FARMVILLE, Va. – Longwood Head Men's Soccer Coach
Jon Atkinson announced the addition of 18 players to the Longwood men's soccer team on Wednesday afternoon.
The Lancers feature players from around the globe, and they bring a strong mix of seasoned experience and youthful energy.
"This group is technically strong, but they also meld that talent with a high character that builds the quality of our squad," Atkinson said. "Our goal was to bring in depth in every position and competition for places, and these lads are hungry for the opportunity to prove themselves. We are excited to see how they continue to build the program and push it forward."
The Lancers have 14 returners in addition to the newcomers, and the team opens up the
season with The G.A.M.E. on Friday, August 25 against crosstown foe Hampden Sydney. The match begins at 7 p.m. and will be aired on ESPN+.
Desmond Adeyemi
6'0 190
Fr. | Forward
Colombia, Md.
Wilde Lake High School
Adeyemi comes to Longwood after a standout career at Wild Lake High School. The forward of the year led the county in goals, and he totaled 10 goals as a junior in 12 matches before ripping off a 15-goal season as a senior in 10 matches.
He helped lead the team to the regional championship in each of his four seasons. As a freshman, he helped the team win the state finals, and the team made it to the state quarterfinals for his final three seasons. For his career, he totaled 37 goals and 17 assists.
A multi-sport star, he served as the team captain and was a three-time all-county selection, but he also played lacrosse and tennis and ran track as well.
Tai Bhalla
6'4 190
Fr. | Forward
Falls Church, Va.
Meridian High School
Balla comes to Longwood following four seasons of soccer at Meridian High School. He helped lead his team to a state title, and he also won the USYS Eastern Regional Championship in 2022.
That same season, he was named All-American South Region, Washington Post First Team All-MET, All-State, All-Region and All-District. He tallied seven goals and five assists in his junior season over 17 matches.
As a senior, he broke out with 19 goals and 10 assists in nine matches while serving as a team captain. In his sophomore season, he scored four goals and added five assists while helping the team only concede four goals in 12 matches.
James Bolger
6'4 187
Gr. | Midfield
Boye, Republic of Ireland
Abbey Community College (Boye, Ireland)
Northwestern College
Bolger comes to Longwood with a wealth of collegiate experience, having played for four seasons at Northwestern College in Iowa at the NAIA level. In his four seasons, he made 68 appearances and started 65 matches.
The midfielder totaled 18 goals and seven assists across his four seasons while earning three all-conference selections. As a junior, he earned first team all-conference honors on the way to being an All-American honorable mention.
During that season, he totaled five goals and one assist, and he helped lead the team to a share of the Great Plains Athletic Conference title. The team earned a top 25 ranking while finishing as runners up in the GPAC Tournament. The team also advanced to the NAIA National Tournament before falling in overtime.
Valentin Brandis
6'5 183
Jr. | Defender
Hamburg, Germany
Gymnasium Hochrad (Hamburger SV Club Soccer)
George Mason
Brandis comes to Longwood following two seasons at George Mason. He logged 1,830 minutes in his two seasons in Fairfax.
As a freshman, he started all 16 matches as a steady presence along the back line. He was second on the team among field players in minutes with 1,380, and he played every minute in 13 of his 16 appearances. As a sophomore, he played in 10 matches with three starts, totaling 450 minutes. He earned a spot on the Atlantic 10 Commissioner's Honor Roll in each of his two seasons as a Patriot as well.
During his time in high school, he served as a captain of his German youth club team for four years, and he helped his team place second in the U17 Northern German League.
Christian Carranza
6'2
R-Jr. | Midfielder
Homestead, Fla.
Keys Gate Charter High School
Davis & Elkins College
Carranza comes to Longwood following his time at Davis & Elkins College at the NCAA Division II level. In his freshman season, he made five starts and six appearances in the COVID-shortened spring campaign in 2021. His team went 5-1 during his six appearances, and he played the full match twice. He helped the team win the MEC regular season title on the way to a Sweet 16 appearance at the NCAA Tournament.
In his second season, he made 18 appearances with five starts. He posted one assist while playing 572 minutes. Again, his team made a run to the Sweet 16 at the NCAA Tournament.
In high school, Carranza tallied 15 goals and 12 assists as a senior captain while leading his team to the district finals. He added 11 goals and eight assists as a junior.
Simao Coelho
5'6 150
So. | Forward
Portugal
Salesianos do Estoril
Notre Dame College
Coelho comes to Longwood following one season at Notre Dame College at the NCAA Division II level.
During his lone season, he made 22 appearances while starting in 17 matches. He scored seven goals and added one assist, and he had four game winners. He led the team in game winners and was second in the Mountain East Conference.
On the whole, he played a total of 1,511 minutes and played all 90 minutes three times. He was named First Team All-MEC and also earned a spot on the All-MEC Freshman Team. He helped the team advance to the MEC Tournament Championship Game as well as the NCAA National Tournament. The team won in the first round before falling to top-ranked Franklin Pierce in round two.
Christian Cordova Galeano
5'11 148
Fr. | Goalkeeper
Woodbridge, Va.
Woodbridge Senior High School
Cordova Galeano comes to Longwood following his playing career at Woodbridge Senior High School.
As a senior, he was outstanding. He posted a 0.342 goals against average across 15 matches. He played 935 minutes and had 20 overtime minutes as well.
On the season, he only allowed four goals while making 43 saves, and he averaged 2.9 saves per match.
Oscar Ford
5'7 143
Fr. | Defender
Vail, Colo.
Valor Christian High School
Ford comes to Longwood following his high school playing career at Valor Christian High School.
During his prep career, he primarily spent time at left back and left wing. He aspires to play soccer at a professional level or become a business owner.
Max Hinke
6'1 180
So. | Goalkeeper
Marpingen, Germany
Carl-von-Wienberg School (TSV Schott Mainz Club)
Rhode Island
Hinke comes to Longwood following his freshman season at Rhode Island, where he started in all 16 appearances.
He posted a 6-3-7 record while racking up 54 saves. He played 1,440 minutes and had a trio of shutouts to his name. He had at least five saves in five separate matches, including a season-best of seven in a 3-2 win over Saint Louis.
Prior to his time at Rhode Island, he played for Eintracht Frankfurt (Youth Bundesliga) from 2017-20 and then for TSV Schott Mainz (Men's Regionalliga) from 2020-21, and the was the starting goalkeeper for Professional Academy of U17s and U19s in Germany.
Antonio La Gamba
6'0 175
Gr. | Midfield
Rochester, N.Y.
Greece Athena High School
Siena College/Coastal Carolina
La Gamba joins the Lancers as a graduate transfer following time at both Siena College and Coastal Carolina in the past four seasons. He played his first season at Coastal Carolina, and made five starts with 18 appearances for a team that won the Sun Belt and advanced to the second round of the NCAA National Tournament.
He then transferred to Siena for three seasons, where he played in 43 matches with 31 starts. He totaled four assists, and he played 2,388 minutes for the Saints in his three seasons. As a junior, he led the MAAC in both starts and games played as an ironman on the field. He started 19 matches and racked up 1,306 minutes that year, playing the full match eight times.
Prior to his collegiate career, he played his junior and senior seasons abroad in Italy. He played U19 for Benevento Calcio in his junior year before playing in U19 for Reggina 1914 as a senior in high school.
Darcy Moffatt
6'0
Fr. | Forward
London, England
Moffatt comes to Longwood after playing for Luton Town FC. He helped the team go 25-4-4 last season in both the EFL Youth Alliance and FA Youth Cup. The team went 17-3 in EFL play and sat at the top of the table in the EFL Youth Alliance South East during the regular season.
Nandy Ouattara
6'3 205
So. | Defender
Alexandria, Va.
West Potomac High School
George Mason
Ouattara comes to Longwood following his freshman season at George Mason. He did not appear in a match in the 2022 season.
In high school, Ouattara played for four seasons at West Potomac High School, and he helped the team win the regional championship. His team earned the title in his senior year after advancing to the regional semifinals in his junior season.
In addition, Ouattara was a team captain in both his junior and senior seasons, and he earned first team all-district honors.
Iago Rodriguez Carracedo
5'11 165
Jr. | Midfield
Ferrol, A Coruña, España
IES Sofia Casanova
Universidad Carlos III de Madrid
Rodriguez Carracedo comes to Longwood after spending a pair of years at the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid.
During his career, he has served as a team captain.
Emilio Segovia Gaytan
6'3 220
R-Jr. | Forward
Mexico City, Mexico
Colegio Olinca
LSU-Eunice
Segovia Gaytan comes to Longwood following two seasons of play in the junior college ranks at LSU-Eunice.
During his two seasons, he totaled seven goals and an assist in 20 matches. Last season, as a redshirt-sophomore, he posted four goals with one game winner. In his redshirt-freshman season, he tallied three goals, and all three went down as game winning goals.
Prior to his time at LSU-Eunice, he played club soccer for Club Pumas, and he helped the team to the U17 final. He was also the third top scorer at the Adidas Generation Cup.
Anthony Vera
5'10 165
Fr. | Midfield
The Woodlands, Texas
The Woodlands College Park High School
Vera comes to Longwood for his freshman season following a standout career at The Woodlands College Park High School in Texas.
He was a varsity starter for all four seasons, and he racked up 45 goals and 38 assists in 77 high school matches. He finished his high school career in the top three in points in school history with 128. He also became the youngest player in school history to reach the 10, 15 and 20 career goal marks.
He earned a wealth of honors during his time there, including becoming a two-time All-American and the first District MVP in school history. He started for a nationally ranked team as a freshman in 2019, and he was a four-time all-district, three time all-county player. He led the district in scoring with 12 goals as a senior in 11 matches.
Kaya Yildrim
5'10 150
Fr. | Forward
Istanbul, Turkey
Desert Vista High School (Arizona)
Yildrim comes to Longwood following his time at Desert Vista High School, where he played his senior season. He racked up eight goals and a pair of assists in two matches.
At Desert Vista High School, he helped lead the team to the 6A State Championship by scoring goals in the quarterfinals, semifinals and finals. He became the first to score in all three contests in school history.
On the club side, he won titles with Arizona Arsenal SC in USL Academy and ECNL, and he played on the U19 Turkish National Team. He was called up while still at Desert Vista.
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