Northern Illinois University men’s soccer head coach Eric Luzzi announced today the addition of seven players to the Huskie men’s soccer program for the 2015 season. The incoming class includes three players from the State of Illinois, two players from Texas and one each from Arizona and Iowa.

NIU’s incoming class includes six freshmen: midfielder Michael Banas (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine South), forward Noah Brodie (Scottsdale, Ariz./Carbondale Community), midfielder Garrett Culligan (Ankeny, Iowa/Centennial), forward Chase Hermanson (Schaumburg, Ill./Conant), midfielder Noe Ochoa (Pasadena, Texas/Pasadena Memorial) and defender Nixon Urrutia (Houston, Texas/Dobie) along with junior college transfer Zach Downing (Danville, Ill./Danville/Parkland College), who enrolled at NIU for the winter semester.

"I am very excited to announce this group of 2015 commitments to our program at NIU,” said Luzzi. “On the whole, we know that we needed to address a few different areas with this class. First, we needed to add depth to some key positions. Second, we needed to add some elements of size and athleticism with this class. Third, we always need to make sure that anyone we bring in to our program is a quality person who is committed to working hard every day and who is committed to helping our team win games and ultimately compete for trophies.

“I believe that we have addressed all of these areas in this class. I need to recognize our associate head coach Garrett Biller for his great work as our recruiting coordinator. It's not easy to find players that I like or that I think will be a great fit for our program but Garrett does a wonderful job to find the kind of student-athletes that will help our team be competitive at the highest levels of Division I soccer."

Two of NIU’s signees, Ochoa and Urrutia, have played together for the Houston Dynamo Academy in the US Soccer Development Academy system. Ochoa, ranked No. 130 in the College Soccer News Class of 2015 rankings, has appeared in 14 matches this season for the Dynamo Under-18 team, helping lead the team to first place in the Development Academy’s Frontier Division. Last season, Ochoa was named to the Under-16 All-Frontier Division Team.

"Noe is pure class on the field,” said Luzzi. “He is extremely technical on the ball and at times the game looks easy for him. He makes very few mistakes and he plays with an amazing composure for a player of his age. His Houston Dynamo academy team is arguably the best team in the entire academy right now, and Noe is a crucial player for them.

“The other thing that I like about Noe is his versatility -- I think his best role is somewhere in the center of midfield, but he currently plays center back for the Dynamo and I really think he could play anywhere in the back six. Make no mistake however, for all of Noe's qualities as a player; he is also a competitor that knows how to win."

A center back, Urrutia has played five matches for the Houston Dynamo Under-18 Academy team this season and is currently playing for his high school, Dobie, in Houston. Urrutia has helped lead the Longhorns to a 10-1-1 record, scoring two goals with three seasons. In 2013 at Dobie, Urrutia earned first team all-district honors.

"Nixon has all the tools to be a big-time center back at the Division I level,” said Luzzi. “At 6-foot-2, he brings a very good aerial presence and has great pace and quickness as well. He reads the game very well and understands how to lead a backline. He is also very good with the ball at his feet, and can play out of the back or open the game up with a bigger pass. Finally, Nixon is very hard physically.

“Although he is currently playing with his high school team, he was the starting center back for the Houston Dynamo academy team last year. I saw him dominating some of the best players in the academy and I expect him to eventually do the same for us at NIU."

A native of Park Ridge, Ill., Banas was a three-year letterwinner at Maine South High School. A two-time all-sectional honoree, Banas scored 11 goals and recorded 23 assists during his three seasons at Maine South, finishing third in school history in assists. Banas has played club soccer with Chicago Magic PSG.

"Although I knew Michael a bit from a few camps over the last couple years, he really got himself on our radar screen at the Illinois High School All-Star Showcase,” said Luzzi. “For me, he was the best player of the whole day and the only one who truly dominated among all the all-area and all-state players that were there.

“Michael brings some wonderful physical tools with him to NIU, his is 6-foot-4, has pace and a comfort level on the ball that you would never expect from someone of his size. He also brings an element of versatility to his game. Although Michael will come in as a number six (a defensive midfielder), I can honestly see him eventually playing as a center back, or even a winger at some point."

Originally from Scottsdale, Ariz., Brodie currently attends Carbondale Community High School in Carbondale, Ill., and is a member of the St. Louis Scott Gallagher Metro Academy in the US Soccer Development Academy program. Brodie has played in 14 academy matches this season, making eight starts.

"Noah is a young man who only recently moved to the Midwest and has been playing for the St. Louis Scott Gallagher Metro Academy for the last year,” said Luzzi. “I'm glad that we will be keeping him here for the next four years. Although he has played all throughout the front four for his club team, for us I see Noah as a number nine (center forward).

“Noah brings some physical tools to this role, he can play with his back to goal and he has the pace and power to get in behind as well. I can see him being a real handful for opposing backs to have to deal with. I see Noah as a bit of a late bloomer with very bright days ahead for him as a player in our program."

A native of Ankeny, Iowa, Culligan has played two seasons at Centennial High School and will conclude his high school career this spring. Culligan started 19 matches last season, scoring eight goals with nine assists. He helped lead the Jaguars to a 15-4 record and earned First Team All-Central Iowa Conference honors.

"Personally, I think Garrett is the best player coming out of the State of Iowa for 2015,” said Luzzi. “He has worked very hard over the last year to improve his game in a few areas to get to the level that I think he will be a very good Division I player.

“Garrett is very clean on the ball and makes very good decisions in the center of the park. Garrett also brings some very good leadership qualities, which are becoming increasingly rare to find. Most importantly for me, however, is that Garrett is a winner. I have seen him spur his team on to greater performances and this winning quality will fit in well to our team."

Hermanson, a native of Schaumburg, Ill., was a three-year varsity letter winner at Conant High School. Hermanson scored 24 goals and recorded 12 assists in three seasons with the Cougars. He plays club soccer with Elk Grove Rovers.

"Chase is very much an 'under the radar’ type of player,” said Luzzi. “He has not played for an academy team and his high school team never won a state championship. He was brought to our attention a year ago as a player to keep an eye on and I am certainly glad that we kept tabs on him, as I think he will have a great career at NIU.

“It will take him a little while to get used to the speed of play at the Division I level, but Chase brings a pace and a knack for finishing in-and-around the box that will prove valuable to our team in his time at NIU. He will also bring with him a huge desire to be at NIU and a willingness to do whatever will be required to help our team win games."

Downing joined the Huskies this semester and will have junior eligibility in the fall. A native of Danville, Ill., Downing has played the last two seasons at Parkland College in Champaign, Ill., helping the Cobras to a 14-3-3 record and a Mid-West Athletic Conference title in 2013 and a 12-4 mark in 2014. Downing was a three-year letter winner at Danville High School.

"Zach is a student-athlete that comes to us from Parkland College, a JUCO in central Illinois,” said Luzzi. “Zach was able to come in for this spring semester, which is always a big benefit for players as they can train with us for a semester without using a season of eligibility. Zach has been a very positive addition to our team so far.

“Once we are able to work with Zach to help him learn how we want our center backs to play, he will help give us a well-rounded center back corps. He's proven to be a really hard worker with a real desire to make himself and our team better each day. He's a competitor, and has helped us maintain a very high standard of intensity in our training sessions so far this spring."

Along with these seven additions, Luzzi intends to add additional players prior to the 2015 fall season.

"I feel really good about our 2015 recruiting class so far,” said Luzzi. “When we're all done, there will be a few more additions later this spring; I feel that these seven guys will complement our current group very well. This is a very important class for us; we know that we need to be better next year than we were in 2014.

“I know this group of student-athletes will improve our team in a few areas that we did struggle in last year. I have been very pleased with the work that our current guys have been putting in this spring. I really can't wait until August when we will add these new guys and we really get to work to get our program where we expect to be -- which is competing for championships every year."