INDIANAPOLIS – UIndy men's soccer welcomed a handful of new Greyhounds to their program Tuesday as head coach John Higgins announced the signing of 20 new members of the UIndy men's soccer program for this upcoming year.
 
The Hounds stockpiled numerous positions, bringing in six new goal keepers, four backs, six midfielders, three guys who can play both midfield and as defenders, and also signed a forward as well. The 20 new signees join the previous five that signed with the program late last calendar year.
 
Coach Higgins on the class of 25 incoming Greyhounds, "credit to our staff this year for putting together a great recruiting class. There is no doubt we have filled our roster holes with student-athletes who are talented and will be an asset to our institution. We have a great balance of immediate impact players with reserve signings who will develop in to excellent program guys. I'm excited to work with these students and watch them develop as people and players over the next four years."
 
Higgins' thoughts on each player:
 
#0 Peter Arnold
"Peter comes to us from Woking Football Club Academy under 18's and under 23's as their first choice goalkeeper. This past season he played on loan at Walton and Hersham first team in the Combined Counties League. He is a well-rounded keeper who is a great shot stopper and this will put him in a position to compete for our starting position immediately."
 
#1 Dimitris Karousos
"Dimitris is a transfer student that comes to us from Ashland University, where he earned GLIAC Keeper of the Year.  He is a dynamic keeper that will bring a high level of experience to our team.  His mentality is everything we are looking for in a keeper and his distribution gives us the ability to add another dynamic to our team."
 
#4 Patryk Olczyk
"We really hope that Patryk can develop like his brother Jakub has here at UIndy. Patryk is similar to his brother in that he has high soccer intelligence and can play in multiple positions. He technically has all the tools and will look to add a bit of strength and explosiveness here at UIndy which will help him in his career at UIndy and beyond."
 
#26 Eric Leontiou
"Eric is an accomplished midfielder who will come in and add loads to experience to our center midfield. Eric can sit in or venture forward but we will look to him to develop our younger players and provide some composure to our play."
 
#30 Chris Jensen
"Chris comes to us from the highly-regarded Montverde Academy.  Chris is a great shot stopper who will provide security to our back four. He comes in with a ton of potential and is a great asset for our team in the future."
 
#33 Caleb Spencer
"Caleb is a local talent from Fort Wayne, Ind.  He is a great communicator who organizes his back four really well. He will be a nice addition to our reserve team and we are looking forward to watching him grow over the next few years."
 
#34 JP Echeverry Gomez
"We're excited about what JP brings to our program. He is a strong central defender and a skillful passer of the ball. His winning mentality will be an asset to our program here at UIndy as his high school experience at Montverde Academy has prepared him well for the college game."
 
#36 Matheus Maccari
"Matheus is a left back who also comes to us from Montverde Academy. Matheus is a player with excellent ball control and penetrating vision that allows him to get forward. His development as a young player in Brazil has provided him with the tools to be successful here at UIndy."
 
#37 Owen Atkison
"Owen is a resilient attacking player with a high level of technical ability and a knack for scoring goals. Owen has competed at a high club level and scored some important goals in helping his team to a State Cup Championship. We look forward to Owen bringing that same level of proficiency to UIndy."
 
#38 Kai Francisco
"Kai is perhaps one of our most versatile signings in this class. He has shown in high school and club soccer that he has the talent to play multiple positions. He has the creativity to unlock a defense, which is very hard to find. No doubt he will have an immediate positive impact on the program."
 
#42 Andreas Tsimon
"Andreas is an international with loads of energy and enthusiasm for the game. He has the ability to play multiple positions for us, his work rate fits us well, and there is no doubt he will thrive in the GLVC. I'm excited to see his development once he makes the adjustment to the US."
 
#43 Erik Wilhelm
"Erik is a great addition to our backline as an experienced central defender. He's an intelligent soccer player and potential leader in this class. Erik's desire to stay in soccer beyond UIndy will contribute to the team's success as well as his own."
 
#44 Trae Hassebroek
"Trae's high school statistics speak for themselves, as he's shown his talent to score goals. We look forward to Trae bringing this finishing ability to the team. It's important that we find the best local kids to represent our program and there is no doubt Trae does this."
 
#45 Cole Riggs
"Cole is an outside back with solid one-on-one ability in both the attack and on defense. Cole is a team centered player with a willingness to outwork opponents. We look for our wide backs to influence the game on both sides of the ball and Cole will develop in to that player for us. He fits right in with our team culture."
 
#46 Refik Dogryl
"Refik's pace and work rate make him an immediate stand-out in the class. He is a competitor who is ready for the college game. He is a number nine guy who is really tough to play against and college defenders are going to have their hands full with him after some development here at UIndy. We are excited to see how he progresses."
 
#48 Caleb Taber
"He is a player who can play either outside back or central midfield for us. He is technically sound and has an exciting upside. His one-on-one ability on both sides of the ball make him difficult to play against. His mentality will lend itself to him making massive strides in the college game."
 
#49 Sean Werling
"We got a steal in being able to sign Sean as he is coming off of a serious injury that has sidelined him for nearly a year. Sean will be a strong attacking player for us and we are anxious to get him back to fully fit and on the field as the fall season progresses."
 
#52 David Dafiaghor
"David has had a great upbringing in the game and has been around some great soccer people at the club level. David will be a tidy player for us in the middle of the field. He has a real nice range of passing to go along with his solid technical ability."
 
#54 Michael Ripperger
"Michael loves the game and has been dedicated to developing in to the best player he can become. Michael brings some added depth to our team this fall. He's a resourceful player with the capability to help us in the midfield or in an attacking role."
 
#57 Benjamin Derby
"Ben is a talented player that adds more quality and depth to our roster given that he can play multiple positions. Ben is a good decision maker on the field who is able to complete short and long range passes under pressure. We look forward to watching Ben excel at the collegiate level."