FARMVILLE, Va. — Second-year Longwood men's soccer head coach Paul Gilbert announced the Lancers' 2025 recruiting class on Thursday, a group of 14 players, including five who boast previous collegiate playing experience.
Joining Longwood this season are Phil Appelt (Guetersloh, Germany/Staedtisches Gymnasium Guetersloh/Dordt/Mid-America Christian), Aaron Bruening (Hamburg, Germany/Helmut Hübener School), Cyrus Conolly (George Town, Cayman Islands/John Gray/Concord/Virginia Tech), Jose Coutinho (Lisboa, Portugal), Benjamin Ferrero (Esquel, Argentina/Argentinos Juniors), Benjamin Gaertner (Ingolstadt, Germany/FOS/BOS Ingolstadt),Ewen Martin (Auray, France/Notre Dame Le Menimur), Youssou Ouendeno (Paris, France/Western Illinois/Madonna), Kevin Peprah (Boyds, Md./Northwest/Rider), Nico Ramos (Cypress, Texas/Bridgeland), João Ratinho (Setubal, Portugal/Escola Secondaria de Palmela/Huntington/Oklahoma Christian), Christer Salvesen (Sandnes, Norway/Sandnes Upper Secondary School), Lucas Uliani (São Paulo, Brazil/Heitor Penteado) and Ezra Wallace (Madison, Wis./Vel Phillips Memorial/Green Bay).
"We are excited to welcome our 2025 recruiting class to campus," Gilbert said. "We feel that this incoming group will compliment a strong experienced group of players that we have returning. We believe that this group of young men will not only be successful on the field and in the classroom, but will also be positive and engaging members of the Longwood community.
"What initially stands out about this group is their willingness to compete and desire for growth as not only footballers, but men as well," Gilbert continued. "Lastly, I would be remiss if I did not thank my staff, Yuriy Sadula and Finn Jurak, for their work in bringing this class together, as well as everyone in the administration who plays a role in getting these players to campus."
Phil Appelt
5-10 • M
Guetersloh, Germany
Staedtisches Gymnasium Guetersloh
Dordt/Mid-America Christian
Appelt played three seasons (2021-22 and 2024) at Dordt, an NAIA institution in Sioux Center, Iowa. He transferred to Mid-America Christian, another NAIA school in Oklahoma City, Okla., for 2023. Appelt started all 55 matches in which he played at Dordt, totaling 10 goals and seven assists for 27 points with two game-winning goals. At Mid-America Christian, Appelt played 16 matches with two starts, scoring two goals.
Appelt earned 2022 Great Plains Athletic Conference honorable mention plaudits for Dordt and was also named an NAIA Scholar Athlete.
A graduate of Staedtisches Gymnasium Guetersloh, he played for the SC Verl 1924 Soccer Club, totaling four assists in a COVID-shortened 2020-21 season. Appelt accounted for 11 points on two goals and seven assists in 11 matches in 2019-20, as well.
Aaron Bruening
5-8 • F
Hamburg, Germany
Helmut Hübener School
Bruening split the 2024-25 season between SC Weiche Flensburg and Dassendorf. He made a combined 17 appearances, scoring one goal and two assists. He played 2023-24 with FC Voran Ohe, playing 29 matches with 15 goals and two assists.
Bruening also played three matches from 2021-23 with SC Eilbek, scoreing a goal in his only appearance in 2022-23.
A graduate of Helmut Hübener School, he was Student representative for the International Business program.
Syrus Conolly
6-3 • F
George Town, Cayman Islands
Virginia Tech/Concord/Central Community College
Conolly played the 2024 season at NCAA Division II Concord in Athens, W.Va., scored 12 goals and one assist in 21 matches, including 16 starts for the Mountain Lions. Finishing third in the Mountain East Conference in goals, Conolly ranks ninth in program history in career goals in just one season. His single-season points total of 25 during the 2024 season was sixth in program history, while scoring the fifth-most goals in a single season. Conolly was named to the D2CCA All-Atlantic Region Second Team and an All-Mountain East Conference Honorable Mention.
Conolly scored six goals over a three-game stretch with braces against Salem (Nov. 3), Charleston (Nov. 6) and Davis & Elkins (Nov. 13). He also helped Concord to its first win over nationally ranked Charleston in program history.
Conolly began his collegiate career at Central Community College in Columbus, Neb., for 2022-23. He scored 16 goals and four assists for 36 points, helping the Raiders to a 16-15-6 mark in his two seasons.
Conolly has the two fastest goals scored in Central program history at 16 and 13 seconds, respectively, set three days apart.
He enrolled at Virginia Tech for the spring 2025 semester, before transferring to Longwood.
Jose Coutinho
5-6 • F
Lisboa, Portugal
Coutinho comes to Farmville having played for youth clubs Atlético CP (2015-16), Colégio S. João Brito (2016-20), UD Alta Lisboa (2020-22) and SCU Torreense (2022-23). He also spent time with the under-17 national team of Portugal as well as Mafra U19 and Estoril U19 (2024-25) and Torreense S17 and Farense U19 (2023-24).
Benjamin Ferrero
6-0 • M/D
Esquel, Argentina
Argentinos Juniors
Ferrero played for Argentinos Juniors in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He also played 23 matches for CS Independiente Rivadavia II in 2024.
Benjamin Gaertner
5-8 • D
Ingolstadt, Germany
FOS/BOS Ingolstadt
Before coming to Longwood, Gaertner played 63 career matches with four different clubs from 2021-25. He notched one assist each with TV Aiglsbach in 2021-22 and SV 1910 Neuhof in 2022-23. He also played for FC Pipinsried in 2023-24 and FSV Fernwald in 2024-25.
Gaertner's father Harald is a soccer executive and manager who has enjoyed success both in Germany and Austria with FC Ingolstadt and SK Austria Klagenfurt. Currently, the elder Gaertner is the Managing Director, Sport of FC Wacker Innsbruck and Los Angeles Football Club of Major League Soccer's first-ever Managing Director of Europe.
Ewen Martin
5-7 • D/M
Auray, France
Notre Dame Le Menimur
Martin comes to Farmville from Auray France, where he played for Vannes OC, a club currently in the the fifth level of French soccer. He also spent time Auray FC.
Youssou Ouendeno
6-0 • GK
Paris, France
Western Illinois/Madonna
Ouendeno played two seasons at NCAA Division I Western Illinois (2023-24) and two at NAIA school Madonna (2021-22). He appeared in 16 matches for the Leathernecks, earning three victories with a 1.95 goals-against average and .670 save percentage.
Prior to that, Ouendeno was 21-3-8 with an 0.66 goals-against average and .871 save percentage with 14 clean sheets for the Crusaders. He helped Madonna to an unbeaten 15-0-6 mark and place in the 2022 NAIA national tournament.
Kevin Peprah
5-8 • M
Boyds, Md.
Rider
Peprah, a graduate transfer, who played four seasons at Rider from 2021-24 in the MAAC, appeared in 38 matches with three starts for the Broncs. He helped Rider to 2023 MAAC championship and NCAA first-round appearance as well as the 2024 MAAC regular-season title.
A two-time MAAC All-Academic Team selection, he also earned MAAC Honor Roll plaudits in 2023.
Peprah played for Bethesda Soccer Club in high school, earning 2019 Maryland State Cup and Jefferson Cup championships, along with the 2021 National League Championship. He was the National League Playoffs Top Scorer, a Maryland State Cup finalist, regional championships semifinals and participated in the 2021 National Championships.
Nico Ramos
6-3 • D
Cypress, Texas
Bridgeland
Ramos comes to Longwood having played two seasons (2023-25) of soccer at Bridgeland High School in Cypress, Texas. He was a two-time first team all-district selection, while being first team all-region, defensive MVP and top scorer in the district as a junior.
Ramos earned second team all-state, district MVP and was a team captain as a senior. He was also named a Houston all-star in his final season of prep soccer.
Ramos played club for GFI Academy in the United Premier Soccer League.
João Ratinho
6-1 • F
Setubal, Portugal
Huntington/Oklahoma Christian
Ratinho played three seasons (2022-24) at Huntington (Ind.), an NAIA institution, appearing in 60 matches, while scoring 32 goals — including nine game winners — and 10 assists for 74 points. He earned all-Crossroads League honorable mention plaudits in 2022 and 2024, helped the Foresters to a Crossroads League regular-season championship and an NAIA national tournament bid in 2024.
Ratinho began his career at Oklahoma Christian, an NCAA Division II school in Oklahoma City, in 2021. He played 11 matches for the Eagles, notching one assist.
Christer Salvesen
6-4 • M
Sandnes, Norway
Sandnes Upper Secondary School
Salvesen played 2023-25 for Sandnes Ulf, a second division club in Norway.
Lucas Uliani
6-0 • D
São Paulo, Brazil
Heitor Penteado
Uliani comes to Farmville having last played for EC XV de Piracicaba U20 from 2022-25. He helped the team win the Field Cup and also earn to a runner-up finish in the under-20 Paulista Cup.
Uliani played for youth clubs São Paulo Futebol Clube (2016-19) and Rio Branco Esporte Clube (2021-22). He trained for a 30-day period with in Genoa CFC and also had a two-month stint with Hellas Verona FC in Italy in 2020.
With São Paulo Futebol Clube, Uliani won the under-14 and under-15 Paulista Cups, both in 2018.
Ezra Wallace
5-11 • GK
Madison, Wis.
Vel Phillips Memorial
Green Bay
Wallace was a squad member at Division I Green Bay of the Horizon League in 2024. He did not appear in match action, but was part of team that was 11-7-2 and advanced to the conference semifinals.
Wallace spent time with both Madison 56ers and Bavarian Soccer Club in the youth system, playing MLS NEXT.
He graduated Vel Phillips Memorial High School, helping the Spartans to a runner-up finish in the Big 8 Conference in 2022.
Longwood opens the 2025 regular season on Aug. 21, hosting NCAA Division II Mount Olive. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m., on ESPN+.
