WILMINGTON, North Carolina – Colonial Athletic Association Men's Soccer Coach of the Year Aidan Heaney of UNCW has announced the addition of seven players, including a pair of standouts from North Carolina, to the Seahawks' 2020 roster.
 
Michael Hornsby of Biberach an der Riss, Germany, Bryce Loui of Denver, Colo, Jack Ruddy of Virginia Beach, Va., Tsubasa Takada of Narashino City, Japan, and Elias Taubo of Oslo, Norway will join North Carolina natives Haruki Yamashita (Charlotte) and Phillip Speed (Jacksonville) to form the new group of Seahawks.
 
"Our recruiting class is one that will address some immediate needs we have as well as continue to add competition in all positions for us," said Heaney. "We lost some experienced and talented players through graduation last year, a number of whom are now in the professional ranks, so we have worked diligently to recruit players who are excellent students and possess the work ethic needed to compete at the top levels of Division I soccer.
 
"Special thanks to assistant coaches Shaun Utterson and Alex Nelson for all of their hard work and persistence in attracting this group to UNCW. We look forward to continuing to work with our current squad this spring and seeing our new additions in August."

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2020 UNCW Men's Soccer Recruits
 
Michael Hornsby
Position: Defense
Height: 5-11
Hometown: Biberach an der Riss, Germany
Previous School: Queens University (N.C.)
High School: Pestalozzi Gymnasium
Club Team: FV Ravensburg
 
Highlights: Three-time First-Team All-SAC performer at Queens who scored four goals with five assists as a junior … also earned NCCSIA All-State honors three times, including pair of First-Team accolades … two-time pick on United Soccer Coaches All-Region team.
 
Coach Heaney Says: "Michael joins us after a standout career at Division II Queens. He was a key player for them and will join us to begin grad school in our IMBA program here at UNCW. Michael is an attack-minded defender with a high soccer IQ. He was a First-Team All-Conference and All-Region selection each of his three years at Queens. He will bring added quality and a wealth of experience to our team."
 
Bryce Loui
Position: Defense
Height: 5-11
Hometown: Centennial, Colo.
High School: Cherry Creek
Club Team: Colorado Rapids DA
 
Highlights: Member of All-ECNL Mountain Conference Team for Colorado Rapids DA … invited to participate at 2018-19 ECNL National Camp … competed at DA Summer Showcase, GA Cup and DA Cup in 2019 … mother, Brittany, played volleyball at Northern Colorado. 
 
Coach Heaney Says: "Bryce is a member of the Colorado Rapids DA team and is a right sided defender who can play right back or wing back. Bryce is a good athlete, very quick and plays with a lot of intensity. He continues to make strides with his club team, having moved up from the Rapids ECNL team. He will come in and provide competition on the right side of our team."
 
Jack Ruddy
Position: Midfield
Height: 5-7
Hometown: Virginia Beach, Va.
High School: First Colonial
Club Team: Beach FC
 
Highlights: Team captain for Beach FC club team in 2019-20 … two-year letter winner at First Colonial who scored 13 goals with 11 assists … earned First-Team All-Conference and Second-Team All-State distinction as a junior at First Colonial after guiding team to state semifinals … member of state quarterfinalist team during sophomore season … father was a four-year starter and two-time team captain at Virginia Wesleyan.
 
Coach Heaney Says: "A product of Beach FC, Jack is a technically gifted midfielder who has strong attacking attributes. He has good feet and is dynamic over the first 5-10 yards, which helps him get out of tight areas. He has a high soccer IQ vision and will fit in very well with our squad. He will compete to play wide in our attack or as an attacking central midfield player."
 
Phillip Speed
Position: Forward/Midfield
Height: 5-10
Hometown: Jacksonville, N.C.
High School: Jacksonville
Club Team: Wilmington Hammerheads Youth
 
Highlights: Three-time All-Area and All-Region selection at Jacksonville who scored 10 goals with 13 assists as a senior … also earned All-State honors twice … named All-Area Player of the Year … recipient of Wilmington Hammerheads Player of the Year award … four-sport athlete in high school who also competed on football, tennis and track and field teams.
 
Coach Heaney Says: "Phillip joins us from our local club, Wilmington Hammerheads, so he is someone we have watched and followed over the years. Phillip continues to grow as a player, is very athletic and puts the work in to continue his technical development. He is a player who works for the team and has the kind of quickness that will cause problems for opponents. He is willing to compete and plays with determination, which I really like about him."
 
Tsubasa Takada
Position: Forward
Height: 6-0
Hometown: Narashino City, Japan
Previous School: West Virginia
High School: Municipal HS Funabashi
Club Team: JEF UNITED U-15
 
Highlights: Three-year letter winner at West Virginia who started 26-of-51 career games … three-time Academic All-Conference selection … scored one goal with six assists for the Mountaineers … appeared in 20 games as a junior with nine starts, including final seven games of the season … starter in 15-of-17 contests during sophomore season and tallied a goal with four assists … netted first career goal in NCAA Tournament victory over LIU Brooklyn … appeared in 14 games as a freshman in 2017 with two starts … helped lead Municipal HS Funabashi to 2016 All-Japan High School Soccer Tournament Summer Championship and pair of Chiba Prefecture Tournament titles … twin sister, Akane, plays soccer at New Mexico.
 
Coach Heaney Says: "Tsubasa brings experience to our team after transferring from West Virginia earlier this spring. He played significant minutes for the Mountaineers in his three years and recently competed in the NCAA tournament in 2019. Tsubasa can play as a wide attacking player on both sides of the field, centrally or as a wing back, so he has flexibility in what role he can play. Technically sound with an ability to beat players, he will add another dimension to our team."
 
Elias Taubo
Position: Forward
Height: 5-10
Hometown: Oslo, Norway
High School: Norwegian School of Elite Sports
Club Team: Asker, Vålerenga and Ready
 
Highlights: Scored seven goals in 23 games with Vålerenga B club team in 2019 … added 12 goals in 17 contests for Vålerenga U-19 team during 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons … member of Adidas Cup champion team with Asker Football club team.
 
Coach Heaney Says: "Elias has grown up at Valarenga's Academy, one of the top teams in Norway, and has played at the highest youth levels back home. He is a recognized goal scorer who will add some additional pace and quality to our attack. His movement is excellent and Elias is very technically clean around the goal. Add to that a high work rate to help his team defend and you have a player who will be a real challenge for opponents to deal with. He will fit in very well with how we want our team to play."
 
Haruki Yamashita
Position: Goalkeeper
Height: 6-1
Hometown: Kawasaki, Japan
High School: Mallard Creek (N.C.)
Club Team: Charlotte Independence SC DA U-18/19
 
Highlights: Fashioned 1.30 goals against average for Charlotte Independence SC DA U-18/19 club team … earned Mid-Atlantic All-ECNL U-17 honors … competed at ECNL Pennsylvania Showcase, ECNL Florida Showcase and Disney Showcase events.
 
Coach Heaney Says: "We have monitored Haruki's progress for several years now and see him continuing to improve and develop. He also attended a couple of our camps and we were able to evaluate him thoroughly. He is a good shot stopper who reads the game well, is technically sound and does well playing out of the back with his feet. He is still maturing physically, but has a good frame for a goalkeeper. Haruki will add to our goalkeeping corps this fall alongside Gabriel Perrotta and Jonathan Gomes."

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