University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Mennell Unveils Addition of Five to 2019 Men’s Soccer Roster
11.15.2018 | Men's Soccer
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – UNC Asheville men's soccer head coach Mathes Mennell recently unveiled the addition of five new Bulldogs to the 2019 roster.
The newest Bulldogs represent four states with two from the state of North Carolina, one from Texas, one from Oklahoma and one from Florida.
"I am excited about these five young men becoming Bulldogs," Mennell said. "They are all excellent students, players and, most importantly, they all embody what we espouse here at UNC Asheville. I firmly believe that they are going to be great examples of our vision statement: 'Champions in Athletics and Leaders in Life.' With the graduation of Brandon Millington, Joe LaCasto, Tyler Moore and Brendan O'Dowd we knew we needed to replace a versatile defender, a box-to-box midfielder, a goalkeeper and a dynamic attacking player. This group of signees helps us to fill these gaps in our team.
"This class also shows our commitment to bringing quality players from Asheville and Highland Football Club, North Carolina Football Club and it shows that we are willing and able to bring elite players from other states and club setups to be part of our great university."
A local product out of Candler, N.C., Jarrett Payne joins the UNC Asheville men's soccer out of Enka High School. He plays his club soccer for HFC 00 Red. The 6-foot, 155-pound goalkeeper was a two-year team captain at Enka where he was a 2017 All-WMAC selection and the 2017 WMAC Goalkeeper of the Year.
"Jarrett is an excellent goalkeeper already and he is only going to get better," Mennell noted. "He has been a standout for both his HFC 00 Red team and at Enka High School. He has also been a rostered player with Asheville City Soccer Club the past two years. The part that excites me the most about Jarrett choosing UNC Asheville is it says a lot about what our current group is doing and that the top local talent continues to want to be part of our process."
Payne will be a mid-year enrollee and joins the program in January of 2019.
Andrew Rossetti joins the UNC Asheville men's soccer program out of Needham Broughton High School in Raleigh, N.C. He plays his club soccer for NCFC ECNL 00/01. A midfielder/forward, Rossetti was named to the Top Drawer Soccer Fall 2019 High School All-American Watch List. The 5-11, 160-pound Rossetti was named All-Conference in 2016, 2017 and 2018.
"Andrew is the latest player from NCFC to choose to be a Bulldog," Mennell said. "He has a great engine, loves to run at players, is keen to make an impact on the game from wide areas and is a very tough young man. He is going to be a nice addition to our team as a versatile right-sided player. He is going to be a lot of fun to work with here at UNC Asheville."
Kaleem Shabout comes to Asheville out of North Hills Preparatory School in the Dallas, Texas area. The Irving, Texas native plays his club soccer for the Solar Soccer Club. The 6-foot-4, 170-pound defender was selected to the USYS Region III 2000 Boys ODP Regional Team in 2016, 2017 and 2018.
"Kaleem is a unique athlete," Mennell said. "He has varsity letters in cross country, soccer and basketball. He brings this variety of skillsets to his play on the pitch as he is able to cover ground, is hard-nosed and is very good in the air. He is very two-footed and is able to play in a variety of positions and systems. These are qualities which make for very good defenders in the college game."
A 5-foot-5, 145-pound midfielder, Larsen Hackworth joins the Bulldogs out of IMG Academy. The Bradenton, Fla. native plays his club soccer for the IMG Academy U-19 US Soccer Development Academy. He is the son of Louisville City FC head coach John Hackworth.
"Larsen is a player that we have been recruiting for almost a year," Mennell said. "He has truly grown up around the game at the highest level and he comes from a great club environment as he plays for the IMG U-19 Academy in the US Soccer Development Academy. He is a very technical midfielder who has a very high I.Q. for the game. He is versatile, very tenacious and gritty and he understands the game. All of these will stand him in very good stead here at UNC Asheville and in the Big South."
Nate Holladay makes his way to Asheville out of Norman, Okla. where he plays his high school soccer for Norman High School. He plays his club soccer for Oklahoma Energy FC Central '00. The 5-foot-9, 160-pound goalkeeper was the team captain for his club team that won the 2018 Oklahoma state championship.
"Nate is a goalkeeper who we identified at our Summer 2018 'Train Like a Bulldog,'" Mennell said. "He is a very good shot stopper and is very good at marshalling his defense. His club team, OKC Energy 00 Elite, is one of the best teams in Oklahoma and he is a major part of their success. I am excited to add him into our corps of goalkeepers and I think he is ready to transition to the demands of the college game immediately."
To learn more about UNC Asheville men's soccer, please visit uncabulldogs.com.
The newest Bulldogs represent four states with two from the state of North Carolina, one from Texas, one from Oklahoma and one from Florida.
"I am excited about these five young men becoming Bulldogs," Mennell said. "They are all excellent students, players and, most importantly, they all embody what we espouse here at UNC Asheville. I firmly believe that they are going to be great examples of our vision statement: 'Champions in Athletics and Leaders in Life.' With the graduation of Brandon Millington, Joe LaCasto, Tyler Moore and Brendan O'Dowd we knew we needed to replace a versatile defender, a box-to-box midfielder, a goalkeeper and a dynamic attacking player. This group of signees helps us to fill these gaps in our team.
"This class also shows our commitment to bringing quality players from Asheville and Highland Football Club, North Carolina Football Club and it shows that we are willing and able to bring elite players from other states and club setups to be part of our great university."
A local product out of Candler, N.C., Jarrett Payne joins the UNC Asheville men's soccer out of Enka High School. He plays his club soccer for HFC 00 Red. The 6-foot, 155-pound goalkeeper was a two-year team captain at Enka where he was a 2017 All-WMAC selection and the 2017 WMAC Goalkeeper of the Year.
"Jarrett is an excellent goalkeeper already and he is only going to get better," Mennell noted. "He has been a standout for both his HFC 00 Red team and at Enka High School. He has also been a rostered player with Asheville City Soccer Club the past two years. The part that excites me the most about Jarrett choosing UNC Asheville is it says a lot about what our current group is doing and that the top local talent continues to want to be part of our process."
Payne will be a mid-year enrollee and joins the program in January of 2019.
Andrew Rossetti joins the UNC Asheville men's soccer program out of Needham Broughton High School in Raleigh, N.C. He plays his club soccer for NCFC ECNL 00/01. A midfielder/forward, Rossetti was named to the Top Drawer Soccer Fall 2019 High School All-American Watch List. The 5-11, 160-pound Rossetti was named All-Conference in 2016, 2017 and 2018.
"Andrew is the latest player from NCFC to choose to be a Bulldog," Mennell said. "He has a great engine, loves to run at players, is keen to make an impact on the game from wide areas and is a very tough young man. He is going to be a nice addition to our team as a versatile right-sided player. He is going to be a lot of fun to work with here at UNC Asheville."
Kaleem Shabout comes to Asheville out of North Hills Preparatory School in the Dallas, Texas area. The Irving, Texas native plays his club soccer for the Solar Soccer Club. The 6-foot-4, 170-pound defender was selected to the USYS Region III 2000 Boys ODP Regional Team in 2016, 2017 and 2018.
"Kaleem is a unique athlete," Mennell said. "He has varsity letters in cross country, soccer and basketball. He brings this variety of skillsets to his play on the pitch as he is able to cover ground, is hard-nosed and is very good in the air. He is very two-footed and is able to play in a variety of positions and systems. These are qualities which make for very good defenders in the college game."
A 5-foot-5, 145-pound midfielder, Larsen Hackworth joins the Bulldogs out of IMG Academy. The Bradenton, Fla. native plays his club soccer for the IMG Academy U-19 US Soccer Development Academy. He is the son of Louisville City FC head coach John Hackworth.
"Larsen is a player that we have been recruiting for almost a year," Mennell said. "He has truly grown up around the game at the highest level and he comes from a great club environment as he plays for the IMG U-19 Academy in the US Soccer Development Academy. He is a very technical midfielder who has a very high I.Q. for the game. He is versatile, very tenacious and gritty and he understands the game. All of these will stand him in very good stead here at UNC Asheville and in the Big South."
Nate Holladay makes his way to Asheville out of Norman, Okla. where he plays his high school soccer for Norman High School. He plays his club soccer for Oklahoma Energy FC Central '00. The 5-foot-9, 160-pound goalkeeper was the team captain for his club team that won the 2018 Oklahoma state championship.
"Nate is a goalkeeper who we identified at our Summer 2018 'Train Like a Bulldog,'" Mennell said. "He is a very good shot stopper and is very good at marshalling his defense. His club team, OKC Energy 00 Elite, is one of the best teams in Oklahoma and he is a major part of their success. I am excited to add him into our corps of goalkeepers and I think he is ready to transition to the demands of the college game immediately."
To learn more about UNC Asheville men's soccer, please visit uncabulldogs.com.
Players Mentioned
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