defense nationally by TopDrawerSoccer.com. A versatile athlete, Aponte also played basketball and ran cross country in high school. He plans to major in business finance.
"I'm really excited about having Louie join us in the fall," said Coach Kennedy. "This is a left footed player that is extremely hungry and competitive. He has a real drive to improve and he's very athletic and tenacious on the field. In addition to being an outstanding defender, he is capable of getting forward and being a real threat in the attacking third. Louie will give us a new dimension on the left side, and his tremendous work rate is a good addition to the culture of our program."
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10:46 a.m.
A native of Columbia, Juan De Lima moved to the United States at age 10, living in Atlanta before moving to Austin, Texas. He played one season at Westwood High School before concentrating on club soccer at Lonestars FC. As a freshman at Westwood, de Lima assisted on 14 of the team's 18 total goals en route to all-district honors. He played the last three seasons at Lonestars FC under coach Bobby Murphy. He plans to major in international business at Southern.
"Juan is a very versatile player that could see minutes at a number of different positions for us," said Coach Kennedy. "He has some good technical qualities, he reads the game very well and he possesses a real competitive streak. I believe that Juan will bring a lot of personality to our team, as he has a great attitude and a hunger to improve. Juan is very versatile and his style of play will give us options in several different roles in midfield."
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11:11 a.m.
A native of Marietta, Ga., Andrew Deltac will join the Eagles for the 2015 season to play in the midfield. A product of Harrison High School in Kennesaw, Ga. and NASA B15 Elite on the club side, Andrew has played 14 years of organized soccer entering his collegiate career. Named the Cobb County Player of the Year, Deltac has reached the State Semifinals with the Hoyas each of the last two seasons. On the club side, his team has won RPL and SPL league championships as well as a state cup championship. Deltac made national news last year for scoring a 67-yard goal just five seconds into a match against Walton High School.
"Andrew was our first verbal commitment in this class and I think that speaks volumes of where we rate his ability and potential," said Coach Kennedy. "This is a player that we believe can compete immediately for time in midfield. He has outstanding technical ability and he can really create problems for opposing teams with his vision, penetrating passes and runs off the ball out of central areas. In addition to all of these qualities, Rew is also extremely competitive and has a real desire to put in the hard work that's required to take his game to the next level."
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11:11 a.m.
A native of the Blue Hen State, David Rhoades joins the Eagles in 2015 to play in the defensive third. A two-time All-State honoree while playing at Delaware Military Academy, Rhoades scored 12 goals and 10 assists as a senior last fall, earning conference Player of the Year honors as well as All-State honors for the second time in his career. His Seahawk team won three conference championships. He also earned three varsity letters as the kicker on the football team. His sisters Brittiny and Kourtney both played soccer at the University of South Carolina. In 2009, Rhoades trained at Fluminese FC Academy in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
"I'm really eager to have David join our program. David has all of the qualities that we look for in a player and he comes from a real soccer pedigree," said Coach Kennedy. "Both of his older sisters played at the University of South Carolina, so David has a clear understanding of what it will take to succeed at the college level. He is a very good defender that is capable of getting forward and being dangerous in the attacking third. He is also versatile enough to compete for time in areas other than our back line."
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4:33 p.m.
A native of Tyler, Texas, Alfonso Ochoa joins the Eagles in 2015 after playing at Robert E. Lee H.S. and Solar Chelsea . Earned honorable mention all-district for the Red Raiders as a freshman before shifting attention to club soccer at Solar Chelsea. Finished as runners-up at USSDA National Championships in 2013 with Solar Chelsea. Ochoa commuted two hours each way to practice at Solar Chelsea in Dallas three days a week with matches on the weekends. Plans to major in information technology.
"Alfonso brings so many qualities to our program, and I'm not just referring to what he can bring to the team on the field of play," said Coach Kennedy. "He is quick, technical, smart, competitive and extremely dangerous when on the attack. He is also equally tenacious on the defending side of the ball. But what makes Alfonso so special is that he also possesses such outstanding character and hunger. This is a player that drives over 2 hours round trip 4 times a week to train with his club team. This commitment alone tells us that he has the drive to improve and the desire to take his game to the next level. We believe that Alfonso will immediately compete for time in midfield."
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5:02 p.m.
An attacking player from McDonough, Ga., Christian Duncan joins the Eagles as a proven goalscorer. He played one season at Luella High School before focusing on club soccer at Concorde Fire. He was named team MVP as a freshman with 16 goals at Luella. With Concorde Fire, Duncan is the leading scorer and the club's team captain, winning State Cup in 2011 and 2012.
"I can't wait to have Christian join our program in the fall," said Coach Kennedy. "He joins a long list of Eagles that have come through the Concorde Fire program, and like the players before him, Christian is very competitive and has the mentality required to win. Christian is an extremely deceptive player that can play a number of roles for our team. Regardless of where he is playing, Christian has a nose for the goal. He can create chances as well as score, and he should quickly adjust to the pace of the college game. "
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Torgeir Fjaer signed with the Eagles to play between the pipes beginning in the fall of 2015. He played his youth soccer in his hometown of Trondeim, Norway at Rosenborg BK. While at RBK, he won national championships in 2011 and 2012, while finishing second in 2013, and third in 2014. Torgeir plans to major in engineering.
"One of the primary goals for this class was to find a player that could strengthen our goalkeeping corps, and we believe we have found that player in Torjeir," said Coach Kennedy. "He is a terrific shot stopper and he has a real knack for reading the game. Torgeir is capable of organizing the players in front of him, and he has a real desire to embrace the hard work that is essential to improving everyday in training. I think this is a player that could see significant minutes during his playing career."
Georgia Southern Athletics provides up-to-date information on all its sports through its official website, GSEagles.com, through social media channels facebook.com/GSAthletics and twitter.com/GSAthletics. To purchase tickets call 1-800-GSU-WINS.
