Men's Soccer pre-season Q&A
Council Bluffs, IA
Coming off a 6th place finish at the NJCAA National Tournament a year ago, the IWCC Reivers find themselves looking forward to taking care of business heading into the 2017 campaign. The Reivers enter the seaon ranked 3rd in the pre-seaon poll and return a slew of offensive firepower.
We recently caught up with head coach Jordan Carver and asked him to provide some insight into the 2017 campaign.
Who are some of the sophomores that you'll be leaning on this year, both on the field and around campus?
Offense: IW's offense was one of the nation's Top offense and 3 of the Top 4 leading point earners return: Kwesi Allen, Joao Burti, & Leandro Avila. Unfortunately, Mathias Ferraz, the team's fifth leading point earner will miss the upcoming season due to a summer injury.
- #11 Kwesi Allen, Trinidad & Tobago, had 15 goals, 10 assists, 40 points.
- #9 Joao Burti, Brazil, had 13 goals, 7 assists, 33 points.
- #18 Leandro Avila, Panama, had 11 goals, 7 assists, 29 points.
- #17 Solomon Constant, Iowa, had a fantastic summer of soccer & is ready to contribute.
- #26 Olayemi Olaigbe, Nigeria, will look to make an impact in his sophomore year.
Defense: Gustavo Fernandes is the only starting defender from last season's Top 5 in the nation defense.
- #19 Gustavo Fernandes, New York, helped post 12 shutouts & earn the 3rd best GAA 0.53.
- #16 Mason Farnsworth, Utah, is Captain and will lead the team on and off the field.
- #1 Yuichiro Hayami, Japan, allowed only 1 goal in 10 games with a 0.14 GAA.
- #15 Joe Connolly, Nebraska, will look to play a bigger role on the backline.
What newcomers should we have our eyes on this season?
Offense: We have a handful of incoming offensive players, especially from CB/Omaha Metro, and strong programs from the USSF Development Academy and international academies.
- #7 Tanner Miller, Millard West HS & Sporting OFC
- #23 Rodrigo Barajas, Saint Albert HS, leading goal scorer & two year All-City Player of the Year
- #10 Dadwin Hernadez, Houston Texas Rush of the USSF Development Academy
- #20 Henry Melville, GPS Maine, younger sibling of Reiver Soccer National Champion, Nick Melville
- #8 Alberto Diaz, Florida, FC Florida, number 3rd ranked club in the USA
- #21 Sabino Lozano, Texas, Houston Chronicle's All-Greater Houston Boys Soccer Player of the Year
- #6 Matheiu Pereblanque, Chile, box to box midfielder with a lot of energy.
- #12 Duhaney Williams, Jamaica, MVP of Manning Cup with Jamaica College.
- #4 Matthew Woo Ling, Trinidad & Tobago, with PDL experience.
- #14 Thei Tlo, Texas, dept-dribbler and relentless energy.
Defense: We focused on bringing in defenders with this recruiting class and are very excited about their potential.
- #22 Jaaziel Thompson, Jamaica, centerback transferred in the spring and was a BEAST!
- #0 Jan Hoffelner, Germany, goalkeeper with youth Bundesliga experience.
- #5 Vicente Gallardo, North Carolina, a member of the prestigious CASL organization
- #3 Massimo Baron, France, played in the U17 Nationals
- #13 Jay Foster, Australia, Sydney FC product with a deadly left foot.
- #24 Brandon Cataldi, Texas, Miners FC, strong and versatile defender.
- #2 Diego Mendez, Chile, outside defender who is intelligent and committed.
- #28 Conor Bird, England, a former Peterborough United youth player.