Clayton State head coach Pete Petersen announced that eight new
men's soccer players will join the team for the 2009 campaign.
Petersen announced this season’s Clayton State men’s
soccer recruiting class of eight newcomers on Tuesday. It’s
comprised of thee four-year transfers, three junior college
transfers and two freshmen newcomers. Clayton State reports for
preseason practice on Aug. 9, and the Lakers open the 2009 season
on Aug. 27 at Nova Southeastern.
The newcomers this season at Clayton State include four-year
transfers Brian Endres (defender – Erskine), Igor Lukic
(defender-Mid-Continent) and Brian Forero (midfielder-Georgia
State), plus junior college transfers Alargie Jobe
(forward-Northern Oklahoma Junior College), David Hunter
(forward-South Georgia College) and Deni Lulic (midfielder-Tyler
Junior College).
Freshmen Angelo Suarez (goalkeeper-Collins Hill High
School/Concorde Fire) and Bobby Dodd (midfielder-Fayette County
High School/Fayette Lightning) round out the 2009 Laker men’s
soccer recruiting class. Clayton State returns eight starters and
17 players total from last season’s team that finished 9-5-4
overall and 3-0-3 in the Peach Belt Conference.
“This is not near as big a class as last season (20
newcomers), but each of these players will come in expected to
contribute immediately,” said Petersen, 58-26-14 entering his
sixth season at Clayton State. “All of these players are
proven at a high level and should be difference-makers this season
for us.”
Up front, the additions of Jobe and Hunter should make the Laker
offensive attack near lethal.
At 6-foot-7 and 215 pounds, Jobe is a physical specimen who will be
a sophomore with three seasons of eligibility remaining. The native
of Orebro, Sweden, was an NJCAA All-Region selection as a freshman
at Northern Oklahoma, scoring 11 goals with five assists for 27
points. Hunter, a 6-2, 170-pounder from Augusta, Ga., was also an
NJCAA All-Region selection last season, leading South Georgia in
scoring with 14 goals and seven assists for 35 points.
This duo joins returning forward Leighton Fredericks, who was the
PBC Freshman of the Year and an All-Region selection last season,
plus Matthias Faublas and Ryan Pugh to give the Lakers plenty of
scoring punch up front for the 2009 season.
Petersen landed two key ingredients to the Clayton State midfield
with the additions of Forero and Lulic.
Forero joined the Lakers this past spring after playing the 2007
season at Georgia State, starting 14 of the Panthers’ 18
games in midfield. The sophomore from Fayetteville, Ga., was a
standout at Whitewater High School, where he was both All-Region
and All-County as a senior. In addition, he was a part of the
Georgia State ODP team and the Region III ODP team for five
seasons.
Lulic, a product of Central Gwinnett High School in Lawrenceville,
Ga., continues the strong Laker pipeline of standouts from Tyler
Junior College. In his two seasons at Tyler, he helped pace the
program to a combined 26-8-1 record and a NJCAA national ranking.
Lulic scored six goals and four assists for 14 points as a
freshman, and one goal and three assists this past season. He
earned NSCAA JUCO Division I All-West Region honors.
Like Forero, Lulic was also a Georgia State and Region ODP
player.
In addition to Forero and Lulic, Dodd will be a nice addition to
the Clayton State midfield after enjoying a stellar prep career at
Fayette County High School. He was club teammates with both Endres
and Pugh for the Fayette Lightning. These three midfielders bolster
an already strong Laker midfield, led by All-PBC standouts Kyle
Timm and Matty Phillips.
Lukic and Endres give the Lakers both size and experience to a
stellar defense. Lukic, a 6-2, 180-pounder from Sabac, Serbia,
started two seasons for NAIA power Mid-Continent. He was a two-time
All-TransSouth Conference selection and NCCAA All-American
selection last season. The 6-0, 180-pound Endres played the last
three seasons at Erskine, earning NSCAA All-Region honors as a
sophomore.
They will be looked upon to continue the Clayton State defensive
legacy of physical play and low goals-against average with seniors
Jordan Gilbert, Liam Brown, and junior Brett Neilsen. Another
newcomer, who was redshirted last season after transferring from
Coker, that Petersen is very high on for this season is Sam Bevan.
The 6-4 freekick specialist returns as a possible starting
centerback.
Petersen tabbed his “Goalkeeper of the Future” with the
addition of Suarez. He enjoyed a stellar prep career at Collins
Hill High School in Lawrenceville, and was one of the top-rated
goalkeepers in the region for his club team Concorde Fire, also
being the third additional State and Regional III ODP player added
to this year’s roster.
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