March 9, 2005
ORLANDO - The UCF men's soccer team signed five recruits - all Florida products - to National Letters of Intent (NLI), head coach Bob Winch announced on Tuesday.
Among the 2005 recruiting class are Tyler Davis, Jermaine Walters, Jake Howard, Bryan Haisley and Mike Mattson.
With 103 career goals to his credit, Davis is the two-time Hillsborough County 2A Player of the Year. The forward from Tampa Berkley Prep was also named an All-American and state player of the year in 2004.
Also at forward, Mike Mattson scored 31 goals and had 16 assists through January matches at Pope John Paul High School. He earned Palm Beach All-County honors three times, including first team recognition in 2004. As a member of the Weston Warriors club team, which was Under-17 national runner-up, Mattson scored a team-high 64 goals.
The Golden Knights signed 2003 Polk County Player of the Year Howard in the midfield. Howard was also named first-team all-state in 2003 and was a three-time All-Polk County selection.
Haisley joins the UCF backfield as a two-year varsity letterwinner from Miami Sunset Sr. High School, which was ranked as high as No. 1 in the nation this season and was recognized as the 2004 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) National Champions.
Rounding out the recruiting class is Walters, a four-year starting defender at Brandon High School. He has earned all-conference and all-state honors and was a Pinellas/Hillsborough All-Star.
The Golden Knights have won three consecutive Atlantic Sun Tournament Championships, two straight A-Sun regular season championships and have earned a berth to the NCAA Tournament during the past three seasons. In 2004, they advanced to the second round for the first time in Division I history. UCF begins play in Conference USA starting in 2005.