UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. - Saginaw Valley State University Men's Soccer Head Coach Cale Wassermann has announced the program's recruiting class for the upcoming 2014 fall season. Eleven newcomers will be joining the 15 Cardinal returners for the upcoming season. Wassermann had some words about his incoming student-athletes who will join a program that has been on the rise for several years.
"We are very excited about the additions to the Cardinal Family for the 2014 season and beyond," said Wassermann, who will be in his fifth season at the helm of the program. "This year we had a huge senior class graduate so we knew we were going to have to add guys at multiple positions to put together a quality roster. With only 15 guys on our spring roster for our exhibition games, our core returning group showed that we can compete with top NCAA Division I, NAIA, and even NPSL teams. This only makes the addition of the 2014 class even more exciting knowing what they can add. We have a mix of guys from the state of Michigan who continue to be our main priority, but also players from around the Midwest, Canada and even Europe. Our incoming guys can not only add depth and contribute right away, but they will also add a high level of character to our program. This is class is full of the kind of kids that you want in your program; not just soccer players, but good students and great people. The future is bright for SVSU Soccer!"
The following student-athletes listed below will joining the SVSU men's soccer program this fall:
Hafid Darbaki
Prior to SVSU: Prepped at Prairie Seeds Academy under Head Coach Youssef Darbaki…voted Most Defensive Player and was a member of four Section Championship teams, the 2010 State Championship Team and 2011 State Runner-up team…majoring in Sports Management/Computer Sciences…son of Patricia and Youssef Darbaki…born 11/30/95.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAwsqdPk9M8
"Hafid is a student of the game, a kid that watches every televised game he can and just loves the sport. For many years, Hafid has been coached by his father, former Moroccan National Team member, Youssef Darbaki, so he has gained a great understanding of the game along with a high level of technical ability and a real sense of maturity on the field. Hafid is a very technical player that can play anywhere across the back line or even in the midfield and we are excited about how we will help us in the fall."
Mounir Darbaki
Prior to SVSU: Prepped at Prairie Seeds Academy under Head Coach Youssef Darbaki…was a member of four Section Championship teams, the 2010 State Championship Team and 2011 State Runner-up team…majoring in Computer Sciences…son of Patricia and Youssef Darbaki…born 11/30/95.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7q8M0o_BBcM
"Like his twin brother, Mounir also is a student of the game who has a high level of technique and maturity, but each one of the twin brothers will bring different things to the table, and Mounir is a special attacking player that will add something different with his creativity, technical ability, and goal scoring ability. He is a versatile attacker that can play in a few spots and interchange and will fit perfectly into our system."
Troy Watson
Prior to SVSU: Transfer from Owens Community College…prepped at Sir Wilfrid Laurier High School under Head Coach Tony Vallejo…named All-Defensive Player of the Year in the OCCAC as well as an All-Region XII selection at Owens…majoring in Political Science...son of Jennifer Oldham and Kirk Watson…born 1/5/93.
"I have known Troy for a few years and have seen him go from a senior in high school to a captain of a very good Junior College Program (Owens CC - Toledo, OH), where he matured and became a difference maker right away on the field. He is an athletic midfielder that can help us possess and attack while also bringing some grit and defensive presence at the same time. His characteristics on the field remind me a lot of current SVSU Senior Captain, Zach Vasold, and anytime you can bring in a kid like that as a coach, it is exciting."
Josh Kleinow
Prior to SVSU: Transfer from Owens Community College…Prepped at Haslett High School under Head Coach Alex Hayner…member of the NJCAA All-Region XII Team and OCCAC team…majoring in Business...son of Todd and Bonnie Kleinow…born 5/23/94.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vpa3uOajJk
"Another transfer from Owens CC, Josh has showed over the last two years that he has matured and gained valuable experience being a two year college starter. Josh is quick and athletic and will make the choice for starting goalkeeper a tough one for our coaching staff. It is great to have Josh coming back to his home state of Michigan to finish off his college career."
Maarten Van Der Want
Prior to SVSU: Prepped at Segbroek College under Head Coach Ekrem Kayha…majoring in Business Management…son of Cynthia van der Want and Leon van der Want…born 1/15/95.
"Maarten brings something special to our roster with his experience playing in the youth academy for the Dutch Eridivisie team, ADO Den Haag. I have never met a kid from abroad that is so excited for his journey to the United States. This drive and attitude, along with his athleticism and technical ability, will bring him success and boost our team to the next level."
Raphael Stulz
Prior to SVSU: Prepped at Kantonsschule Sargans…member of team Liechtenstein, Cup winning team…graduated from University of Lichtenstein…majoring in Business Administration…son of Claire and Frank Stulz…born 3/8/93.
"After losing our Captain and four year starter, Taylor Clarke, to graduation, our defensive unit proved this spring that we have a solid core group that is ready to make an easy and successful transition into the fall. However, adding some depth and experience to compete in the back line was a priority to us and Raphael brings that right away. Raphael adds some size and speed back there, but with our desire to possess out of the back, his technical ability and decision making are attributes that we are excited about. Raphael has a great attitude, and like Maarten, he is extremely excited about his journey to come to the United States to pursue his dream of being an NCAA Student-Athlete."
Griffin Parks
Prior to SVSU: Prepped at Canton High School under Head Coach Mark Zemanski…was named First Team All-State and member of the MHSAA Dream Team…majoring in Business…son of Liz and Jim Parks…born 12/20/95.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7bK6W4673k
"Over the past few years we have had some great success stories with players from the Plymouth/Canton area, and Griffin will be another great addition from one of Michigan's biggest soccer hubs. He is a hard working player that is always dangerous around the goal and has proven that he can score in big moments. Griffin has been a leader with his high school team and has the experience of knowing what it takes to win a National Championship which he accomplished with his Michigan Jaguars club. Griffin is another great addition to our program."
Matt Lang
Prior to SVSU: Prepped at Fraser High School under Head Coach Thaier Mukhtar…was named to the Dream Team as well as All-Conference, All-Region and All-State…majoring in Business Marketing…son of Michelle and David Lang…born 10/23/96.
"In the last few seasons, Matt has been one of the most dangerous goal scorers in the state. His pace and strength, mixed with his finishing ability, make him a very dangerous player. The thing we love the most about Matt is his upside. He was already named a Dream Team player in the state of Michigan but his potential to continue to improve is something that makes him a huge addition for us."
Michael Winters
Prior to SVSU: Prepped at Lincoln High School under Head Coach Bob Stowe…was named All-SEC Top Player and All-State Honorable Mention twice…member of the U15 National Champion Runner-Up and U16 State Cup, Regional and National Championship teams…member of the honor roll and National Honor Society…majoring in Engineering…son of Todd and Cathy Winters…born 3/16/96.
"Another player from the Michigan Jaguars club who has the experience of winning a National Championship, Mike brings calmness to the game while playing in the midfield and that sometimes can be understated. His ability to connect and play under pressure is something that will help him succeed and the experienced midfielders we have around him on our team will create a great environment for him to grow and develop in that role as an attacking midfielder."
Dillon Herried
Prior to SVSU: Prepped at Rockford High School under Head Coach Steve Thomas…was named All-Conference, All-District, All-Region and Second Team All-State as a junior…majoring in Nursing…son of Kim and Dean Herried…born 9/9/95.
"Dillon is a versatile and athletic player. He is ultra-competitive and he could compete at a few different positions for us in the fall. He has shown over the past few years how tough he is and really balances it well with technical ability and speed of play. Dillon was a part of the Grand Rapids Alliance team that beat the USA U-17 National Team this winter in Florida at The IMG Cup."
Isaiah Orbe
Prior to SVSU: Prepped at Kalamazoo Central High School under Head Coach David Groves…was named All-Conference, All-District, All-Region as well as All-State Honorable Mention…named to the Dean's List…majoring in Exercise Science…son of Natalie and Mark Orbe…born 12/14/95.
"Another versatile player, Isaiah is a starting defender on his club team, but playing forward for his high school, he led the state of Michigan with 35 goals in MHSAA Division One which is very impressive. He is the kind of kid that can be in the middle of a tough game and be competing as hard as anyone, but he will be cracking a joke at the same time and keeping everybody calm. That ability to balance competition and cool nerves is rare and very important while playing in big games."