Men's Soccer Signs 13 for 2018 Season

Wright State University head men's soccer coach Bryan Davis has announced the signing of 13 players who will join the Raiders for the 2018 season: Dominik Tajak, Deri Corfe, Simar Perez, Payton Aranda, Linden Eberle, Michael Samways, Ian Gomez, Nick Mishu, Diego Vallota, Joseph Raasch, Bailey Lach, Cody Miller, Caden Danner.

"This class addresses all of our needs for immediate depth as well as our needs to continue to build on our strong track record of developing talent within the program," Davis said. "The cool thing about it is this class on paper has a chance to be our best. That, however, will be determined by the work they put in before they arrive, and once they get on campus."

"This past fall, three players had to miss the season due to injury. Harvey Slade, Jackson Dietrich and Tristan Lyle deserve mention along with these newcomers. We believe we addressed all of our depth and roster needs, setting ourselves up for even more continued and long-term success."

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Dominik Tajak (Erlangen, Germany/Albert-Schweitzer), a 6-6 striker/defender, transferred after playing one season at Mid-American Christian University where he received numerous honors, including NCCAA First-Team All American, USC All American, NCCAA Central Region and conference Player of the Year as well as conference Offensive Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year as he scored 22 goals.

"Dominik comes to us with a tremendous college soccer resume," Davis said. "He has the ability to score goals and be an absolute threat for us in the attack. It's rare to find a target striker with such a physical presence, so we are excited for him to get to campus."

Deri Corfe (Chester, United Kingdom), a 6-0 midfielder, played for Manchester City Club for six years as well as numerous training camps such as Nike Cup, Premier League Tournament and Canon Lion City Cup in Singapore. He also played two years at University of Rio Grande, advancing to the national finals and being named All Conference.

"Deri is arguably one of the most dangerous players being added to college soccer this year," Davis said. "He has a very proven track record at Rio in the NAIA, and I believe will bring something very unique to our already experienced group. He's on campus now and his work in the weight room, and on the field will be beneficial to an exciting fall for him."

Simar Perez (Oak Creek, WI/Oak Creek), a 5-7 center midfielder, was named All Region three times and All State in 2017 as he scored 13 goals and collected nine assists. He also played for the WYSA State Cup Championship team in 2013 and NPL national championship in 2017.

"Simar comes to us with an outstanding playing pedigree and truthfully the level of ability and intelligence that has led to a ton of success for past Raiders," Davis said. "He has a knack for unlocking the game and also possesses ideas well beyond his years. I'm really excited to get him on campus in August."

Payton Aranda (Lake Geneva, WI/Badger), a 5-6 forward, scored 105 goals and collected 44 assists over his four-year high school career as a four-year starter with three years as a captain. He also played for FC Wisconsin, winning the State Cup in 2015 and the NPL Nationals in 2017. In 2016, his club team won the Disney Showcase.

"Payton has everything it takes to be a great college player," Davis said. "He's technical, he has excellent pace, but most of all he is lethal. He will add a lot to our attack off the bat simply because he is so different from the other special players we return. He is just another ingredient that I think really will raise our level."

Linden Eberle (Cincinnati, OH/Lakota West), a 5-8 forward, lettered for four years and led his team to the district finals as a senior when he scored 26 goals and collected four assists, ending his career with a school record 62 goals. He was named First-Team All Conference and Player of the Year, First-Team All Southwest Ohio and Player of the Year, First-Team All State and Great Lakes Region as well as an All American by United Coaches and selected to the High School All-American Game.

"Linden is a sharp and lethal player in the attack," Davis said. "Along with that, he is incredibly versatile. He's someone who set a Lakota school record in scoring at a historically successful high school. For me, it's his intangibles that lead me to believe he will really emerge with us. He's hard working, has a great mentality in training and overall a flat out winner."

Michael "Dragon" Samways (Cincinnati, OH/Sycamore), a 5-8 midfielder, played four years for his high school team and seven years for Cincinnati United Premier Gold. He had six goals and three assists as a senior at Sycamore.

"Michael is an absolute steal for us," Davis said. "He is a super talented player and, from day one, he may be our team's most intense competitor. I can't wait to get to him into our environment because he will continue to blossom, and in my estimation will really quickly become a integral part of our success."

Ian Gomez (Ghana, West Africa/Shiloh), a 5-10 back, was a four-year starter and two-year team captain in high school as he became the first boys soccer player to sign with a Division I University. As a junior, he was named an All-Region player. Gomez also played for the Kalonji Soccer Academy and moved to the DDY Elite for his final season.

"Ian is quite the addition for us," Davis said. "He possesses a ton of talent and ability beyond his years but also is about as versatile of a player as it gets. I think he has a similar upside as AJ Paterson did when he came in. That's the cool thing about Ian. His ability level puts him in complete control of whether or not he will have a great college career and playing career beyond college. If he puts the work in and commits to the daily grind, the sky is the limit for him."

Nick Mishu (Cincinnati, OH/ Summit Country Day), a 5-6 midfielder, helped his high school team to four State Tournament appearances and three State Championships in a row. He was team captain and received several honors, including First-Team All-Miami Valley Conference, First-Team All-Southwest Ohio, Cincinnati Fall All-Stars Team, and All-Academic Ohio Honors. He also played for the Cincinnati United Premier Club, winning the National League and competing for national championships.

"Nick is a quintessential sleeper," Davis said. "A lot of people, I believe, missed on recruiting Nick. He's great on the ball, intelligent in his play, and has the right mentality to have success at our level. Guys like Nick are extremely important to have because he will bring a great workmanship every day to training and in games. I'm excited to see him blossom here."

Diego Vallota (Cincinnati, OH/Summit Country Day), a 5-9 midfielder, was a high school teammate of fellow signee Nick Mishu as both advanced to four State Tournament appearances with three State Championships where he set a state record for most assists in a game and finished his career with the school record for assists. During his four years, Country Day allowed 71 goals while scoring 462. He was named First-Team Miami Valley Conference and All-Southwest Ohio as well as All State. He also played for King Hammer Academy 99 Red Teams.

"Diego is a great addition for us," Davis said. "He's a first-class kid, he has a high intellect as a footballer, and most of all he "gets it" when it comes to what it takes to have success in college soccer. He also has a high amount of versatility in terms of where he will play which I believe will help him find his niche with us quickly."

Joseph Raasch (Germantown, WI/Kettle Moraine Lutheran), a 5-9 forward, scored 79 goals and posted 28 assists in his high school career. He also played for the North Shore United of Cedarburg. Fishing is one of his favorite things to do in his free time, especially traveling to fish with friends.

"The best word to describe Joseph is tenacious," Davis said. "Truthfully, I think a lot of people missed on this player as all he does is score goals. I am really excited to bring his energy and workload onto our roster and really believe he will be a great one for us."

Bailey Lach (Cincinnati, OH/St. Xavier), a 5-6 defender, was named All City, Most Valuable Player, St. Xavier's best defender and led the team to a sweet sixteen appearance as the captain.

"Bailey is a complete sleeper," Davis said. "He's kind of spent his career searching for an ideal niche on the field. For me, that's what makes him a great fit. We recruit versatile players who can grow within the game and not just in one pigeon holed role within the group. This, I believe, fits Bailey's needs. He's a very good one v one defender. He's tenacious in his tackling, and he is fearless going forward. That's a great mix when bringing in a player to develop within your program. He's a great pickup."

Cody Miller (Traverse City, MI/West), a 6-3 center back, played varsity for four years as he helped the Titans to two district titles and a regional finals appearance while being named All Conference and All District three times. As captain for his senior campaign, he scored seven goals and collected 12 assists. He also played for Alliance Academy in Grand Rapids, MI.

"Cody is a very good and talented player," Davis said. "We've built this program on players who I believe to have tremendous upside. Cody is a prime example of that. He is very good on the ball, and very smart as a footballer, but most of all in our environment, he is set to take off as a player. He's going to have some great days as a Raider."

Caden Danner (Kettering, OH/Fairmont), a 6-2 forward, was a four-year starter for the Firebirds and was named to the Second-Team All Area as a junior. As a senior, he was named First-Team All Area, All GWOC and Second-Team All State. Danner also played for the Ohio Galaxies for three years, finishing with CUP and playing in several Disney Showcases, Jefferson Cups and other elite tournaments.

"Caden was our latest addition," Davis said. "Truthfully, he has separately all the skill sets necessary to be successful in college soccer. Now, he simply needs to put it all together once he gets to us in August. I have a feeling a few years from now a lot of people are going to be asking how we got this kid because of his huge upside. I'm excited to see where his path forward with us goes."

The Raiders, 10-7-1 in 2017, have posted double-figure wins four straight years.

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Players Mentioned

#7 Tristan Lyle: F; 5' 8"; Junior

#16 AJ Paterson: M; 6' 2"; Senior

#8 Jackson Dietrich: M; 6' 0"; Junior

#4 Harvey Slade: M; 6' 4"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#7 Tristan Lyle
: 5' 8"; Junior
: F

#16 AJ Paterson
: 6' 2"; Senior
: M

#8 Jackson Dietrich
: 6' 0"; Junior
: M

#4 Harvey Slade
: 6' 4"; Freshman
: M