JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Head Men' s Soccer Coach Derek Marinatos and his staff announced the signing of seven new Ospreys this afternoon. The Ospreys add to a very talented roster that was one win away from an Atlantic Sun Conference Championship last season.

The backbone of the North Florida men's soccer program has been the tireless recruiting efforts of Head Coach Derek Marinatos and his staff. It has paid dividends, leading the Ospreys to back-to-back Atlantic Sun title match appearances the past two seasons. The Ospreys, who continue to build, added more depth and talent with this year's class.

"I could not be more excited about the recruits in this class, as they are a special group of young men who will excel both in the classroom and on the field," said Marinatos. "Our goal with this class was to bolster our central midfield, and add more speed to our attack and depth to our defense. This group gives us more depth than we have ever had with an already very experienced group of 11 seniors. "
 
Spring Additions

Gabriel Souza – 5'7 – 179 – M – Sao Paulo, Brazil – Instituto Beatissima
He was a four-year starter in high school and a four-time, team MVP. He was the team's top scorer his senior season. He plans to major in Business Administration at North Florida.

Coach's Take: "Gabriel has very good vision and a dangerous final pass to accompany his stout build and striking ability.  He is very strong on the ball and has been a good addition to the team in the spring, having played in matches for us and had some success." 

Andrey Rosales – 5'10 – 161 – M – Cariori-Pococi-Limon, Costa Rica – Liceo Nocturno de Coriari
Played club soccer for Santos FC for eight years. His team won the Costa Rica Junior Nationals in 2011 and 2012.

Coach's Take: "Andrey is a box to box midfielder capable of running a midfield for a team.  He has great game awareness and a very high soccer IQ.  It has been great to have him here this spring and we look for him to have an impact in the fall."

Summer/Fall Additions
Ivan Castro – 5'5 – 120 –  M – Plant City, Fla. – Crossroads Christian School
Played his club ball with FC Plant City and enrolled in the fall at Crossroads Christian. He is an honors student that plans to major in business at North Florida.

Coach's Take: "He is an extremely crafty midfielder with excellent game sense and creativity.  He has a great pedigree (brother of Omar Castro, professional in Germany and U.S. U-20 National Team) and will look to compete for minutes right away."    

Shane Nicholson – 6-6 – 180 - F/M – Shalimar, Fla. – Choctawhatchee High School
Nicholson was one of the most decorated soccer players to come out of Choctawhatchee. He was twice named the Northwest Florida Daily News Player of the year and amassed 183 career points. His senior year he found the back of the net 50 times in a run that resulted in undefeated season and State Championship. He was a three-time All-State selection and was named the National Player of the Week by TopDrawer in 2015.

Coach's Take: "Shane led his high school team to its first state championship and scored the game-winner in the state finals in overtime, his fiftieth goal of the season.  He has great finishing ability and technique with both feet and is very crafty for a guy of his size.  He gives us something different as a match up problem on set pieces and a target we can play off with his height.  He is a young man of high character and is an excellent student and proven winner."

Alexis Saborio – 5'7 – 143 – M – San Jose, Costa Rica – British School at Costa Rica
He Plans to study Mechanical Engineering at UNF.

Coach's Take:  "Alexis is a true defensive midfielder, and is relentless in winning the ball back from opposing teams.  We look for him to have an impact in our midfield rotation." 

Ayuk Tambe – 5'5 – 148 – F – Blaine, Minn. – Blaine High School – Century CC
 Transfers to North Florida after two years of junior college soccer in Minnesota. Born in Cameroon, Tambe was a two-year starter at Blaine High school where he scored 17 goals in two seasons. He was also a state champion in the 100 meter as a junior and senior on the Blaine Track and Field team. In his sophomore season at Century College he led the team with 10 goals and was awarded the 2014 Golden Boot.

Coach's Take: "Ayuk provides much needed speed to our attack and should be one of the most dynamic players in the conference with his speed and 1 vs 1 abilities.  He is also quite capable of scoring goals."

Jacob Titsworth – 6-0 – 170 – D – Bradenton, Fla. – Manatee High School
Scored 24 goals and assisted on eight others to help lead Manatee High School to the regional quarterfinals. A four-year varsity starter, he tallied 37 career goals. An honor student, he ranks in the top 100 in his class and sports a 3.8 GPA.

Coach's Take: "Jacob is capable of playing multiple positions and caught our attention at our recent North Florida Identification Camp in January.  He is good with both feet and possesses good size and a nice change of pace and is also an excellent student." 

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