WILMINGTON, North Carolina – UNCW Head Men's Soccer coach
Aidan Heaney will welcome an incoming class of three players, including a pair of local products, for the 2018 season.
Ryan Graham, a midfielder from Charlotte, N.C., will join Wilmington standouts Cesar Cruz and Dominic Toone in the incoming class.
"A common characteristic of these three new additions to our program is that they are all passionate about the game, love to train and play, and I see further growth from all of them," says Heaney, who begins his 18th season as the Seahawks' bench boss this fall.
"Cesar and Dom have both played for Associate Head Coach
Zach Haines, so they have a good grounding on the expectations of our program and what it will take to be successful. Special thanks to Zach and our support staff for their efforts to bring in another group of quality individuals to UNCW."
2018 UNCW Men's Soccer Recruits
Cesar Cruz
Position: Forward
Height: 5-6
Hometown: Wilmington, N.C.
High School: John T. Hoggard
Club Team: Wilmington Hammerheads 99 White
Highlights: Team captain at Hoggard who scored 31 goals with 12 assists as senior … four-time All-Mideastern Conference pick who earned First-Team honors three times … named Wilmington StarNews Player-of-the-Year … selected Mideastern Conference Player-of-the-Year … earned all-region and all-America notice … helped club team win NC State Cup … also participated in Disney Showcase and Jefferson Cup events … grandfather, Xavier Elizondo Cruz, played professional soccer for Zorros de Atlas Football Club.
Coach Heaney Says: "Cesar has been instrumental in his high school and club teams' success and we have watched his progress closely. He is a striker with good close control and smart movement who does a very good job of bringing other players into play. He can help as a high forward or be more withdrawn and has already shown he has the capability to play at the Division I level when he was able to get on the field (and score) for the Hammerheads PDL team last summer."
Ryan Graham
Position: Midfielder
Height: 5-11
Hometown: Charlotte, N.C.
High School: Providence
Club Team: Charlotte Soccer Academy
Highlights: Four-year captain for U.S. Developmental Soccer Academy team … nominated for Charlotte Soccer Gala Male Player-of-the-Year Award … named Top 150 recruit by College Soccer News … selected one of top 150 players in the country by Top Drawer Soccer … played in every U.S. Developmental Showcase from 2013-18 … also competed in Winter Showcase in Sarasota, Fla., and Summer Showcase in Indianapolis and Dallas … brother, Jensen, played soccer at Marshall.
Coach Heaney Says: "Ryan joins us from the Charlotte Soccer Academy at the U.S. Development Academy level where he has been a main contributor. He can play centrally in midfield, as well as right back, so he can contribute in a number of ways. Ryan does a very good job of controlling play for his side as he is good in possession and a strong passer of the ball. He is athletic with great endurance."
Dominic Toone
Position: Midfield
Height: 5-7
Hometown: Wilmington, N.C.
High School: Ashley
Club Team: Wilmington Hammerheads Youth
Highlights: First-Team All-Area and All-Conference pick at Ashley who scored seven goals with 11 assists in senior year … also named to all-state and all-region squads … recipient of team MVP and Coaches Awards … helped club team win NC State Cup and Jefferson Cup … played for Disney Showcase finalist team … also competed at CASL Showcase.
Coach Heaney Says: "Dominic is a quick, technical central midfielder who is a very smart soccer player. He is very comfortable on the ball and can drive forward from midfield to create moments for his team. As a local player, I have enjoyed seeing his growth from being a youth player and camper to now officially joining the UNCW Soccer family. He also played some minutes in PDL last summer against older college and graduate players and simply confirmed that he can play at this level and excel with UNCW."
