Photo by: Juan Ocampo
CSUN Men's Soccer Adds Solid Recruiting Class
2/11/2016 2:42:00 PM | Men's Soccer
Matadors Sign Eight to Play for 2016 Season
NORTHRIDGE, CA ---Â
The CSUN men's soccer program has signed a class of nine to National Letters of Intent (NLI) or Athletic Grant-In-Aid agreements to participate for the Matadors in the upcoming 2016 season, CSUN head coach Terry Davila announced. Vadim Sanzharevskyi, Emmanuel Usen Jr., Jules Pasco, Samuel Dadzie, Jackson Mayer, Brendan Hildreth, Bar Shem Tov, Ehi Isbior and Edwin Quiroz will join the Matadors with the aspirations of helping lead CSUN to the top of the Big West Conference.
Vadim Sanzharevskyi is a 6-4 goalkeeper from Kiev, Ukraine. A member of the Dynamo Kiev U-17 and coached by Vitaly Khmelnitskiy, Sazharevskyi has been in an integral and important member of a squad that was named the U-16 Ukrainian champions. He also was named the top goalkeeper at international tournaments in France and his native Ukraine as well as helping lead the Ukrainians to a first-place finish at an international tournament in St. Petersburg, Russia.
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"I chose CSUN because it is a great university and I am excited to learn from the coaching staff," Sanzharevskyi said in e-mail. "I believe that the coaches and players at CSUN will help me develop and teach me new things about soccer and the goalkeeper position. I am eager to help this team achieve its biggest goals."
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Davila is excited to get the lengthy goalkeeper with extensive international experience into camp.
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"Vadim has great size and a tremendous wingspan. He creates that moment of doubt for attackers and sometimes as a goalkeeper, that's all you need to get the stop. I fully expect him to come and compete with our returning goalkeeper for playing time."Â
Emmanuel Usen Jr. is one of several talented forwards in the group. Â He spent the past two seasons at IUPUI, where he appeared in 29 matches and posted eight goals and 21 points. As a freshman in 2014, he earned Second Team All-Summit League honors and led the Jaguars with 16 points and four assists.
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Before his time at IUPUI, Usen Jr. was a member of the Houston Dynamo U-18 academy with head coach James Clarkson. A prolific goal scorer, Usen Jr. finished with more than 20 goals in one season with the Dynamo and has amassed over 40 goals in three seasons at the academy level.
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"I chose CSUN because being a Matador will help me continue my pursuit of becoming a professional soccer player," Usen Jr. said in e-mail. "The facilities, coaches and culture at CSUN are top class and I am looking forward to pushing myself physically and mentally as a student-athlete. The Big West Conference is a competitive league with some of the best players and programs in the country, so that and the attractive style of soccer Coach Davila plays made it an easy choice to become a Matador."
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A former teammate of Stuart Close from their time with the Dynamo, Davila expects Usen to blend in seamlessly with the current crop of attacking players.
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"Emmanuel is a very talented player who will thrive in our system. He is strong in the attack and crisp at finishing. We are excited to see him develop with our returners and newcomers to help shape a more potent office in 2016," Davila said.
Jules Pasco is a 6-0 right back who played his high school soccer at Nordhoff High School for head coach Peter Dougan and his club soccer for Santa Barbara Soccer Club and head coach Raul Ybarra. He earned First Team all-league honors as both a sophomore and junior at Nordhoff, helping lead the school to a CIF Southern Section Championship in 2013, and has had an extraordinary club career. With SBSC and other clubs, Pasco was a part of five state national cup championships, five regional championships and two national championships.
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"Jules is a rugged, aggressive outside back who fits our scheme well. He is adaptive and transitions well with great pace to get back into the play. His club and high school experiences have placed him in a number of high-level contests and that should help in his move to Division I soccer," Davila said.
Samuel Dadzie is a 6-3 center back from Sacramento who prepped at Monterey Trail HS for head coach Jonathan Strack and is playing his club soccer this season for the Sacramento Republic FC U-18 squad. Previously, he played his club ball for Iain Fraser and the San Juan Academy. Dadzie earned Region IV Olympic Development Program (ODP) Championships all-tournament team honors twice in four seasons and was a member of the Cal North ODP State Team for three years. He was his club's top goal scorer on the U-16 team and also on his high school team.
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"I chose CSUN because the school has a great soccer program that can help me excel as a student-athlete," Dadzie said in e-mail. "The school is the right place for me academically and the coaching staff really sold me on the school while recruiting me at the club level."
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Davila, a defensive player during his playing career at CSUN, has been impressed by Dadzie's tenacity on defense.
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"Imposing is a word I would use to describe Samuel. He is big and strong and great finisher in the air and on the ground. He is fearless and carries his defensive pride with confidence. As a defensive-minded player, that is something I can appreciate," Davila said.
Jackson Mayer is a 6-2 forward from Sydney, Australia. He played his high school soccer for Luke Wilson at the Sydney Grammar School and his club soccer for Hakoah Sydney City East FC. In his time with his club, Mayer earned the Golden Boot award three times and was named the squad's MVP twice. He also helped lead the club to championships at the U-14, U-15 and U-18 levels while totaling 96 goals in 92 games.
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"I chose CSUN because it is a great opportunity for me both athletically and academically based on the high quality of the coaching and school," Mayer said in e-mail.
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After hosting Jackson and his family on an official visit to the San Fernando Valley, Davila was sold on the prospect from New South Wales.
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"Jackson is someone who stood out on film. He has a nose for the goal and his production speaks to his activity level and ability to find space in the defense. Jackson is another attacking player who I am excited to add to our crop of returners and newcomers," Davila said.
Brendan Hildreth is a 5-10 midfielder from nearby Altadena, CA and Pasadena HS, where he played his soccer for Cherif Zein. In club soccer, Hildreth suited up for Real SoCal and Leonid Sharf. Hildreth has been a member of Real SoCal since his days on the U-11 squad and has helped lead the club to numerous championships. Individually, he was a First Team All-Area selection for his work at Pasadena HS and has been a member of multiple ODP teams.
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"I chose CSUN because I was impressed by the opportunities and support CSUN offers to its student-athletes," Hildreth said in e-mail. "I have a lot of respect for the CSUN coaching staff, the style of the Matadors' play and the soccer program."
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Davila is excited to have the familiar face around.
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"My staff and I are very familiar with Brendan. We have been fortunate to watch him grow and develop as a player and we are excited to continue to be a part of his soccer career," Davila said about the Real SoCal midfielder.
Bar Shem Tov is a 6-0 forward from Haifa, Israel. In high school, he played for Leo Baeck and head coach Arie Book while he played his club ball for Maccabi Zur Shalom F.C. and head coach Kobi Danino. With the Maccabi Haifa FC, he enjoyed a stretch where he helped lead the team to the Israeli National Cup and amassed seasons of 17 and 27 goals. He also helped lead Leo Baeck to an Israeli National High School Soccer League Championship.
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"I chose CSUN because of the high levels of academics and soccer at the university," Shem Tov said in e-mail. "I think I will be a perfect match for the team with my style and skills and the relationship I have with Coach Davila and the rest of his staff factored heavily into my decision. I am really happy to join this amazing family and cannot wait to contribute and do my best for my school and teammates."
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Bar Shem Tov will be the sixth Israeli student-athlete to join the Matadors over the last several years and the success that his countrymen have had at CSUN was not lost on Davila.
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"The CSUN men's soccer program has had a lot of good fortune when it comes to Israeli student-athletes and we think that will continue with Bar," Davila said. "He is a tall, aggressive forward who likes the physical nature of the sport. He is yet another intriguing piece to throw in to the mix of our attacking players."Â
Ehi Isibor is another transfer in the group, arriving at CSUN after two seasons at Cal State Dominguez Hills. With the Toros in 2015, Isibor earned Honorable Mention All-CCCA honors and started all 22 matches. In fact, Isibor started all 41 matches in two years at CSUDH and tallied more than over 3,400 minutes on the pitch.
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Prior to his time with CSUDH, he earned all-league and all-CIF honors at Corona High School. He helped the school win both league and CIF titles.
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"Ehi is a very talented player and one who brings in a lot of experience," Davila added. "He's played at a competitive program in Division II and will now look to test his mettle against the opposition in Division I. Based on his work rate and determination, I think he will be successful."
Edwin Quiroz is a midifielder from Lancaster, CA who attended Eastside High School. He played his club soccer for Crescenta Valley SC and has already participated in several age-group US National Team Camps. He also played club soccer for LA Premier FC for coaches Ty Leatherman and Savio Silveira.Â
"Edwin is another talented attacking player we are happy to add to the fold for the upcoming season," Davila said. "He shows poise on the ball and in his distribution and his time with the US National Team at various stages of his development should make him a more mature player in our program from day one."
"I believed CSUN was perfect for me because it was really close to home and my family would be able to attend each home game," Quiroz told TopDrawerSoccer. "I really loved [head coach] Terry [Davila] and his staff and the style of play they have, they have been wanting and waiting for a No. 10 and they believed I was their No. 10."
Mayer, Usen Jr. and Isibor are already on campus and enrolled in classes. The rest of the group will arrive over the summer as the team prepares for the upcoming 2016 season.Â
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