USF men’s soccer head coach Eddie Soto has announced the addition of eight stellar student-athletes, six who have signed letters of intent along with two transfers, who will join the Dons for the 2015 season.

The six incoming freshmen have played in some of the highest levels of youth soccer in their countries, including one from the Croatian Youth National Team and players from Seattle Sounders FC, the LA Galaxy, Pateadores, and Strikers FC of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy. A pair of spring transfers also highlights the class.

The recruiting class includes Andre Glasnovic (Zagreb, Croatia/NK Zagreb), Sean Bowman (Bothell, Wash./Seattle Sounders FC), Santiago DiGiuseppe (San Clemente, Calif./LA Galaxy), Evan Williams (Long Beach, Calif./Strikers FC), Hunter Ashworth (Laguna Beach, Calif./ Pateadores), Noah Leong (Coto de Caza, Calif./Pateadores), Jordan Hughes (Sydney, Australia/Sutherland Sharks FC), and Ryan Buckingham (Westlake Village, Calif./UMass).

USF looks to finalize its 2015 class in the coming weeks.

"As we look to continue to move forward as a program it was vital to increase our talent pool. Last year we did a good job to find some much needed help in such a short time frame. I feel this recruiting class is better rounded and will help us create an even more competitive training environment.

“Our philosophy is to emulate game situations in training that doesn’t allow our players to ever get complacent. This year’s recruiting class has a vast amount of experience domestically and internationally. Our depth will improve which will challenge our guys in every position for playing time and to make travel squads.

“I speak on behalf of my entire staff when I say we are very excited to have these young men here at the Hilltop. They have committed themselves to the Dons respecting the past and looking towards the future.”

Glasnovic is a Croatian goalkeeper currently playing for NK Zagreb of the Croatian First Division. He is captain of the U18 team and has made three appearances for NK Zagreb’s first squad.

Glasnovic has been part of the Croatian U16 and U18 National Teams where he has represented his country at various events, competing in international matches against France, Bosnia, Serbia and Israel, to name a few.

While playing for NK Zagreb, he was named the best goalkeeper at the Audi Cup in 2014. He also played every minute in goal during the 2012-13 season, helping his team claim first place at the Croatian Nike Premier Cup and qualify for the 2012 European Championships.

Bowman, a native of Bothell, Wash., has been with the Seattle Sounders FC academy team since 2011. A dangerous goal scorer, Bowman currently ranks third in goals scored among all players in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy.

He participated in Major League Soccer’s Generation Adidas Cup in 2011 and earned IMG Academy Top Performer for January 2014. Bowman was recently named to Academy 2014 Winter Showcase Best XI BU18.

DiGiuseppe, a midfielder from San Clemente, Calif., is seeing significant playing time with the LA Galaxy U18 Academy, appearing in 16 games with 10 starts going into the second half of the season. In his junior season, he helped San Clemente High School to a No. 9 national ranking by MaxPreps.com. He also teamed with current Don Bryce Kaminski to help the Tritons to the 2013 CIF championship.

In January 2014, DiGiuseppe participated in the prestigious Montverde Academy Tournament where his team finished third. He was awarded the Orange County Player of the Year in 2014 and team MVP as a junior.

Williams joins the Dons from Strikers FC of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy. The Laguna Beach native has been with the Strikers for the past seven seasons and helped the team to a fourth place finish in 2014 U.S Development Academy Finals.

His dominant left foot, pace, accurate passing, and crossing ability all contributed to why he is a consistent starter for his academy team. His experiences include participation in NI Milk Cup in Northern Ireland from 2012 to 2014 as well as earning a fourth place finish in the Nike Manchester United Cup in 2012.

An experienced defender from Pateadores Academy, Ashworth has also spent time with the LA Galaxy U15s, New Zealand Youth National Team, and Fulham FC Academy. He recently participated in 2014 Winter Showcase Academy Select Game. He was a regular starter for the Pateadores U18s and helped lead his team to a third place standing just behind Real Salt Lake and LA Galaxy.

Leong (teammates with Hunter Ashworth) is a defender with Pateadores Academy. A technically sound player, Leong spends his summers training in Argentina with world renown River Plate Youth Academy. Before joining the Pateadores full time, he spent freshman and sophomore years at Santa Margarita Catholic High School where he went undefeated with a Trinity League Championship in 2012-13. He is also a four-year member of the California Scholastic Federation with a 4.0 GPA.

Hughes, who enrolled at USF in the spring, is from Sydney, Australia where he played at the highest level of youth soccer with the Sutherland Sharks FC in the NSW Men’s Premier League. In 2013, he scored seven goals with eight assists in 20 games. Hughes, who transferred from the University of Technology in Australia, also spent extensive time with Stoke City of the English Premier League and Burnley FC when he was 15 and 16.

Buckingham transferred to USF from University of Massachusetts-Amherst where he compiled 14 starts and recorded a career-high 17 saves against Harvard on Sept. 26, 2014. The 6-3 goalkeeper tallied 61 saves last year in the competitive Atlantic 10 Conference. Buckingham’s goalkeeper trainer is Ian Feuer, a former LA Galaxy goalkeeper coach.