University of Akron head men’s soccer coach Caleb Porter officially announced the six members of the Zips’ 2012 signing class Wednesday.
Included in the group are four of the top 11 recruits in the country, according to Top Drawer Soccer, which ranked the six-member class No. 1 in the nation. The group, which features a wealth of youth national team experience, includes two midfielders, two forwards, one defender and a goalkeeper.
Of the six recruits, five are members of their respective youth national teams, including four former members of the U.S. Under-17 team, and one that won a national championship in 2010 as an NSCAA Youth All-American.
Joining the Zips, who lost just two starters from last season’s NCAA Round of 16 appearance, will be striker Alfred Koroma (Southlake, Texas/Southlake Carroll), defender Andrew Souders (Amherst, Ohio/Amherst Steele), goalkeeper Fernando Pina (Houston, Texas), midfielder Dillon Serna (Brighton, Colo./Horizon), winger Omari Morris (Toronto, Ontario/Pickering) and midfielder Matt Foldesy (North Olmsted, Ohio/St. Ignatius).
“My staff and I are extremely excited to welcome six very talented young men into the Akron program,” Porter said. “Each of them bring a wealth of playing experience domestically and internationally and are also first-class individuals off the field.
“Over the past five years, we have been fortunate that many of the top players in the country have chosen Akron and without question, this is one of the finest recruiting classes we have ever assembled. I know their impact will be felt immediately and, with a very strong core group of returning players, we expect to continue competing for national championships in the years to come.”
Despite losing seven starters from their 2010 NCAA National Championship squad to the Major League Soccer SuperDraft, the 2011 University of Akron men’s soccer team defied the odds by capturing their seventh consecutive Mid-American Conference regular season championship and advancing all the way to the Round of 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the fourth consecutive year.
Along the way, the Zips, who will return eight of 11 starters in 2012, rewrote the NCAA’s all-time record for longest home unbeaten streak, finished among the top 15 teams in the country for both scoring offense and goals against average, and posted the second-highest team grade-point-average in Division I with an exceptional mark of 3.44.
2012 Akron Men’s Soccer Signees
1. Matt Foldesy, North Olmstead, Ohio, St. Ignatius HS, USSDA Internationals
2. Alfred Koroma, Southlake, Texas, Southlake Carroll, USSDA Solar Chelsea
3. Omari Morris, Toronto, Ontario, Pickering HS, Toronto FC Academy
4. Fernando Pina, Houston, Texas, Challenge Early College HS, USSDA Houston Dynamo
5. Dillon Serna, Brighton, Colo., Horizon HS, USSDA Colorado Rapids
6. Andrew Souders, Amherst, Ohio, Amherst Steele, USSDA Crew Academy
