Bowling Green State University men's soccer coach Eric Nichols and his staff have announced the addition of seven student-athletes to the program. Vincent Giannini (Sydney, Australia/Christian Brothers H.S. Lewisham), Dominic Grida (North Royalton, Ohio/North Royalton), Noah Kummer (Brookville, Ohio/Dayton Carroll), Moe Mustafa (Westlake, Ohio/Westlake), Tate Robertson (Springfield, Ohio/Catholic Central), Ryan Ross (Bolingbrook, Ill./Neuqua Valley) and Omar Salem (Westlake, Ohio/Westlake) will join the Falcons in the fall of 2015.

Giannini, a native of Sydney, Australia, attended Christian Brothers H.S. Lewisham, where he played soccer for coaches John Carnabucci, Domenic Hudap and Vincenzo Colagiuri. Giannini captained his team in six consecutive years, helping the Lewo to multiple championships in that time. Giannini earned team MVP or Player-of-the-Year honors five times in a six-year span. He was named to the New South Wales Schoolboys and the Australian Schoolboys teams. Giannini has played club soccer for many teams, including Sydney Olympic FC, Marconi Stallions FC, Sutherland Sharks FC and Rockdale City Suns FC. He was also selected to the FFA Australian Junior Socceroos and was an AFC Asian All Star representative. Giannini gained selection into the New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) on a soccer scholarship.

"Vincent is a savvy player with versatility," said Nichols. "Whether he is positioned as an attacker or getting forward from a deeper position, he is good on the ball and has the ability to make goals happen."

Grida, a native of North Royalton, Ohio, earned three letters at North Royalton H.S. He was an OSSCA All-Ohio Second-team selection in 2013, helping the Bears to a 14-2-2 overall record and a second Northeast Ohio Conference championship in three years. Grida was the NOC Player of the Year that season, earning all-conference first-team honors for the second consecutive year after earning honorable mention as a freshman. He had a career total of 26 goals and 29 assists, including 19 of each as a junior. Grida has played club ball for the Columbus Crew Academy, and he did not play his senior year of high-school soccer, playing academy soccer with the Crew Academy U18 team instead.

"Dominic is a complete player with loads of versatility," said Nichols. "He has played in a variety of roles and been very solid, but we feel that once he settles into something more consistent, he will own that position and take his game to another level."

Kummer, a native of Brookville, Ohio, is a senior at Dayton Carroll H.S., where he earned four letters for coach Scott Molfenter. The 6-2 goalkeeper was the Ohio Division II Player of the Year as a senior, wrapping up a career which saw him set the state record for career shutouts with 51. Kummer, a four-year starter, had a career record of 66-5-12. He led the Patriots to state championships in both 2011 and '12, and earned First-Team All-Ohio honors in both 2013 and '14. He also was named to the all-area team, the Academic All-Ohio Team and the NSCAA All-Great Lakes Region Team in each of his last two seasons, and he twice was named the Miami Valley Scholastic Soccer Coaches Association Division II Player of the Year. Kummer and the Patriots won Greater Catholic League titles in each of his four seasons, with a conference record of 30-0-6 during that time. Kummer was chosen to play in the Boys High School All-American Game in Raleigh, N.C., as part of the East All-American Team. He was the only goalkeeper named to the NSCAA Fall High School All-America Team. Kummer has played club ball for Ohio Galaxies FC Elite 96, captaining that team.

"Noah has a lot of things working for him; size, athleticism, technique," said Nichols. "But, his strongest asset is his character. Working with (assistant coach) Eric Reed and our current goalkeepers, he has the chance to become a very special player here at BG."

Mustafa, a native of Westlake, Ohio, earned four letters for coach Mike Besu at Westlake H.S. Mustafa was a teammate of fellow Falcon signee Omar Salem with the Demons. He, like Salem, was an All-Southwestern Conference First-Team selection three times, after earning second-team honors as a freshman. Mustafa, the team's Defensive MVP on two occasions, earned All-Greater Cleveland First-Team honors twice as well. He helped the Demons to an overall record of 47-9-10 and trips to the district finals in each of his last two years. Westlake advanced to the regional finals during his sophomore season. Mustafa played club ball for several teams including the Columbus Crew Academy.

"Moe is a composed center back who can do all of the defensive duties as well as start attacks," said Nichols. "He has the size and attributes to have an impact early in his career at BG."

Robertson, who hails from Springfield, Ohio, is a senior at Springfield Catholic Central. He earned four letters for coach Shane Latham. Robertson was an All-Ohio First-team selection in Division III for the Irish during his senior season, when he scored a whopping 44 goals. Robertson was the top scorer in all of Division III and was third in the state in scoring among all divisions. He had career totals of 105 goals and 64 assists and helped the Irish to four OHC championships, three district championships and an additional trip to the district finals. The team went 65-14-5 during his four years. Robertson, who captained the soccer team as a senior, earned three letters in basketball. He has played club ball for Ohio Galaxies FC.

"Tate has real attacking flair," said Nichols. "He is confident on the ball and likes to make things happen. He will be a great addition to our dynamic set of attacking players."

Ross, a native of Bolingbrook, Ill., earned four letters at Neuqua Valley H.S. for coaches Tony Kees and Skip Begley. He was an all-state first-team selection as a senior, and finished his career as the third-leading scorer in school history. Ross scored 51 career goals, including 21 in his senior year as the Wildcats had a 14-8 record. Ross scored seven goals in each of his first two seasons, before scoring 16 goals as a junior. He earned all-sectional and all-area first-team honors in that junior season. Ross captained the team as a senior, and earned all-academic honors in all four years. Ross has played club ball for Galaxy SC, the same program as current Falcons Max Auden, Pat Flynn, Danny Shea and Joe Sullivan.

"Ryan has a ton of pace and he knows how to use it to create chances," said Nichols. "He is a smart player with some flexibility in his game which will enable him to be dangerous for us in a number of ways."

Salem, a native of Westlake, Ohio, was a four-year letterwinner at Westlake H.S. for coach Mike Besu, where he teamed with Moe Mustafa. An All-Ohio Division I First-Team selection as a senior, Salem was named to the NSCAA Fall High School All-America Team. Salem was a three-time All-Southwestern Conference First-Team selection after earning second-team honors as a freshman. He was the conference MVP as both a junior and a senior, earning All-Greater Cleveland First-Team accolades in each of those years. Salem earned All-Ohio Second-Team honors in his junior year before being named to the first team as a senior. He helped the Demons to an overall record of 47-9-10 and trips to the district finals in each of his last two years. Westlake advanced to the regional finals during his sophomore season. Salem played club ball for several teams including the Columbus Crew Academy.

"Omar is an exciting attacking player who can run a game," said Nichols. "When he is on his game he is electric and can cause defenders fits. He will fit in nicely with our current attacking group."

The 2014 Falcons finished the season with an overall record of 14-6-1, and BGSU ended Mid-American Conference regular-season play with a 2-2-1 league mark, good for a tie for third place in the six-team conference. BGSU's overall win total was the program's highest in 17 years, and the Brown and Orange advanced to the championship game of the MAC Tournament for the first time since 2003.

Nichols and his staff lose three seniors – Danny Baraldi, Jon Kumher and Vlad Lekarev – from the 2014 roster.

BGSU MEN'S SOCCER SIGNEES
Name – Pos. – Hometown (Previous School[s])
Vincent Giannini – M – Sydney, Australia (Christian Brothers H.S. Lewisham)
Dominic Grida – D/M – North Royalton, Ohio (North Royalton)
Noah Kummer – GK – Brookville, Ohio (Dayton Carroll)
Moe Mustafa – D – Westlake, Ohio (Westlake)
Tate Robertson – F – Springfield, Ohio (Catholic Central)
Ryan Ross – F/M – Bolingbrook, Ill. (Neuqua Valley)
Omar Salem – M – Westlake, Ohio (Westlake)

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