Tulsa Men’s Soccer Team Inks Seven

by TopDrawerSoccer

February 5, 2015

Tulsa signed seven players for the 2015 freshman class, including Ashby Clark, Marcel Da Silva, Keegan King, Cole Poppen, Munashe Raranje, Juan Sebastian Sanchez and Miguel Velasquez, as announced today by head coach Tom McIntosh.

“In terms of the overall group, we’ve added some of the better players in the country at their respective positions,” McIntosh said. “It is a group that has the ability to impact our team immediately. In terms of attacking players, I truly believe Miguel and Juan are two of the very best forwards in the country and have the statistics to back it up. Munashe is very creative, good on the dribble and has a good soccer IQ. Ashby is a very powerful forward and simply finds ways to score goals. Cole is a dynamic right back that will help us both going forward as well as in possession. Keegan reads the game very well and is comfortable on the ball at the back. Marcel has a big time goalkeeper frame, is a good shot stopper and very comfortable with his feet. He has the potential to have similar success as some of our past goalkeepers. I believe we’ve added some of the best players in their positions in the US development academy, as well as some of the best in their position not in the developmental academy. Lastly, and most importantly, they come from winning cultures with their respective club teams and can help us achieve our goals here at Tulsa.”

A 6-3 forward from Poteau, Okla., Clark played club soccer for West Side Alliance. He helped WSA win the 2015 Oklahoma Premier League Championship, as well as play in the finals of the 2013 State Cup, and in the semifinals of the 2012 and 2014 State Cup. Clark had 114 goals and 84 assists, and was a three-time WSA Footballer of the Year. He also played for Poteau High School, where he was a three-year letterwinner. Clark helped PHS claim the Class 4A State Championship as a sophomore, and make semifinal appearances as a freshman and junior.

Da Silva, a 6-4 goalkeeper from Ormond Beach, Fla., played club soccer for US Soccer Development Academy team Shattuck St. Mary’s, currently in first place in their division and a highly regarded USSDA Club. He was the first junior goalkeeper to make the Shattuck St. Mary’s U18 academy team. Da Silva joined the U18 team for national finals week and was a national finalist when he was just 16 years old. He attended two consecutive finals weeks (2013, 2014) in the USSDA, the only non-Major League Soccer club to do so. Da Silva was ranked in the Top Drawer Soccer and College Soccer News top 150 for the 2015 class, was the 11th-ranked goalkeeper and was first in the Midwest. He tallied a 14-1-7 record as a U18 starter, including an 8-0-3 mark and five shutouts, a .633 goals-against average and was voted as the best defense in the USSDA with the least amount of goals conceded in the 2013-14 season. In the 2012-13 year, he had six clean sheets and a 1.06 GAA.

A 6-0 defender from Tulsa, Okla., King played for the Tulsa Soccer Club, winning the 2011 Oklahoma State Championship, the 2012 and 2013 Premier League West Championship, and finishing as the state runner-up in 2012 and 2014. He also played for Booker T. Washington High School, where he led the team to a 33-6 record in three years, a 5A State runner-up performance as a sophomore and a third-place finish as a freshman. King was a Tulsa World first-team performer as sophomore at BTWHS, when he led the team in goals and was second in assists. King is the son of former TU standout Kevin King (1989-92) and the brother of current TU women’s soccer player Lauren King.

Poppen, a 5-9 defender from Ankeny, Iowa, played club soccer for US Soccer Development Academy team Shattuck St. Mary’s. Poppen is ranked #81 in the Top Drawer Soccer top 150 as well as being ranked in the top 150 by College Soccer News. He helped his club team finish as the USSDA national runners-up in the 2012-13 season and advance to the quarterfinals in 2013-14.

A 5-8 midfielder from Jenks, Okla., Raranje played club soccer for the Oklahoma FC 97 Boys. He helped his team capture the Jefferson Cup, Phoenix President’s Day Tournament Championship and Oklahoma State Championship, and finish as Region 3 semifinalists in 2014.

Sanchez is a forward from New York Red Bulls Academy and member of the US U18 National Pool. He recently spent time training with New York Red Bulls first team in preseason. He is the leading goal scorer for the first place New York Red Bulls U18 Academy team that is ranked among the top three USSDA Clubs.

A 5-11 forward from San Antonio, Texas, Velasquez played club soccer for the Lonestar 97B Red SAN, a team he led in scoring since seventh grade. He helped his club team claim the 2012, 2013 and 2014 state championship, capture three Southern Premier/Premier League West championships, finish as regional semifinalists in 2012 and win the 2013 Surf Cup. Velasquez also played for Winston Churchill High School. At WCHS, he led his team to a 56-11 record in three years, while scoring 54 goals and tallying 25 assists for 133 points. Velasquez was the leading scorer as a sophomore and junior, and was a two-time all-district and all-area performer, while being selected as the team’s MVP twice and Player to Watch all three seasons.

2015 Tulsa Men’s Soccer Signees

Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown

Keegan King D 6-0 172 Tulsa, Okla.

Ashby Clark F 6-3 195 Poteau, Okla.

Marcel Da Silva GK 6-4 200 Ormond Beach, Fla.

Cole Poppen D 5-9 160 Ankeny, Iowa

Munashe Raranje MF 5-8 140 Jenks, Okla.

Juan Sebastian Sanchez F 5-10 155 Ossining, N.Y.

Miguel Velasquez F 5-11 175 San Antonio, Texas