All Americans Highlight 2015 Incoming Class
3/12/2015 4:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Wright State men's soccer coach Bryan Davis adds two two-time NJCAA All-Americans, a Nevada Gatorade Player of the Year, an NSCAA High School All-American, two Ohio First Team All-State Members and an international player with a successful pedigree among 10 total recruits. Joining the Raiders for the 2015 season are Kaique Fernandes, Jackson Dietrich, Tristan Lyle, Mathias Hegeland, Eric Hutton, David Jeffries, Austin Manthey, Austin Kinley, Will Lukowski and John Achor.
"The creation of this class has literally spanned several years," Davis said. "We have always had an eye on the 2015 incoming class being a special one and I believe we have delivered a class that compares favorably to any class in the country. When you sit back after putting it together and you see: a pair of two-time NJCAA junior college All Americans, a high school All American, a Gatorade state player of the year, two first-team Ohio all state selections, a top 20 rated 19-year-old player in Sweden, three-region champions, and a coveted local player who is a top drawer soccer 4-Star recruit out of the Crew Academy. It's hard not to be very excited for the fall. Of course, accolades come with success and we have always had the mentality to bring in winners. That being said, what I am really excited for is the vast diversity of talent and the quality of people we are adding to this already strong team. I'm really excited to see what this class will mean to our goals of winning a Horizon League championship as well as what they will mean to Wright State as a university, a brand and as a community."
"This team is a family. This Raider family added some pretty awesome pieces! I want to credit assistant coach Jake Slemker, our recruiting coordinator, for all of his hard work helping put this together. He and I working together on this together has been really special project for me, and he deserves a lot of credit."
Kaique Fernandes (West Babylon, NY/Iowa Western CC), a 6-4 central defender, comes to WSU after playing the last two years at Iowa Western Community College, leading the Reivers to a two-year record of 48-0-2 and a national championship in 2013 when they went 25-0.
A two-time NJCAA All-American, Fernandes collected seven goals and one assist as a freshman with four goals and one assist during his sophomore campaign. He led IWCC to 36 shutouts over two years, including 17 straight in 2013.
"Kaique started with us this January and is acclimating very well,” Davis said. “He comes from a great soccer pedigree and family. His father was one heck of a player and his brother plays as a professionally for the Philadelphia Union in the MLS. His playing background is with Met Oval in the US Development Academy as a youth player and then in junior college at Iowa Western where he won a national championship and lost in the national final as a sophomore captain. The bottom line is Kaique has the playing background to be a special player at our level and a potential to play well beyond Wright State. Along with that, as his credentials show, he is a flat out winner. His impact to this program has already been shown on and off the field this spring and we are very happy to have him as a Raider.”
Jackson Dietrich (Las Vegas, NV/Foothill), a 6-0 midfielder, was named the Nevada Gatorade Player of the Year and first-team All-State at Foothill High School. A club teammate of new Raider signee Austin Manthey, Dietrich played for the Las Vegas Sports Academy where he helped lead them to four state championships and a 2014 Region IV title.
"We couldn't be more excited to add Jackson to our group," Davis said. "He brings a level of savvy and technical ability that I believe will fit in and thrive in the way we play, and the principles we believe in as a program. He reads the game extremely well and has an ability in the attack to play a great final ball but also the willingness to run at players with the ball. That can be a lethal combination. I am really excited to see him mix in with our already very dynamic attacking players."
Tristan Lyle (Beavercreek, OH/Beavercreek), a 5-8 forward, was selected as a 2014 NSCAA High School All-American as he tallied 66 goals and 31 assists over four years with the Beavers. He was named to the Ohio High School Division I first team and the Greater Western Ohio Conference Offensive Leader last fall when scored 26 goals and collected 14 assists as a senior.
The 2014 Miami Valley Scholastic Soccer coaches Player of the Year and first team three times, he was also named the November Penn Station Athlete of the Month, three-time first team GWOC, two-time team MVP and two-time team captain. He played club ball for Ohio Galaxies FC.
"If you follow soccer at all in the Dayton Area and Ohio for that matter you know the name Tristan Lyle,” Davis said. “Tristan continues the yearly trend of the best players in Ohio and in Dayton committing to play at Wright State. He is one of four Ohio commitments we have and all of them I believe are the best players at their respective positions in the state of Ohio. His body of work as a youth player, in club with the strong local Galaxies club under Coach Dan Griest, and as a major force in leading Beavercreek HS on a deep run in the State Tournament in 2014 really speaks for itself in terms of what he will bring on the field. It is off the field, I am really excited about as it will be really fun to see his addition as an individual to our program and university as he is really an awesome person to be around.”
Mathias Hegeland (Uddevalla, Sweden), a 6-3 defender, was selected as one of the 14 best under 19-year-old players in division I Sweden. In 2012 and 2013, he played for the amateur team IFK Uddevalla, winning the division II title in his second season. In 2014, he moved up to division I IFK Uddevalla.
"Mathias, for us, is just an incredible addition,” Davis said. “He has played at an extremely high level as an amateur and brings the personality, athleticism and grit to do very well at the college level, and then beyond. He brings an international flare and maturity in a way in which the group we have will greatly benefit. Mathias himself will find his growth as a player and individual to be maximized. We are really excited to get him here in the fall!"
Eric Hutton (Chillicothe, OH/Zane Trace), a 5-11 center midfielder, comes to WSU after being named first-team All-State as a junior and senior, when he was named the District Player of the Year. Leading his team in scoring and assists each of the past four years, he was team captain for three years and a member of the ODP Pool in 2010 and 2011. 2014 also saw him named the Chillicothe Gazette Player of the Year as well as to the Great Lakes Region team. He also played for the Ohio Galaxies FC and his sister, Rachel, plays soccer at Youngstown State.
"Eric is a great addition for us,” Davis said. “He is about as complete of a college player as you can find in any given year. He is extremely versatile and technical and can play a number of positions, something we value greatly. His play in the air is an attribute that sets him above all of his peers as he has some of the best timing I've seen by an American youth player. What excites me about him most is his workman-like approach to his craft. Bottom line, he gets the job done at any role he is given. There is no question to me and my staff that he is the preeminent ball winning central midfielder in the state of Ohio in his class. Coming from Chillicothe, he hasn't been seen as much so I'm extremely excited to get his talents on display with us.”
David Jeffries (Cincinnati, OH/Waynesville), a 5-8 attacking midfielder, holds most scoring records during his three-year career, including game with nine, season with 45 and career with 105. Playing club with CUP, he helped lead them to national league titles in 2012 and 2014 and the national semi-finals in 2014. Jeffries was named one of the top XI players at 2013 nationals.
"David comes to us from the very strong CUP club out of Cincinnati,” Davis said. “I feel this is really a huge addition to us as he brings a very strong technical skillset to this program. For me in every team he is on, David is a major piece of the puzzle. He combines as well as anyone we have seen and he has a work rate that sets him apart from his peers. I believe he is the top player at his position to come out of Cincinnati and Ohio as a whole this year. Add in his proven track record as a winner and I become even that much more excited to see his impact with us in the coming years.”
Austin Manthey (Las Vegas, NV/Palo Verde), a 5-11 midfielder, played for the Las Vegas Sports Academy club team with fellow WSU signee Jackson Dietrich. Manthey helped lead his club team to six state championships and a 2014 Region IV title after posting finalist and semi-finalist finishes in three recent years.
At Palo Verde, he led his team to the state championship in 2014 and runner-up spot in 2013. He was also named the team MVP and to All-Northwest League, All-Sunset League as well as All-City.
"Austin is a great addition for the Raider family," Davis said. "He brings a very workmanlike approach to the game. He also has a versatility that we greatly value. As a person, WSU gains a really awesome kid. I think he will be a perfect fit to our already special team chemistry. His best days in soccer are ahead of him and I am really excited to see his growth here at Wright State, both on and off the field.
Austin Kinley (Xenia, OH/Xenia), a 6-2 center defender, also played for the Crew Academy Club Team and was listed as the 16th Player to Watch by TopDrawer Soccer.
"We are really excited to bring Austin on board this coming fall,” Davis said. “His is a pretty soft-spoken kid but his play does all the talking necessary on the field. Playing for the Crew Academy the past three years has really developed him into one of the best central defenders coming out in this class. He has the right technical skill set and athleticism to have a lot of success at the college level. I really think we are the perfect fit for him as he will be able to come in and grow immediately in our system. The competition at his position is quite fierce and, for me, that will bring the best out of his play. I'm really excited to see his results from the coming years here as a Raider."
Will Lukowski (Kansas City, MO/Iowa Western CC/Indiana University), a 6-2 goalie, comes to WSU after redshirting a season at Indiana University. He graduated after playing two seasons at Iowa Western Community College where he was named second-team NSCAA and NJAA All-American as a freshman when he led the nation in goals against at 0.44. As a sophomore, he was named to both first-team All-American teams with a goals against average at 0.31, 22 wins and 16 shutouts and 42-0-1 overall. Both years, he was named first-team Academic All-Region
“Will comes to us with an extremely impressive record as a starting goalkeeper at the junior college level,” Davis said. “It's not every day you can add a player in net who has compiled a 42-0-1 record in college soccer and was a First Team All-American. Coming to us in the spring has allowed him to acclimate, and I am excited to see where his growth goes in the coming few years.”
John Achor (Valparaiso, IN/Chesterton), a 6-0 goalie, was a two-year captain of the Indiana State ODP team. Achor played in the 2014 U16 Academy finals while playing for the Chicago Magic PSG Academy.
"John comes to us from Northern Indiana as a player out of the Chicago Magic Development Academy program,” Davis said. “His playing pedigree there is very high. What I like about John is his upside. His growth over the last few years has been on a great trajectory which makes me really excited for when he finally gets to us on campus and beyond. From day one, he made it very clear Wright State was where he wanted to play and grow. This made our recruitment of him a no brainer as he embodies all of the attributes as a player and person that we value here at Wright State."
The Raiders advanced to the finals of the Horizon League Tournament and finished the 2014 season with a record of 12-7-2 as sophomore Eric Lynch was named the League Player of the Year.
