Saint Louis head men’s soccer coach Mike McGinty announced today the addition of 10 Billikens to the roster. They will begin their eligibility at SLU in the fall.

The new players are:

• Anthony Brown • F • Belleville, Ill. (Belleville West H.S. | St. Louis Scott Gallagher Metro)
• Eric Davies • D • Richardson, Texas (Pearce H.S. | FC Dallas)
• JT Cook • MF • Placentia, Calif. (Servite H.S. | Fram SC)
• Faik Hajderovic • F • St. Louis, Mo. (Mehlville H.S. | University of Evansville) (previously announced)
• Brady Lenius • MF • Sturgeon Bay, Wis. (Sturgeon Bay H.S. | FC Wisconsin Nationals)
• Noah Murphy • F • Austin, Texas (St. Stephen’s Episcopal School | Lonestar SC)
• Jeffrey Palomarez • F • Flower Mound, Texas (Marcus H.S. | Dallas Texans)
• Nebojsa Popovic • F • Rochester Hills, Mich. (Rochester H.S. | Vardar SC)
• Matheus Silva • MF • Taboao Da Serra, Brazil (Montverde Academy)
• Ben Yeager • GK • St. Louis, Mo. (De Smet Jesuit H.S. | Lou Fusz SC and St. Louis Scott Gallagher)

“This class has the opportunity to go down as one of the best we have had at Saint Louis University in a long time,” McGinty said. “Each player has a great upside and a winning attitude. I expect them to contribute right away as we continue to strengthen our team culture.”

Anthony Brown • F • Belleville, Ill. (Belleville West H.S. | St. Louis Scott Gallagher Metro)

Plays club for St. Louis Scott Gallagher Metro in the US Soccer Academy … leads the team with eight goals … in 2011, scored five goals during the playoffs to help the club capture the U-14 group title … rated the No. 21 forward in the nation as a high school senior by CollegeSoccerNews.com … prepped at Belleville West High School as a freshman and also ran cross country as a senior … academically, earned high honors and is a member of the National Honor Society.

McGinty on Brown: “Anthony is a powerful and tough goal scorer. He plays for St. Louis Scott Gallagher Metro in the developmental academy. Anthony is a very dangerous attacking player, and I am excited about his potential. I love Anthony’s willingness to work hard every day.”

Eric Davies • D • Richardson, Texas (Pearce H.S. | FC Dallas)

Plays club for FC Dallas in the US Soccer Academy … member of the Canadian 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup team, as his father has Canadian citizenship … at FC Dallas, helped club to a third-place finish in the Generation Adidas international tournament … his U-16 club team captured the US Soccer Academy Frontier Division championship … earned academic honors and maintains a GPA in the top 10 of his class.

McGinty on Davies: “Eric is a great leader and an excellent defender. He was the captain of the Canadian U-17 national team and has been captain of his FC Dallas Academy team. He is tough, smart and comfortable playing as an outside back on the left or the right. We cannot wait to work with Eric.”

JT Cook • MF • Placentia, Calif. (Servite H.S. | Fram SC)

Preps at Servite High School … currently in his senior season, his team is undefeated in league play and ranked No. 1 in the CIF Division I … has served as team captain the last two seasons … co-Defensive Player of the Year as a sophomore and junior … three-time All-CIF selection … helped team break the school record for shutouts in a season as the Friars went 18-1-6 … member of the high honor roll with distinction all four years in high school.

McGinty on Cook: “JT comes to us from Servite High School out of the Los Angeles area. He is a proven winner and leader and is the captain of his team. JT is a midfielder who is capable of playing a number of positions. He is good technically on the ball and has a high soccer IQ.”

Faik Hajderovic • F • St. Louis, Mo. (Mehlville H.S. | University of Evansville)

Transfer from the University of Evansville who has one year of eligibility remaining ... will train with the Billikens this spring … as a sophomore, led the nation in assists per game (0.74) … accumulated 44 points (10G, 24A) during his three years with the Purple Aces … prepped at Mehlville High School and was the leading goal scorer on his St. Louis Scott Gallagher Metro team … helped his club to several state championships during his youth career.

McGinty on Hajderovic: “Faik is a dynamic attacking player and a great addition to our program. He was a standout player for Scott Gallagher Metro, and we are glad he has decided to come back home.”

Brady Lenius • MF • Sturgeon Bay, Wis. (Sturgeon Bay H.S. | FC Wisconsin Nationals)

All-Conference selection as a freshman and sophomore at Sturgeon Bay High School … also played for the Wisconsin ODP, De Pere Select club and FC Wisconsin Nationals club … served as captain of the De Pere and FC Wisconsin Nationals club teams … FC Wisconsin Nationals was in the Top 150 in TopDrawerSoccer.com’s ranking in the fall of 2014 … member of the A honor roll every semester at Sturgeon Bay.

McGinty on Lenius: “Brady is a tough midfielder who comes to us from FC Wisconsin Nationals. He is good on the ball and has a great attitude and work rate. Brady is a smart player and is very tenacious in the middle of the park.”

Noah Murphy • F • Austin, Texas (St. Stephen’s Episcopal School | Lonestar SC)

Totaled 54 goals over his four-year prep career at St. Stephen’s Episcopal School … also played lacrosse for two seasons … played club for Lonestar SC in the US Soccer Academy … scored 18 goals last season for his club team.

McGinty on Murphy: “Noah is a great target forward. He is big, strong, tough and smart. Noah is comfortable scoring, playing with his back to the goal and holding balls up for his teammates. He plays for his father, Bobby, for Lonestar SC in Texas.”

Jeffrey Palomarez • F • Flower Mound, Texas (Marcus H.S. | Dallas Texans)

Also prepped at Enterprise High School in Enterprise, Ala., before moving to Texas … helped the Wildcats to a second-place state finish in 2011 … rated the No. 26 forward in the nation as a high school senior by CollegeSoccerNews.com … scored 38 goals during his prep career … member of the Dallas Texans in the U.S. Soccer Academy … currently leads his team with seven goals … academically, is a member of the National Honor Society at Marcus High School.

McGinty on Palomarez: “Jeffrey is a workhorse. He scores goals at every level and has been a key player for the Dallas Texans Academy team. We expect great things for Jeffrey and look forward to working with him.”

Nebojsa Popovic • F • Rochester Hills, Mich. (Rochester H.S. | Vardar SC) 

Rated as the ninth-best forward and 46th overall recruit in the country by CollegeSoccerNews.com … was fourth in the country in scoring during the 2013-14 U-16 Academy season, recording 22 goals in 25 games for Vardar SC … had call-ups to the U-18 U.S. Soccer National Team … prepped at Rochester High School his sophomore year and led the team in scoring en route to All-League honors … born in Loznica, Serbia.

McGinty on Popovic: “Nash is a proven goal scorer with a great nose for the goal and a high soccer IQ. He has done very well playing for Vardar Academy and has recently been called into US U-18 National Team camps. He has a great mentality and is one of the top strikers in the country.”

Matheus Silva • MF • Taboao Da Serra, Brazil (Montverde Academy)

Member of the undefeated Montverde Academy squad … named to the 2015 Montverde Academy All-Tournament team … Montverde Academy was ranked the No. 1 prep program in the country by TopDrawerSoccer.com … Montverde also produced Billikens David Graydon, Jair Minors and Patrick Sarr.

McGinty on Silva: “Matheus is one of the best high school players in the country. He comes to us from Montverde Academy where he is an integral player for coach Mike Potempa and their No. 1-ranked program. Matheus is a holding midfielder or defender, and we expect him to contribute for us right away.

Ben Yeager • GK • St. Louis, Mo. (De Smet Jesuit H.S. | Lou Fusz SC and St. Louis Scott Gallagher) 

Four-year varsity letterwinner at De Smet Jesuit High School … was a first-team All-Conference selection as a senior after registering six wins, five shutouts and a 1.24 goals against average … member of De Smet’s 2011 state championship team.

McGinty on Yeager: “Ben is a great goalkeeper and a fantastic addition for us. He played for De Smet Jesuit High School and competed for both the Lou Fusz and Scott Gallagher soccer clubs. I am excited to work with Ben and watch him develop as a goalkeeper.”