Men’s Soccer Announces Recruiting Class

Bronx, N.Y. – (April 15, 2016) – Fordham men's soccer head coach Jim McElderry announced the addition of seven players for next season on Friday.  The group includes transfer student Cole Stevenson (Leawood, Kans./Rockhurst (Denver)), Connor DeFilippis (Ballston Spa, N.Y./Ballston Spa), Bart Dziedzic (Darien, Conn./Darien), Dantae Greer (Fair Lawn, N.J./Fair Lawn), Michael Helgesen (Suffern, N.Y./Don Bosco Prep), Matthew McCann (Potomac, Md./Gonzaga College HS), and Nicholas Meyer (Manasquan, N.J./Christian Brothers Academy).
 
"My staff and I are excited about this year's class," said McElderry.  "Coach Wyse and Coach Barbach have done a great job with the group. We have players committed from five different states. This class has a good mixture of attacking quality, work rate and personality.  I have no doubt we are bringing in players that can match the expectations we have for our group both on and off the field. I am very much looking forward to our 2016 season."

 
Stevenson, a 5-8 forward, comes to Fordham after two seasons at the University of Denver, where he helped the Pioneers to back-to-back Summit League titles and NCAA tournament appearances.  He appeared in 36 games over the last two seasons, tallying six goals and two assists for 14 points.  Five of those six goals for Stevenson came in 2015, which tied for the team lead.
 
Prior to his time at Denver, Stevenson played club soccer for Sporting Kansas City, the same program that current Ram Matthew Lewis came from.  He led the team in goal scoring three consecutive years.  He also played high school soccer at Rockhurst High School, where he was a Missouri Class 3A Western Region Honorable Mention selection.
 
McElderry on Cole Stevenson - "We are very happy Cole joined us this January. Cole has played and scored goals at the Division I level already. Helping his transition is the fact he is a former teammate of current player Matt Lewis with the Sporting Kansas City Academy. He is ultra-competitive and works hard on both sides of the ball. I expect Cole to fit in quickly with our team and have an immediate impact."

 
DeFilippis, a 6-1 forward, was a four-year varsity soccer player at Ballston Spa High School in New York, where he earned All-State, All-Region, and All-America honors from the NSCAA in 2015.  He was selected as the 2015 Capital District Section II and Class AA Player of the Year, the Albany Times Union Athlete of the Year, and The Saratogian Soccer Player of the Year, after netting 22 goals and seven assists his senior year.  A team captain in his final season and a two-time team MVP, DeFilippis was named to the Suburban Council and Saratogian All-Star teams in each of his last three seasons (2013-15).  He was also a part of the NYSPHSAA Scholar Athlete Team Award, given to Ballston Spa in 2014-15.
 
In club action, DeFilippis played for NY Elite FC as well as for ODP Region 1.  He was an ODP Region 1 pool player for the U16 and U17 level, playing in the Future Champions Gauteng Cup in Johannesburg, South Africa and the Inter-Regional Tournament in December 2013 and 2014.  For NY Elite FC, he was a part of the 2013 Atlantic Soccer League Championship team as well as a participant in the U.S Club Soccer National Cup XII in 2013.

 
McElderry on DeFilippis - "Connor has the ability to play multiple positions well. He is athletic and has an eye for goal. He is not only a good player, but also a leader on his high school team as well as his NY Elite club side. He has earned the respect of coaches and players alike, which is why he was voted as an NSCAA All-American this past season while playing at Ballston Spa High School."
 
Dziedzic, a 5-10 midfielder, was a varsity soccer player at Darien High School in Connecticut, but has made a name for himself at the club level, competing for the New York Soccer Club, New York Red Bulls Academy, and Everton FC Westchester Academy.  He has traveled to a number of European locations to train and compete.  Among those spots, he has traveled to Poland, making the Jagiellonia Youth Academy, and England, where he played with Everton, Brighton Albion & Hove, and Brentford.  Currently, Dziedzic is in Germany, playing in the U19 Bundesliga with Rot-Wiess Erfurt.
 
McElderry on Dziedzic - "Bart is a skillful midfielder, who can play in an attacking or defensive role.  Bart has a real passion for the game and is willing to work to improve his game. He has gained valuable experience playing with Everton FC Westchester and with his multiple training opportunities recently in England, Poland and Germany."

 
Greer is a 6-0 forward, who attended Fair Lawn High School in New Jersey, where has was a member of the National Honor Society and an honor roll student.  He has played club soccer for the New York Red Bull Academy and Everton FC Westchester.  He was ranked in the Top 150 by TopDrawerSoccer in both 2014 and 2016, and attended the Jamaica U17 & U20 National Team Camp in 2015 and 2016, respectively.
 
McElderry on Greer - "Dantae is a goal scorer, plain and simple. He has led his team in goals each and every year, whether that was with the New York Red Bull Academy or Everton FC Westchester Academy. He works extremely hard as a forward, both with and without the ball. I think he will transition quickly to the college game."
 
Helgesen is a 6-0 forward, who was a four-year varsity soccer player at Don Bosco Prep in New Jersey.  A team captain as a senior, he was named Offensive Player of the Year and All-State in 2015 after registering a team-high 16 goals.  He earned All-County honors three times (2013-15) and finished his career with 38 goals.  For club soccer, Helgesen played for World Class FC, where he helped the team win the EDP Championship in 2015.

 
McElderry on Helgesen - "Mike is a big, strong, attacking player from Don Bosco Prep and World Class FC. He can play as a center forward or as a withdrawn forward. Mike can score goals from distance with his ability to strike the ball. I expect Mike to make a quick transition to college soccer."
 
McCann, a 5-7 midfielder, was a three-year varsity soccer player for Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C.  A 2015 team captain, he was a three-time First Team WCAC All-Conference selection (2013-15), a 2015 DC All-State pick, and a Washington Post All-Metropolitan Honorable Mention honoree.  He led Gonzaga in goals and assists each of the last two years, and was the WCAC leading scorer in 2015 with 14 goals and 13 assists for 41 points.
 
For club soccer, McCann played for the MSC Falcons, where he was the team captain in 2015 and helped the U17 team to the Region 1 semifinals and a #6 national ranking.  The team won the 2015 Maryland State Championships as well as the Capital Cup Labor Day Championship.  He also was a Maryland ODP member from 2010-14 and a Region 1 member for 2013 and 2014, traveling to England in 2012 and Spain in 2014.

 
McElderry on McCann - Matt comes from a soccer playing family. Matt is a tough and hardworking defensive midfielder with a potential to play in other position as well. He has good experience with the Region I team, Montgomery SC and Gonzaga High School. I expect Matt to compete for time in our midfield."
 
Meyer, who is the cousin of former Fordham soccer captain Kevin Meyer, is a 6-0 midfielder at Christian Brothers Academy in New Jersey, where he played on the varsity squad for two years.  A 2015 team captain, he was selected as the 2015 Coaches Player of the Year after finishing in the top 20 in goal scoring and helping his team to the Shore Conference Tournament Championship and the Shore Conference Class A North Championship.  A three-year member of the honor roll, Meyer served as the president of CBA's chapter of Students Against Drunk Driving (SADD).

 
For club soccer, Meyer competed most recently for the Freehold Phantoms, which won the 2015 New Jersey State Cup Championship and placed sixth in the EDP Spring League.  The team also captured championships at the 2015 MSSL Spring College Show case and the Adidas Generations Cup.
 
McElderry on Meyer - "Nick is coming off a great season with Christian Brothers Academy out of New Jersey. Nick has a fantastic work rate and is very competitive. I know Nick has a high ceiling on his ability level and he will benefit greatly from the competitive nature of our training sessions."