Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Men's Soccer Adds Nine Promising Recruits for Class of 2015
2/9/2011 7:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Feb. 9, 2011
LEWISBURG, Pa. -- Winners of three of the last five Patriot League championships, including the 2009 and 2010 titles, the Bucknell men's soccer team is looking to continue its stellar run with the addition of nine promising student-athletes who will join the program next fall. Head coach Brendan Nash feels that this could be an impact class, featuring student-athletes with impressive resumes who also attracted the attention of many other top programs, including one newcomer who was recently named the National High School Scholar-Athlete of the Year by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA).
Nash has announced the signings of the following recruits for the Class of 2015: Quinn Areces (Chappaqua, N.Y./Horace Greeley), Rafael Enriquez-Hesles (McLean, Va./McLean), Jonathan Grad (Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Latin), Connor Keeley (Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Latin), Mark Liebensperger (Gibsonia, Pa./Pine-Richland), John Miller (Topsfield, Mass./Worcester Academy), Pat Plourde (Bristol, Conn./Bristol Eastern), Ryan Walsh (Chesterfield, N.J./Northern Burlington) and Brian Ward (Manlius, N.Y./Fayetteville-Manlius).
"With our recent run of success, we have been able to become more focused with our recruiting needs," said Nash. "Since we are graduating only three seniors, we wanted to make sure we filled certain holes. After that we made certain we went after the right type of student-athlete who understands the work rate needed to be successful in our program. Though each of these young men have very accomplished resumes, we put more stock in what type of person and student each one was. We more than accomplished that by bringing in nine of the most well-rounded young men in my time as a coach. All nine have captained their teams to success. This is the strongest group of leaders we have recruited into one class. Each one has had great success on and off the field, and we hope that will continue during their Bucknell careers."
One year after winning a school-record 17 games, claiming the Patriot League regular-season and tournament championships, and advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, the Bison repeated as league champs in 2010. This time they did it as underdogs, pulling out a dramatic overtime win on the final day of the regular season just to make the Patriot League Tournament as the fourth and final seed, and then posting 1-0 wins over top-seeded Colgate and American to capture another title.
A talented trio of seniors will be graduating, including key defenders Ross Liberati and Travis Rand, along with all-conference left midfielder Tommy McCabe. Hoping to pick up the slack are these nine newcomers:
| QUINN ARECES Midfielder # Chappaqua, N.Y. # Horace Greeley H.S. # Westchester Flames Areces captained the Horace Greeley high school team last season and earned all-league and honorable mention all-section honors. As a junior his team went 14-2-2 and won a league championship. Areces attended the Bucknell Bison Soccer Camp at Lebanon Valley College last year and earned the Hardest Working Player Award. Since 2009 he has played club soccer for the Westchester Flames in the Super-20 League. Nash on Areces: "Quinn was the MVP at our Lebanon Valley College ID camp. He is good athlete with a great attitude and a high soccer IQ. He can play many different spots on the field. We will just have to see where he fits in best for us." |
| RAFAEL ENRIQUEZ-HESLES Midfielder/Defender # McLean, Va. # McLean H.S. # McLean Academy Enriquez-Hesles will be a four-year varsity starter this spring. He will become a two-year captain when his high school team takes the field this spring. Enriquez-Hesles also plays club soccer for the McLean Academy. Nash on Enriquez-Hesles: "Rafi is a natural lefty. He can play many different spots for us. Rafi has a good tactical and technical game. Add this to him being a hard worker, and he will fit into our program very well." |
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| JONATHAN GRAD Midfielder # Charlotte, N.C. # Charlotte Latin # Charlotte Soccer Academy Grad was the captain of both his high school and club teams (Charlotte Soccer Academy) last year. He was also named First Team All-State in North Carolina as well as team MVP. His high school team advanced to the North Carolina 3A Independents Final Four. Nash on Grad: "Jono is going to bring a nice offensive dimension to our team. He can score with his feet or his head. He is also very accurate on set pieces. With his size, skill and work rate, we are adding a top-level center midfielder to our attack." |
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| CONNOR KEELEY Midfielder/Forward # Charlotte, N.C. # Charlotte Latin # Charlotte Soccer Academy Keeley was the captain for both his high school and club teams (Charlotte Soccer Academy), where he played alongside future Bison teammate Jono Grad. His high school team advanced to the North Carolina 3A Independents Final Four. Nash on Keeley: "We have watched Connor play all over the field. However, I think he will be best as a winger or a forward for us. Connor is another hard worker with great speed. He also has a knack for being in the right place at the right time to score some big goals." |
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| MARK LIEBENSPERGER Midfielder/Defender # Gibsonia, Pa. # Pine-Richland # Pittsburgh Strikers Liebensperger was a three-year varsity starter as well as captain his senior year. He was named to the Pennsylvania All-State Team as a senior and was a member of the Region I '93 ODP Team from 2008-10. He plays club ball for Pittsburgh Strikers. Nash on Liebensperger: "Mark fits right in line with the theme of a hard worker who knows how to play the game. He is another natural lefty who can play either left back or left midfield." |
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| JOHN MILLER Midfielder # Topsfield, Mass. # Worcester Academy # FC Greater Boston Bolts Miller was a four-year varsity player as well as captain his senior year at Masconomet Regional, and he was also captain for his postgraduate season at Worcester Academy. Miller was named Massachusetts All-State his senior year and was named a Top-100 recruit. He played for the FC Greater Boston Bolts Academy Team, and he trained in Finland with Ekenas IF. Nash on Miller: "John is a dynamic right-sided player. Besides his tireless work rate, he will bring some outstanding speed to our flank." |
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| PAT PLOURDE Forward # Bristol, Conn. # Bristol Eastern # FSA United Plourde was a three-time First Team All-State selection at Bristol Eastern High School in Connecticut. He served as team captain and was a 2009 Regional All-American for New England. Plourde was also named to Hartford Courant and Herald Press all-star teams. He led his club team -- FSA United -- to the last three state championships, and he was in the ODP Regional Pool. Nash on Plourde: "Patrick is a big, strong and hard working forward. He will bring another dimension to our attack with his size and athleticism. During high school and club play he scored many important goals for his teams. We expect him to do the same at our level." |
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| RYAN WALSH Forward # Chesterfield, N.J. # Northern Burlington # LSTS FC Amsterdam Walsh was a four-year varsity player as well as captain his sophomore through senior years. He was also named Team MVP his sophomore through senior years. Walsh capped his senior year by being named to the New Jersey All-State team. He also plays club soccer for LSTS FC Amsterdam. Nash on Walsh: "Ryan came through our summer camp. During the week we became impressed with his tireless work ethic as a forward. He has the attitude and physical ability to mix it up in the box during Patriot League games." |
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| BRIAN WARD Midfielder # Manlius, N.Y. # Fayetteville-Manlius # Empire United Ward was a four-year varsity player as well as team captain his junior and senior years. As a two-time member of the New York All-State Team, Ward was also named an NSCAA All-American his senior year. He was named to the NSCAA Scholar All-America Team, and then he capped off his senior year by being named the NSCAA Boys Soccer National Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Ward is also captain for his Empire United Academy Team. Nash on Ward: "Brian came through our summer camp. The more we watched Brian the more we realized he would be a great fit for our midfield. Brian has a great understanding of the game and already has the physical tools to compete at the Division I level. He is another natural lefty, which is something we have not had in the middle of the field." |
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