Feb. 10, 2010
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Three of the nation's top high school players signed National Letters of Intent (NLIs) Wednesday to join the UCF men's soccer team this fall, highlighting an impressive class slated to begin play for the Knights in 2010. The trio of athletes from the state of Florida joins two others who enrolled at UCF this spring - Austin Jay Nelson and Christian William Eissele - to make up the Knights' 2010 recruiting class.
Two of the three Knights that signed hail from nearby Montverde Academy, where the duo of Matheus Saroli and Jose Presti combined for 40 goals and 51 assists as seniors. The third signee, Sebastian Evers, is a goalkeeper from Miami's John A. Ferguson High School and Miami FC Academy program.
"We were very patient and selective during the recruiting process," said head coach Bryan Cunningham. "For that reason, we were able to key in and gain commitments from the players we wanted. I would like to thank our assistant coaches for their hard work. They were beating the bushes tirelessly and we got a great class."
The five players will join a UCF team which returns the bulk of its players from the 2009 season, including all-conference standouts Kevan George (Decatur, Ga.), Yaron Bacher (Atlanta, Ga.) and Nicholas Robson (Auckland, New Zealand).
Below is a player-by-player look at the Knights' 2010 class:
Christian Eissele
6-2 ? Forward/Midfielder
Lake Mary, Fla. (Lake Mary HS)
FYSA Olympic Development Program
Accomplishments
? Named First Team All-Conference, First Team All-Central Florida and Tampa Invitational All-Tournament Team
? Scored 22 goals and 7 assists his junior season
? Also played tennis in high school
? Part of National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta and Principal's Honor Roll
Sebastian Evers
6-1 ? Goalkeeper
Miami, Fla. (John A. Ferguson Senior HS)
Miami FC Kendall Coalition/U.S. Soccer Developmental Academy
Accomplishments
? Awarded the prestigious Adidas ESP Golden Glove
? Won State Championships with both his high school and club teams
? Also played football, lacrosse and basketball in high school
Austin Jay "A.J." Nelson
6-2 ? Forward
Ponte Vedra, Fla. (Allen D. Nease HS)
UNC Greensboro
Accomplishments
? Played his freshman campaign at UNC Greensboro
? Scored four goals and four assists during as a freshman at UNC Greensboro
? Named SoCon Player of the Week and to the Southern Conference All-Freshman Team ? Registered 19 goals and 28 assists as a senior in high school
? Named the Jacksonville Times-Union Player of the Year
Jose Presti, Jr.
5-9 ? Midfielder
Montverde, Fla. (Montverde Academy)
Accomplishments
? Scored 12 goals and had 34 assists as a senior
? Tallied 14 goals and 37 his junior season
? Played for his father at Ze Sergio Soccer Academy in Brazil his sophomore season
and had 18 goals and 29 assists
Matheus Saroli
5-10 ? Forward
Montverde, Fla. (Montverde Academy)
Accomplishments
? Scored 28 goals and had 17 assists as a captain his senior year
? Tallied 17 goals as a junior
? Scored 39 goals his sophomore season playing indoor soccer for Clube Curitibano in Brazil.
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