Winthrop head men’s soccer coach Daniel Ridenhour has nine incoming Eagles in their 2018 recruiting class. These incoming players include: Davis Bryan, Andres Carvajal, Chandler Gaunce, Carter Jefferies, Jayden Mace, Jordi Mola, Alfie Rogers and Matthew Woodington. The Eagles head into the season with these nine newcomers joining 15 newcomers, six of which are starters.
“We have eagerly awaited to announce our 2018 class. There have been some loose ends to tie up and we still expect to add a few more players to this group. These young men will represent Winthrop University very well in all aspects,” said Ridenhour.
The Winthrop coaching staff says that collectively they all want to push to get better and improve their team. “There are some things we needed with this group. Our staff has done a tremendous job in getting the right young men for Winthrop,” said Ridenhour.
This year the Eagles have a diverse group of men playing for this team. “We have very creative players, some guys that are blue collar, guys that can score goals, and every one of them are hard workers,” said Ridenhour.
The head coach gave additional credit to coaching staff member Phil Hindson for managing and directing the needed recruiting for this season. Assistant Kyle Kenney also helped with these achievements.
The coaching staff believes that their current group of players is a good representation not only for Winthrop University, but the state of South Carolina itself. “I think it is also noteworthy that we have a number of players from the state of South Carolina. We have made a concerted effort to find players in our backyard,” said Ridenhour.
“Our staff is looking forward to August rolling around so that we can get back onto the training pitch with our team. Working to integrate our current players with the new guys is always fun and our returners certainly had a very positive spring 2018 in all phases of the game,” said Ridenhour.