The men’s soccer team has a large incoming recruiting class for the upcoming fall season. Head Coach Mike McGinty announced the 2012 recruiting class last week. There are 11 new recruits that include two St. Louis natives who are transferring from other Division I schools.
“We believe these are championship-caliber players. We are confident that this group is going to leave a lasting impression on the program,” McGinty said to Saint Louis University Athletics.
Eight of the 11 players for the Bills new recruiting class are midfielders. These players are replacing a large outgoing senior class.
“We lost Chadd (Vandergriffe) and Blake (Schneider) to graduation, Alex Johnson and Beau (Bellomy) graduated and they gave us coverage in the back,” McGinty said. “One of our things were defenders and midfielders and if they were a midfielder could they do more than one thing and with this class we have a lot of cover for different positions.”
McGinty said that he has not spend much time talking about the incoming recruiting class with his current team who is current focusing on spring practice before the upcoming spring exhibition season.
McGinty did not rule out the possibility that some of these incoming freshmen could start next fall. “We certainly have guys who could come in and play right away, they are that good,” McGinty said
The recruiting class has some international flavor as two players are from Bermuda and one is from Ireland.
These are the incoming players for the Coach McGinty’s recruiting class:
Donte Brangman-Midfield-Bermuda/ Montverde (FL) Academy
According to ESPN, Brangman was the No. 125 overall college prospect. Brangman was on last year’s national No.1 high school soccer team. Brangman is also a member of the Bermuda national soccer team. Brangman will be joined by his fellow high school teammates Jair Minors and David Graydon.
“Dante is a complete all-around player, and he’s comfortable in a number of positions,” McGinty said to SLU Athletics.
Jair Minors-Midfield/Forward- Bermuda/Montverde (FL) Academy
Minors is also from Monteverde Academy. He is an attacking midfielder who is very quick and was also a part of the national champion Montverde Academy team. Minors is also a part of the Bermuda national soccer team. He along with his fellow teammates had a 23-0-4 record as a senior at Monteverde.
“He has electric pace and a knack for the goal,” McGinty said to Saint Louis Athletics.
David Graydon- Midfield- Kildare, Ireland/ Montverde (FL) Academy
Graydon is another ESPN top 150 recruit. Graydon had 10 goals and 18 assists for Montverde in his senior year. After his season with Montverde, he competed in the MILK Cup in Northern Ireland.
“He is creative with a great attitude and a great mentality,” McGinty said.
Tyler David- Midfield/Defense- Minneapolis/Lakeville North
David plays for the Minnesota Thunder US Soccer Academy. He has been the team captain for five years. Both of his parents played soccer in college previously.
“Tyler is positive, confident and comfortable playing in a number of positions,” McGinty said to Saint Louis Athletics.
Issac Fraley- Defense- Tulsa, OK/ Jenks
Fraley is a second-team All-state selection. His club team, Tulsa Soccer Club Hurricane, won five state championships and won the 2011 US Youth National League Championship.
“He has great academics, great character and gives us a defender with some toughness that we’re looking for,” McGinty said to Saint Louis Athletics
Khalil Karl- Midfield/Defense- Austin, TX/Lockhart
Karl was a member of the Lonestars SC of the US Soccer Academy. He helped them to a third place finish in the USFF Development Academy.
“He’s an absolute star in the classroom, in the community and on the field. He has natural leadership qualities,” McGinty said.
Dirk van der Velde- Defense- Turlock, CA/ John H. Pittman
Van der Velde’s club team was ranked seventh in the nation in 2011. He is originally from Holland and his father was a professional golfer.
“He’s very self-motivated and a guy that will give us everything he has every day of the week,” McGinty said.
Evan Wright- Goalkeeper- Kansas City, Mo./ Blue Valley
Wright played club for Sporting KC Soccer Academy. His senior year at Blue Valley, he had six shutouts and had 182 saves.
“Evan is a great person and a great goalkeeper. He plays club for Sporting Kansas City, and I know they have high hopes for him,” McGinty said.
Patrick Conroy-Midfield/Defense-St. Louis/DeSmet
Conroy played at DeSmet. His senior year he was captain of the team and lead DeSmet to a 25-4-1 record and won a Missouri state championship in 2011. His uncle, Don Aubuchon, played for Saint Louis from 1974-1977
“Pat is a great example of the type of young man we want: great character, great leadership and great academics,” McGinty said.
Richie Hoffman- Midfield- St. Louis/Saint Louis University High/Loyola Chicago (Transfer)
Hoffman transfers with four years of eligibility remaining. He redshirted last year at Loyola Chicago. In 2010, he was the St. Louis Post-Distpatch player of the year. He was a teammate of current player Nick Maglasang.
“Richie is a tough midfielder from SLUH. He is good with the ball and we are excited to have him on the team,” McGinty said.
Josh Kohring-Midfield-St. Louis/ Webster Groves/ SIUE (Transfer)
Kohring appeared in eight games last year for SIUE. He enters the program with three years of eligibility left.
“Josh is a great addition for us. We are happy to have him in the program as we recruited him out of high school,” McGinty said to Saint Louis Athletics.
Certainly, Coach McGinty has done a lot to replace the outgoing senior class with a large incoming recruiting class.
