ROCK HILL, SC—Winthrop head men's soccer coach Daniel Ridenhour announced the 2016 recruiting class that includes 10 newcomers.
 
This is the first class for Ridenhour, who took over the program as head coach in January. It is a 10-member class with seven freshmen, two juniors and a sophomore. This group replaces the loss of 10 letter winners, including eight starters from the 2015 championship squad. The Eagles were 11-7-2 in 2015 and captured the Big South title as the tournament's top seed.
 
"There was a fair amount of time and energy put into assembling this incoming class," said Ridenhour, who will make his debut as head coach on Aug. 12 in an exhibition contest against North Carolina on Eagle Field. "I would like to thank Phil Hindson for helping to bring this group of players here to Winthrop. He did a tremendous job in the process of working with each incoming player. We hit the ground running on February 5^th of this year and it has taken some time to make sure that everything was in order with this class. As a staff, we feel this group will make an immediate impact on the field and in our community. There is an excellent mixture of young players along with a few seasoned transfer players. With a large loss of 10 seniors after the 2015 season, we needed to make sure the newcomers were guys that could assimilate into the culture as well as move us forward with their play and leadership. We are eager to welcome them to Rock Hill and become members of the Eagle family."
 

Meet The Recruiting Class Of 2016

Rasmus Arousell, Jr. Stockholm, Sweden (Middle Georgia State Univ.) Forward/Midfielder	Transfer from Middle Georgia State University where he had 25 goals and seven assists in 33 games. He earned SSAC All-Conference Freshmen Team honors as well as being named to the SSAC All-Conference 1st Team in 2015 and 2nd Team in 2014. He is also a CoSIDA Academic All-District Selection. Prior to his arrival to Middle Georgia State he played for IFK Viksio (Div. 3) and was the youth team Rookie of the Year as well as two-time Midfielder of the Year. Also played for Habo FF (Div. 2).
Leif Estevez Fernandez, Fr. Frickingen, Germany (Staufer-Gymnasium Pfullendorf) Midfielder/Forward	Played for SC Pfullendorf (u19 Verbandsliga--3rd highest national youth level). Was the top scorer for the team in 2014-15 as well as 2015-16. Helped the team reach the cup final in 2015-16 and was nominated to the u19 All-Star Team in 2015 and 2016. Was part of the DFB Talent Development Program (2008-14).
Andreas Jackson, Fr. Acworth, GA (North Cobb H.S.) Defender	Member of Georgia United Soccer Alliance. u18 member in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy for two years where his 2015 team made the USSDA Final Four. Made 32 appearances with 31 starts this past season.
Jogvan Jacobsen, Fr. Albertslund, Denmark (Alberslund Secondary) Midfielder/Forward	Played for Albertslund I.F. and also attended FC Copenhagen Academy-School of Excellence. He spent six years at the school of excellence and competed against such teams as Real Madrid, Juventus, Galtatasaray and FC Barcelona. Was a member of the u17 and u21 Faroes Island National Team and competed in European and World Cup qualifying. Faced England, France (including Anthony Martial from Manchester United), Northern Ireland, Macedonia, Turkey, Sweden, Iceland, and Finland.
Connor Maher, Fr. Wexford, Ireland (St. Peter's College) Midfielder	Enrolled at Winthrop this past January. Prior to his arrival he was a member of Wexford Youths FC where he helped his squad to a SSE Airtricity League of Ireland First Division Championship. That gave the team a promotion to the Irish Premier League.
Kenneth Perkinson, Jr. Garner, NC (UNC Pembroke) Goalkeeper	Transfer from UNC Pembroke where he was the starting goalkeeper for two seasons. Ranked 5th in the Peach Belt Conference in 2014 (1.13 gaa) and 4th in save percentage (.756) in 17 games. In 2015 he had 15 starts (1.74 gaa). He was named All-PBC Team in 2014 and 2015 and also earned PBC Goalkeeper of the Week honors twice. Attended Garner Magnet H.S. where he was a two-year letter winner in soccer and football.
Charlie Ramirez, So. Castellon, Spain (Central Florida) Defender/Midfielder	Transfer from the University of Central Florida where he played 13 games as a freshman. He was a TopDrawerSoccer.com preseason selection for the Freshmen Best IX team in the U.S. Was a part of Villarreal FC where he received the coveted "Yellow Submarine" that represents 10-plus years with the club. Part of the national champion with the u18 in 2014. Captained the youth team from 2008-2015 winning three conference leagues and four national/international tournaments against the likes of Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund.
Joseph Soeder, Fr. Cary, NC (Panther Creek H.S.) Midfielder	Attended Panther Creek H.S. and played for UE Cornella. Spent a year playing abroad in Barcelona with the famed club that has produced numerous professionals. Participated in the World Sports Academy while in Barcelona. Played for North Carolina Fusion as a u18 member in the U.S. Development Academy. Played in 32 games with 19 starts.
Francesco Tiozzo, Fr. Chioggia, Italy () Defender	Played for Unione Venezia up until u18 and also played for Clodiense S.S.D while particiapting in Serie D where he competed against top teams in the Italian Cup. Also played for A.C. Este of Serie D as that team finished in the top four and was in playoff for promotion to Serie C.
Emil Ursholm, Fr. Gothenburg, Sweden (Gotesborg Stad) Midfielder	Member of the Swedish FA u19 squad on three occasions and also played for GAIS Goteborg where he was the 2014 Young Player of the Year. Played two matches in the Swedish Cup and one league match with 90 minutes and an assist.