Men's Soccer Welcomes Nine To Manhattan

Riverdale, NY – With the 2018 season less than a month away, the Manhattan men's soccer team has completed its roster with the addition of nine student-athletes, the coaching staff officially announced today. Six freshmen arrive to the Bronx, while three players come in as transfers and will have immediate eligibility for 2018. "We are extremely excited about this tremendous group of student-athletes," mentioned Head Coach Jorden Scott. "They bring great diversity and immediate talent in our drive to improve on last year's successful season. This group has been brought in with the belief that they all will make an impact on the first day." Four different countries represent the group; three student-athletes hail from the United States, four from France, and one each from Germany and England. Luka Rudovic is this recruiting class' closest newcomer, making the trek from Lake Mohegan, NY to Riverdale. In his senior season at Lakeland High School under Head Coach Tim Hourahan, Rudovic was a 2016 League II-C All-Section Honorable Mention as a midfielder and recently played for FC Westchester Academy. Rome Young comes to Manhattan as an explosive forward from Marlton, NJ. Young enjoyed a stellar season as a team captain for Cherokee High School. He was named the program's Offensive MVP and garnered First-Team All-Olympic Conference honors after netting nine goals and three assists in 2017. Thomas Hitchins, who signed his National Letter of Intent back in February, brings versatility to the defense as a central defensive midfielder and a center back. The North Carolina FC Academy alumnus played under coaches Greg Shields and John Bradford. For the U18/U19 squad in 2017-2018, Hitchins added three goals in 28 appearances. Adrien Awana enters the fold with two years of eligibility after spending time at the University of Bordeaux. The French defender has experience playing club ball with Stade Bordelais, AJ Auxerre B and has been developed in the famour AJ Auxerre Academy from an early age. Berti Fourrier, another French native, transfers to Manhattan with three years of eligibility on his resume. The midfielder attended IFC Marseille for his higher education and recently played club ball for FC Martingues, where he chipped in five goals across 26 games in 2017-2018. Angee Komano hails from Toulouse, France and arrives from the Université Montpellier with two seasons of eligibility. A left back and winger that excels in attacking and creating whilst being a fierce defender, Komano gained valuable experience playing with Colomiers the past few years. Louis Boulben rounds out the four new Frenchmen on the Manhattan roster. An incoming freshman standing at 6' 3", the forward primarily played on the wing at the American School of Paris for coaches Charles Kokougan and Xavier Benichou. Boulben is also active in community service, having participated in two humanitarian trips to South Africa to teach English to underprivileged children. Simon Busch moves almost 4,000 miles from his hometown of Duisburg, Germany to Manhattan College in the fall. He spent the previous four years playing club ball with Fortuna Düsseldorf under coach Sinisa Suker in the elite U19 Bundesliga. This past season, the U19 team captain potted five goals in 20 games as a center back. James Cotter is a midfielder with a knack for offense. He hails from Wigan, England and recently competed for the U18 and U23 team at Wigan Athletic, a prestigious English club located just outside of Manchester. In 2007, Cotter also reached the world final of the Manchester United Soccer Skills competition, which was held at Old Trafford.