MORAGA, Calif. – (Courtesy SMCGaels.com)  – The Saint Mary’s men’s soccer program will welcome a large and talented class of incoming freshmen to campus when the team begins preseason training for its fall season.

SMC head coach Adam Cooper revealed the addition of 14 new student-athletes that will join the team when it reports to campus on August 9 for fall training. The class is comprised of a goalkeeper, three forwards, six midfielders and four defenders that hail from four countries and five different states.

The incoming class includes: Anders Engebretsen (Oslo, Norway), Derik Engebretsen (Encinitas, Calif.), Jack Gorrien (Ladera Ranch, Calif.), Sean Holland (Chandler, Ariz.), Maximilian Koeps (Lamspringe, Germany), Erik Lyons (San Diego, Calif.), Marco Monti (Walnut Creek, Calif.), Alex Pidoux (Sierra Madre, Calif.), Ivory Randle (Sammamish, Wash.), Joseph Restani (Elk Grove, Calif.), Jake Rudel (Fort Collins, Colo.), Marcus Simmons (San Francisco, Calif.), Jakub Svehlik (Ostrava, Czech Republic) and Matthew White (Plano, Texas).

“This is a class I am very excited about,” said Cooper. “It has good balance from back to front and has several very talented players. It has a solid mix of diverse experience, training and athleticism. There are several development academy players, some from strong non-academy clubs and a few foreign players who bring a different type of experience.”

Of the group, seven are currently playing for US Soccer Development Academy programs: FC Golden State, Pateadores SC, Sacramento Republic FC, San Diego Surf SC, San Jose Earthquakes, Seattle Sounders FC and Solar Chelsea SC.

This fall, Saint Mary’s will welcome 16 returning players and 13 letterwinners to campus from last year’s team that went 5-2-0 and finished just point away from first place in the West Coast Conference. The Gaels finished the season strong by winning four of their last five matches.

Returning seniors Rafael Sanchez and Alex Braman earned first team all-WCC honors, while Stephen Dougherty extended the program’s streak of 11 straight seasons with a member of the league’s all-freshman team.

Saint Mary’s opens its exciting 2016 schedule in late August with road games at local Pac-12 Conference rivals Cal and Stanford before returning to Saint Mary’s Stadium to host the University of Washington in its home opener on Sept. 1. For a complete schedule, click here.

Single match, season, group and team ticket packages are scheduled to go on sale July 11. For more information, click here or call the SMC Athletic Ticket Office at (925) 631-GoTx (4689).

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