EDWARDSVILLE – After a Missouri Valley Conference championship and a run to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2016, SIUE men's soccer will welcome seven newcomers in its 2017 class.
Transfers Johan De Picker (Brussels, Belgium) and Sander Heieren (Fredrikstad, Oestfold, Norway) will join incoming freshmen Orlando Arreola (Cobden, Illinois), Nathan Chueng (Springfield, Illinois), Noah Fetter (Overland Park, Kansas), Colin Hilpert (Fenton, Missouri) and Lluìs Martorell (Barcelona, Spain).
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"We needed to address what we lost, and that was obviously a lot defensively," SIUE Head Coach Mario Sanchez said. "We have addressed our immediate needs and built depth for next fall. For the long term I am really happy with what we have done."
The 2017 class is profiled below:
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Johan De Picker – Defender Appeared in 25 games, making 12 starts in two seasons at Old Dominion… Played both midfield and defense for the Monarchs…Tallied two goals and an assist for five career points…Will be a junior and have two years of eligibility remaining. |
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Sander Heieren - Defender Appeared in 18 games as a true freshman at Maryville…Finished third on the team in scoring with 15 points…Scored four goals and added seven assists…Collected one game-winning goal…Will be a sophomore and have three years of eligibility remaining. |
| Sanchez on De Picker and Heieren: In Johan and Sander, we have two kids that we anticipate will fight for starting positions right away. They are older and experienced which keeps us from being really young in the back. |
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Orlando Arreola – Midfielder Played five seasons with Saint Louis Scott Gallagher Metro program…Member of the 2013 National Premier League Champion team…Twice participated in the U.S. Club Soccer Olympic Development training camp. |
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Nathan Chueng – Midfielder |
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Colin Hilpert – Midfielder Played four seasons of soccer for the Falcons… Set the school's career assist record…2016 All-State Selection by Missouri State High School Soccer Coaches Association (MSHSSCA)…Member of Missouri Class 3A State Championship team as a senior...Two-time All-Suburban South Conference first team selection. |
| Sanchez on Arreola, Chueng and Hilpert: We always want to be a team that gets the top local kids. I think we did that with Orlando, Nathan and Colin. They are kids we are excited about who will compete for time in the fall and help the program long term. |
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Noah Fetter – Midfielder |
| Sanchez on Fetter: In Noah Fetter, we found a left-footed player who is a very good athlete. He will add depth to our attacking side. |
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Lluìs Martorell – Goalkeeper Played with Unificació Bellvitge Club in the Honor Division, the highest official league in Spain…Has started 11 matches in goal during the current season...Played with F.C. Barcelona's Youth Academy until 2011. |
| Sanchez on Martorell: With Kyle (Dal Santo) being a senior, we wanted to make sure we have the right person behind him. We feel with Lluìs we potentially have a very special keeper who will continue the long tradition of successful goalkeepers here at SIUE. |
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