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msoc 2016 recruit class
Colin Edwards is transferring to Daemen after winning two national championships with Tiffin

Men's Soccer

McColl Announces 2016 Men's Soccer Recruiting Class

First-Year Daemen Head Coach Adds 11 Players To Wildcats' Stable

AMHERST, N.Y. - Daemen College Head Men's Soccer Coach Bobby McColl formally announced his 2016 recruiting class today, adding 11 student-athletes to a roster which is already returning the team's top two scorers and starting goalkeeper from a season ago.

Joining the Wildcat soccer program this fall are forwards Colin Edwards (Burlington, Ont./Tiffin University), Chris Ellis (Clarence, N.Y./Clarence), Connor Pendleton (Wolcott, N.Y./North Rose Wolcott) and Ali Shawish (Lackawanna, N.Y./Lackawanna), midfielders Kamran Salehi (Toronto, Ont./Thompson Collegiate Inst.) and Connor Essenburg (North Tonawanda, N.Y./North Tonawanda), and defenders Kyle White (Oshawa, Ont./R.S. McLaughlin), Joe Keem (Amherst, N.Y./Sweet Home), Nate Louk (Jane Lew, W. Va./Lewis County), Steve Geffert (North Rose, N.Y./North Rose Wolcott) and Sean Palmer (Clarence, N.Y./Clarence).

"I'm very excited about our first recruiting class here at Daemen," said McColl who was appointed as the fifth head coach in program history earlier this year.  "Given the short timeline to recruit since arriving here in April, I believe we have managed to produce a class that is made up of both talented soccer players and quality individuals.  I am confident this group of student-athleted will add to the talent and ability of our team, while also complimenting the culture and environment we are looking to create.  This class will play a big part in moving the program in the direction we're looking to take it over the next four years."

Ten of the 11 signees are freshman.  The lone transfer of the group is Edwards who brings a winning pedigree after competing for Tiffin University in the last three seasons.  While there, Edwards helped the Dragons tp back-to-back (2013 and 2014) appearances in both the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament and the NCAA Tournament.  For his career to date, Edwards has appeared in 29 games while making three starts and totaling five points.  His most productive season came in 2014 when he made 15 appearances and scored two goals.

Ellis, Pendleton and Shawish will provide depth in the attacking third.  Ellis comes after lettering for the last two years for the Clarence Red Devils and coach Mike Silverstein.  Pendleton earned five varsity letters in soccer and was a first-team All-Wayne County selection last fall.  Shawish leaves as Lackawanna High School's all-time record-holder with 106 career goals, including a single-season record of 48.

In the midfield, Salehi is expected to make an immediate contribution.  The Toronto native was the leading goal scorer for the Thompson Titans in each of the last two years.  Essenburg, a local product of the North Tonawanda Lumberjacks program coached by Joseph Wilkie, earned four varsity letters in soccer, culminating in his first-team All-Niagara Frontier League selection as a senior.

On defense, White and Keem are the headliners - the first a 5-foot-10, 170-pound back who was born in Jamaica and raised in Canada, the second a product of the Sweet Home High School program located less than four miles from Daemen.  Keem started all 72 games of his high school career and was a two-time All-Western New York selection.  His prep career concluded by receiving the Heart of a Champion Award, the highest individual honor in the Sweet Home program.

Joining them is Louk, Geffert and Palmer.  Louk will make the over 300-mile trek to Daemen after earning four varsity letters for the Lewis County Minutemen, and two honorable mention All-State selections.  Geffert was a high school teammate of the afore-mentioned Pendleton, twice winning Most Improved Player honors for the North Rose Wolcott Cougars.  And Palmer, who played in high school with Ellis, comes here after helping Clarence to a pair of league titles.

The 11 newbies join a Wildcat squad which is coming off a 2015 season that saw them go 2-13-1 overall and 0-9-1 in East Coast Conference play.  Returners include forwards Kyle Tracy (Cicero, N.Y./Cicero-North Syracuse) and Alex Reid (Lockport, N.Y./Lockport) who combined for nine goals and 20 points last season.  Reid, a 5-foot-7 senior, has 13 goals and 33 total points under his belt in 47 career games played.  Also back is goalkeeper Justin Figler (Grand Island, N.Y./Grand Island) who played every second of every game as a true freshman last year, making 88 saves.

Pre-season training camp for the Wildcats gets underway on August 15.

For continuing coverage and breaking news surrounding the Daemen men's soccer team follow @DaemenAthletics and @DaemenMSOC on Twitter.
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Players Mentioned

Justin Figler

#1 Justin Figler

GK
5' 11"
Sophomore
Alex Reid

#22 Alex Reid

M/F
5' 7"
Senior
Kyle Tracy

#19 Kyle Tracy

M
5' 10"
Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Justin Figler

#1 Justin Figler

5' 11"
Sophomore
GK
Alex Reid

#22 Alex Reid

5' 7"
Senior
M/F
Kyle Tracy

#19 Kyle Tracy

5' 10"
Sophomore
M