Wake Forest Announces Seven Men's Soccer Signees
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
February 11, 1999
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.-Wake Forest head coach Jay Vidovich has announced the signing of seven players for the 1999 men's soccer season. The group, which includes two of the nation's top 10 high school players as well as two international talents, ranks as one of the top recruiting classes in the nation and is perhaps the most heralded class in the history of the Wake Forest program.
"I am extremely excited about this recruiting class," said Vidovich. "These players are truly winners both on and off the field. They bring an outstanding level of individual talent as well as a wealth of international experience. Together, they have already won a staggering number of games and championships in their careers. This is without a doubt the strongest recruiting class we've had since I've been at Wake Forest, and I feel these players will enable us to take our program to the next level."
The Wake Forest men's soccer 1999 recruiting class:
* Bobby Gehring (MF/F, 5-10, 165, Amsterdam, Netherlands/Amstelveen College) An outstanding international player, Gehring was the three-time captain of the Dutch National Team (1994-96). He played seven years with the Ajax Youth Club of Amsterdam, which is widely regarded as one of the top clubs in the world. Gehring has scored 148 goals in his career.
* Adam Hakes (MF/F, 6-2, 175, Phoenix, AZ/Shadow Mountain H.S.) Hakes is an all-region and all-state midfielder who helped his Shadow Mountain team to the 1997 Arizona high school state championship. On the club level, he played with the AZFC Hammers, who were the four-time Arizona state club champions. Hakes was an ODP Region 4 finalist in 1995 and played in the prestigious adidas ESP summer league in 1998.
* Andrew Rosenband (F/MF, 5-8, 145, Hammond, IN/Lab School of Chicago) Rosenband was the two-time high school conference player of the year, scoring 114 goals during his career. He has been a member of the Indiana State Team since 1996 and was in the ODP Region 2 Pool. Rosenband is one of three WFU recruits who played with Chicago's Windy City Soccer club.
* Kalle Siira (D/MF, 6-0, 170, Espoo, Finland/transfer-USC Spartanburg) Another international talent, Siira played the past two seasons with USC Spartanburg, helping the Rifles to the NCAA Division II finals in 1997 and the regional finals in 1998. He earned NSCAA All-South honors both years and was an NCAA Divison II First-Team All-American last fall. In Finland, Siira played with the FC Honka club team.
* Aaron Thomas (D/MF, 5-9, 145, Downingtown, PA/Downingtown) One of the top recruits in the nation, Thomas is a four-time member of the U.S. National Team and a two-time Parade All-American. He earned NSCAA All-America honors in 1998 and NSCAA Youth All-America honors in '96 and '97 and was the 1998 NSCAA Pennsylvania High School Player of the Year. A four-time first-team all-league and Daily News All-Area pick, he led Downingtown to league titles in 1997 and '98 and to a state championship in '98. His club team, FC Delco, won two state titles ('97, '98). Thomas also played for the USYSA Eastern PA state team for seven years ('92-'98) and the USYSA Region 1 Team for four years ('94-'98). His older sister, Rachel, played for the Demon Deacon women's soccer team from 1995-98 and will graduate from WFU this spring.
* Paul Vogel (D/MF, 6-0, 165, St. Charles, IL/St. Charles H.S.) Vogel has been a member of the Illinois State Team since 1995 and currently plays with Rosenband (above) and Wickart (below) on the Windy City Soccer Club in the Chicago area. In 1998, he led his Chicago Magic club team to a regional championship as well as a third-place finish in the national tournament.
* Kevin Wickart (D, 6-2, 170, Lisle, IL/Naperville North) Also one of the top high school prospects in the nation, Wickart has been a member of the U.S. Under-18 Team since 1995. He is a two-time high school conference player of the year, earning NSCAA All-America honors after leading his team to the Illinois state championship in 1998. Wickart has also been a member of the ODP Region 2 team since 1995 and plays on the Windy City Soccer Club with Rosenband and Vogel (above).