Men's Soccer Announces Six Spring Signees

ASHEVILLE, N.C. - The UNC Asheville men's soccer program has announced the addition of six student-athletes to the program for the Spring 2024 term today (Friday, Jan. 19). Head Coach Mick Giordano and his staff would like to welcome Louis Beckett, Mark Gallagher, Nathan Montini, Xander Naguib, Rinta Takagi and Charlie Wood to the Bulldog program this January.

"First, I want to thank the staff for their efforts to bring in another excellent group of student-athletes to UNC Asheville," said Giordano. "Once more, a job well done by Joe LaCasto for leading our recruitment efforts. The winter transfer window is always an important yet challenging time with such a quick turnaround. His organization, enthusiasm and work rate continue to shine as he ensures we add not only good players, but good people into our university."

"We are thrilled to have Louis, Mark, Nathan, Xander, Rinta and Charlie join our team this Spring." Giordano continued. "Coming off an exciting Fall 2023 season, our staff knew that we had to continue to raise the expectations internally to achieve growth in our process. All six will help in these efforts with raising the standards internally while bringing quality and a special uniqueness to our program as we strive to compete within the challenging Big South Conference. Most importantly, we cannot speak highly enough about the character as individuals. They will add to our university within the classroom, within the community and on the field."

Louis Beckett | Midfielder | Junior | Old Dominion | Bridlington, United Kingdom
• Transferred from Old Dominion
• Played in 26 career games while starting 15 at ODU
• Contributed two goals and three assists during 1,433 minutes played
• Prior to his time at Old Dominion, played for Hull City's Academy

From Coach Giordano: "Louis is a traditional box-to-box midfielder. His work rate and commitment to relentless competition was obvious right away. He has the football IQ and quality to be a threat with his passing range while also arriving into the box to be a presence at the goal."

Mark Gallagher | Forward | Sophomore | Washington | Dundalk, Ireland
• Transferred from University of Washington
• Prior to Washington, played for Shattuck St. Mary's in the MLS Next Academy League
• Helped lead Shattuck St Mary's to the MLS Next Playoffs with his attacking prowess

From Coach LaCasto: "Mark is coming to Asheville from one of the best and most respected college soccer programs in the country. He is a versatile attacking player who can impact the game in many ways. His ability to create chances for himself and his teammates has our staff very excited about adding him to our group."

Nathan Montini | Defender | Sophomore | George Mason | Brasilton, Georgia
• Transferred from George Mason University
• Prior to George Mason, played for Atlanta Fire United in the ECNL
• Named to the 2022-2023 Atlantic 10 Commissioner's Honor Roll
• Four-year starter for Buford High School, named First Team All-Region and First Team All-County while captaining his team

From Coach Giordano: "Nathan is a modern-day defender with power, athleticism, and composed technical ability. He fits the mold of what we ask from our backline and will add another dynamic with his physical presence."

Xander Naguib | Midfielder | Sophomore | Tulsa | Frisco, Texas
• Transferred from Tulsa University
• Played in the 2022 NCAA Tournament apart of the Tulsa program
• Prior to Tulsa, played for Dallas Texans Academy in the ECNL
• Captained the team to the ECNL semi-finals in 2021
• Named ECNL All-Conference First Team in 2021
• Four-year starter for Reedy High School, captained them in Junior and Senior Years while being named All-District First Team
• Graduated High School Cum Laude

From Coach LaCasto: "Xander is a player we feel extremely fortunate to add to our group. He is a grinder and true defensive midfielder in all aspects. He can play a variety of passes in possession but also adds a defensive tenacity to our group and a knack for putting in strong tackles."

Rinta Takagi | Midfielder | Junior | Southern Nazarene University | Shizuoka, Japan
• Transferred from Southern Nazarene University
• Played in 29 career games while starting 16 at SNU
• Contributed two goals and three assists during 1,443 minutes played
• Played in the 2021 and the 2022 NCAA Division II National Tournament
• Won the Great American Conference Titles in both 2021 and 2022
• Was named to All-GAC/MIAA Second Team in 2023

From Coach Giordano: "Rinta is a proven winner. He has been nothing but successful at SNU. His ability to press and play in tight spaces at the college level is tremendous. We love his pure ability on the ball, but even more so love his energy and desire to cover ground."

Charlie Wood | Midfielder | Freshman | Bradford City FC | Addingham, United Kingdom
• First year player coming out of the Bradford City FC
• Advanced to the Fourth Round of the FA Youth Cup
• In his U18 year, he played every minute for his club and was named to the LFE 22 consisting of individuals with a combination of the best football accomplishments and academic marks

From Coach LaCasto: "Charlie is a truly exciting player who we know will only add to our already strong midfield group. He has a fantastic football IQ and mentality to him. His ability to create chances not only with his passing, but also with his dribbling, and off the ball movement really stand out to our staff."

University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics

Men's Soccer Announces Six Spring Signees

Players Mentioned

Louis Beckett

Mark Gallagher

Nathan Montini

Xander Naguib

Rinta Takagi

Charlie Wood

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