August 1, 2011

Men’s Soccer Announces Part Two of 2011 Freshmen Class

MACON, Ga. – Mercer men’s soccer head coach Brad Ruzzo’s tireless work on the recruiting trail is finally complete as he announced Part Two of his 2011 incoming freshmen class on Monday afternoon.

 

All four of these student-athletes (Greg Ranjitsingh, Carl-Oscar Andersson, Ashani Samuels and Ehjayson Henry) have already been accepted to Mercer and will join six other newcomers and 15 returnees from last year’s 10-6-1 squad on campus this fall.

 

The second part of Ruzzo’s 2011 recruiting class definitely has an international flavor, with all four players currently residing outside the United States. Ranjitsingh (Canada), Andersson (Sweden), Samuels (Jamaica) and Henry (Saint Kitts) will all make their way to Macon for preseason workouts, which begin on August 9.  

 

Here is an inside look at the second batch of recruits that comprise the Bears’ 2011 signing class:

 

Greg Ranjitsingh

Position: Goalkeeper
Hometown: Pickering, Ontario
High School: Notre Dame Catholic
Club Team: SIGMA FC

Club Coach: Bobby Smyrniotis
Height: 6'1"

Weight: 165 lbs.

 

Bio:

Played for the SIGMA FC under head coach Bobby Smyrniotis in the Ontario Soccer League … Helped lead the club to an OSL U-21 League Championship in 2010 … Was named the OSL U-21 Goalkeeper of the Year the same season after registering a 0.88 shutout percentage … Active member of the U-20 Trinidad and Tobago National Team.

 

What they are saying about Ranjitsingh:                                                             

“Greg has the chance to compete right away for our starting goalkeeping position this fall. He brings quick reaction time, strong save ability and overall composure to goal. Greg has the ability to be a top-end goalkeeper in our league and we look forward to working with him in the fall.”

Brad Ruzzo- Head Men’s Soccer Coach Mercer University  

 

Ashani Samuels  

Position: Midfielder
Hometown: West Moreland, Jamaica
High School: Mannings School
High School Coach: Aaron Lawrence

Club Team: Sandals Whitehouse
Height: 6'4"

Weight: 166 lbs.

 

Bio:

Member of the Jamaican U-20 National Team … Starred for his Sandals Whitehouse club team that won the top division of the Major League Knockouts league and advanced all the way to the semi-finals of the Flow Champions Cup.

 

What they are saying about Samuels:                                                                  

“Ashani brings great experience from his days with the U-20 National Team program in Jamaica. He has the size, athletic ability and versatility to play anywhere on the field. He is a very good individual defender, tactically understands the game and with his pace and size could be a dominate player for us for years to come.”

Brad Ruzzo- Head Men’s Soccer Coach Mercer University              

 

Ehjayson Henry

Position: Forward
Hometown: Harris Village, Saint Kitts
High School: Cayon High School
High School Coach: Paul Stevens

Club Team: Mantab FC

Club Coach: Lenworth Harris
Height: 5'10"

Weight: 165 lbs.

 

Bio:

Transferred to Mercer from Penn State where he appeared in four games as a true freshman under head coach Bob Warming … Honored with Junior Excellence Award for Men’s Soccer High School Male of the Year in 2006 ... Also in 2006, scored the most goals among National Banks Schools and was awarded with the National Bank School Men’s Soccer MVP ... Active member of the Saint Kitts U-20 National Team … Played striker for Mantab Club Team in the National Super League and the SKNFA Digicel Premier Division under head coach Lenworth Harris ... Served as captain of the Saint Kitts National U-17 team for two years (2007-08) ... Plans to major in mechanical engineering at Mercer.     

 

What they are saying about Henry:                                                                              

“Ehjay, transferring in from Penn State, brings incredible versatility and athletic ability to us in the attacking half of the field. He can play up top or wide for us, but is very explosive at either position. Ehjay adds another dimension for us due to his ability to run at players while using his pace to be a dangerous attacking player.”

Brad Ruzzo- Head Men’s Soccer Coach Mercer University  

 

Carl-Oscar Andersson  

Position: Midfielder
Hometown: Falkenberg, Sweden
High School: Falkenbergs Gymnasium

Club Team: Falkenbergs FF

Club Coach: Tomas Askebrand
Height: 6'1"

Weight: 163 lbs.

 

Bio:

Played for Falkenbergs FF under head coach Tomas Askenbrand … Helped squad win the Elite League title in the 2009 Outdoor Regional and finish runner-up in the 2009 National Indoor Championship … Named best talent on the club for the 2010 season ... Selected to multiple Swedish regional teams and Swedish elite camps.    

 

What they are saying about Andersson:                                                                          

“We are very excited that Carl-Oscar will be joining us this fall. He brings a composed mindset to our attacking game with his technique and creative ability on the ball. He also brings a wealth of experience to our team due to his high level of play in Sweden.”

Brad Ruzzo- Head Men’s Soccer Coach Mercer University