Men’s Soccer Announces Roster Additions For 2018 Squad

Photo by: Joe Murphy

Men’s Soccer Announces Roster Additions For 2018 Squad

May 17, 2018 | Men's Soccer

Thirteen new players will don the Blue and Gray next season

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The University of Memphis men's soccer team and head coach Richard Mulrooney have announced the 13 newcomers for the 2018 squad. Three players joined the Tigers this spring while 10 will be new in the fall.

"The collection of the athletes that are coming in are a perfect complement to what we have on our team now," said Mulrooney. "They will provide depth in all positions on the field. All of these student-athletes have an expectation from the staff that they can contribute in some capacity their first year in Memphis."

Sam Ashton
6-0 | F/M | Waterlooville, Hampshire
Concord University

Ashton joined the Tigers this spring from Waterlooville, Hampshire and Concord University. As a freshman at Concord, Ashton was named to the All-Freshman Team and to the Honorable Mention list with seven goals and two assists. The next season, Ashton received Second-Team All-Conference honors as well as All-Atlantic Region Third-Team honors with nine goals and three assists.

A striker in high school, Ashton led his 2013 and 2014 teams to a championship. In 50 games played for the First Team, Ashton scored 36 total goals. He also had a game where he scored eight goals in a single match.

Ashton was a member of the Horndean Hawks Club Team from 2009-15 where he won two championships in 2012 and 2013. He was a three-time Golden Boot winner and in all, he scored over 150 goals for his team.

Artur De Luca
6-2 | M/D | Sao Paulo, Brazil
San Jacinto College

De Luca also joined the Tigers this past spring after competing at San Jacinto College. A versatile player, De Luca played in the midfield and on the back line while at San Jacinto. Last season, his team finished with a 13-4 overall record.

From 2010-12, De Luca played club soccer with Grêmio Barueri as well as União Suzano A.C. in 2015. He also participated on the A.A. Caldense's Senior Team during the preseason.

Jack Edwards
6-1 | D | Jackson, Tenn.
University School of Jackson

Edwards, a native of Jackson, was a five-year starter at the University School of Jackson after starting his eighth-grade season. A versatile player, Edwards saw time on the back line, in the midfield, and up top as a forward. In eighth grade, Edwards was named an All-State Honorable Mention pick and was on the All-State Team the next three seasons.

Currently, Edwards is third in school history in goals scored and first in assists. He was a member of the Jackson Futbol Club from 2005-14 and the Collierville Lobos Rush Premier team from 2014-18.

Atakelti Gebregzabher
5-11 | M/F | Gallatin, Tenn.
Station Camp HS

Born in Monoksoito, Eritrea, Gebregzabher comes to Memphis from Station Camp High School in Gallatin, Tenn. A versatile player, Gebregzabher has seen action all over the pitch in high school. In 2017, Gebregzabher helped lead his team to a 22-0-2 overall record and a TSSAA Class 3 AAA State Championship.

Gebregzabher earned All-Tournament Team honors as a freshman and All-District Team honors his sophomore and junior seasons. In 2017, Gebregzabher finished with 23 goals scored and 14 assists in 21 matches played. In his first three seasons, Station Camp had an overall record of 68-4-2 and district record of 21-0. He also has competed with the Tennessee United Soccer Club for the past two seasons.

Tyler Hofmann
6-3 | GK | Lewisville, Texas
Dallas Baptist University

Hofmann joined Memphis this spring from Dallas Baptist University. As a freshman, Hofmann saw action in eight matches with seven starts. He registered a pair of shutouts for DBU and posted a team-best 49 saves.

He backed his freshman year up with over 1200 minutes in net as a sophomore. He finished with 56 total saves in 2017 including 10 against Texas A&M International. Hofmann finished with three shutouts in 2017 and five in his two-year career.

Ford Hunt
6-2 | F/M | Birmingham, Ala.
Vestavia Hills HS

Hunt joins Memphis from Vestavia Hills High School. Prior to attending Vestavia Hills, Hunt was living in his hometown of Johannesburg, South Africa where he competed at the American International School of Johannesburg in soccer and in track and field. During his first two years of high school, Hunt's team contended for the International Schools of Southern and Eastern Africa Championship and they won it during his freshman year.

Last season at Vestavia Hills, Hunt was involved in over 20 goals including a game where he scored twice and assisted twice against Fairhope. Throughout his career, he was responsible for over 50 goals scored.

During his track and field days, Hunt competed in the 100, 200, and 400-meter dashes as well as the 4x100 meter relay. He was also a member of the Vestavia Hills Soccer Club where he helped lead his team to an 18-3-2 overall record last year.

Alexandros Ierides
5-11 | M | Conway, S.C.
Coastal Carolina

A native of Nicosia, Cyprus, Ierides spent last season as a member of the Coastal Carolina men's soccer program. Playing in 21 matches with starts in two of them, Ierides finished the season with two goals and one assists in 521 total minutes. Coastal Carolina finished the 2017 season with a 14-7-1 overall record and a berth into the NCAA Tournament.

Prior to coming to the states, Ierides competed for the APOEL F.C. from 2008 to 2016. He helped lead his club squad to five championships while also being a member of the Cyprus U17 and U19 National Team.

Parker Lackland
6-0 | GK | Richardson, Texas
Richardson

Lackland comes to Memphis from Richardson, Texas and Richardson High School where he was a two-sport athlete. In addition to competing on the basketball team as a point guard, Lackland was a four-year varsity letter winner as a goalkeeper. He has earned First-Team All-District and First-Team All-City while in high school. One of his top performances came against Allen High School where he recorded 16 saves.

He was a member of the Texas Football Club 00 Boys U11 and U13 team as well as the Solar Soccer Club 99 U14 and U16 team. From there, he was a part of the Solar Soccer Club 00 Development Academy U17 and U19 team. On those teams, he was the team captain six times.

Peyton McKnatt
5-9 | M | Germantown, Tenn.
Houston High School/Northwest Mississippi CC

McKnatt comes to Memphis from Northwest Mississippi Community College where he has spent the previous two seasons as a midfielder for the Rangers. In two years, McKnatt scored 12 goals with 10 assists in 18 matches played.

Prior to attending Northwest Mississippi, McKnatt was a standout athlete at Houston High School in Germantown, Tenn. where he was a two-time All-American for coach David Wolff. As a senior, he helped lead his 22-2-1 Mustangs to a 2015 state title.

McKnatt will spend this summer as a member of the Memphis City FC, a Premier Development League (PDF) franchise.

Trent Morrison
5-10 | M/D | Lake City, Fla.
Columbia High School

Morrison, a native of Lake City, Florida, will join the Tigers from Columbia High School where he competed as an attacking midfielder and outside back. A four-year letterwinner in soccer, Morrison also earned a letter on the varsity football team.

Last season, Morrison helped lead his team to an 18-4-2 overall record. He has been a three-time All-State and three-time All-Area selection. Against Taylor County, Morrison scored a career-high four goals in a match. He also has recorded five assists in a match against Ft. White. As a junior, he finished with 19 goes and 9 assists.

In his high school career, Morrison has been responsible for 137 total goals at his high school with 78 goals scored and 59 assists. The 137 goals created is the most in Columbia history.

Morrison also was a member of the Leg-A-Z Caimans team from 2015-18 where they won the Florida State Cup in 2017. His team was also the Weston Cup Champions three years in a row.

Torbjorn Rosvoll
5-11 | M | Oslo, Norway
Oslo Handelsgymnasium

A native of Oslo, Norway, Rosvoll has played soccer since he learned how to walk. Rosvoll is a 14-year member of the Ullern IF where he earned top scorer honors on the U19. One of his outstanding matches with the Ullern U19 team was six goals in a match in 2015.

Rosvoll has scored over 30 goals throughout his Ullern career including 20 goals in 29 U19 appearances.

Gurman Sangha
6-1 | M/F | Coquitlam, B.C.
University Hill Secondary

Sangha comes to Memphis from Coquitlam, British Columbia where he attended University Hill Secondary. As a member of the Whitecaps FC, Sangha helped his team rank in the top four in the USSDA last year.

With three years on the Whitecaps squad, Sangha has scored 11 goals and registered 14 assists in 31 appearances.

Michael Thornton
5-9 | M/F | Toronto, Ontario
Monarch Park Collegiate

Thornton has a vast amount of international experience as he attended International College Spain in Madrid, Spain for the first two years of high school before finishing his career at the Monarch Park Collegiate Institute in Toronto, Canada.

He also has had the opportunity to participate with soccer clubs in Italy such as A.S. Roma, A.C. Milan, Inter Milan, U.C. Sampdoria, and Delfino Pescara where he was invited by the head coach to train with the first team.

He is also a member of the Canadian National Arena Soccer Team as well as the Toronto Blizzard, Hi Profile – Canada, Toronto Fusion FC and the Alcobendas-Levitt CF in Madrid, Spain. Thorton helped lead his Toronto Fusion squad to a U17 League Championship in 2016 and a U20 Men's Supergroup Championship.