BURLINGTON, Vt. – University of Vermont head men's soccer coach Rob Dow introduced his first recruiting class on Wednesday. The new group of 15 student-athletes includes six transfers, three All-Americans, two Icelandic players, and a pair of Vermonters.
 
"We believe this class has a good balance of character, work ethic, and talent. I would like to thank all of the incoming players and their families for believing in UVM men's soccer, and our recruiting coordinator Ruben Resendes for working tirelessly on finalizing our 2017 recruiting class," Dow said. "We have a lot of work to do to develop our team's chemistry with such a large group of new players but I'm confident in our returners' ability to set the standard and welcome this group with open arms.
 
Geo Alves
São Filipe, Cape Verde • New England Revolution Academy
 
Coach Dow: "Geo is a dynamic, versatile, attacking player who will add quality and creativity to our team. We are excited for Geo's ability to create, score, and add maturity in our attack."
 
Alves is a transfer from Dean College where he played two seasons for the Bulldogs. He was an United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) All-America First Team and All-Region selection after netting 25 goals and dishing out 14 assists as a sophomore. At Shea High School in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, he scored 31 goals and recorded 78 points as a senior on his way to a Rhode Island Gatorade Player of the Year nod.
 
Ívar Árnason
Akureyri, Iceland • Knattspyrnufélag Akureyrar
 
Coach Dow: "Ívar is transferring to us from Northern Michigan University where he made an immediate impact in their inaugural season. Ívar is excited about testing his aggressive defensive game at the division one level while balancing out our already strong defense."
 
Arnarson transferred to Catamount Country from Division II Northern Michigan where he finished third on the team in points and scored three penalty kick goals. He earned Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Second Team All-Conference honors and helped the Wildcats to an upset win over 12th-ranked Tiffin during the regular season.
 
Davis Auth
Highlands Ranch, Colo. • Real Colorado DA

Coach Dow: "Davis is a smart and competitive defender who grew up playing for Real Colorado. Real has a history of producing top-level defenders; UVM graduate and captain Connor Tobin and 2014 graduate and captain Scott Kisling both played for the club."
 
Auth comes to Burlington from Mountain Vista High School in Highlands Ranch, Colorado after helping the Golden Eagles to an appearance in the Colorado State Championship Game as a junior. He collected Colorado High School Athletic Association (CHSAA) First Team All-State and Continental League First Team All-Academic honors as a junior and was a four-year recipient of the league's All-Academic Award. 
 
Daði Bærings Halldórsson
Reykjavik, Iceland • Leiknir Reykjavik
 
Coach Dow: "Daði has been playing for Leikner Reykjavik's senior team for the past three seasons, serving as a consistent starter in a very mature league. Graduating midfielders, Jackson Dayton and Charlie DeFeo will be difficult to replace, but we think Daði has the quality and experience to make an impact on our program."
 
Dow taps into his Icelandic pipeline as Halldórsson joins fellow Catamounts Jon Arnar Barödal, Arnar Steinn Hansson, and Aron Runarsson from Iceland. Halldórsson has been a member of the U19 Icelandic National Team. As a member of Leikner Reykjavik, one of the top club teams in Iceland, he helped the team win the Reykjavik Cup twice.
 
Anthony Chrysanthou
Broomfield, Colo. • Real Colorado DA
 
Coach Dow: "Anthony is a creative attacking player with a very good soccer IQ. He will add depth to our attack and give us versatility in how we break our opponents down."
 
Chrysanthou played high school soccer as a sophomore at St. Marguerite d'Youville Secondary School in Brampton, Ontario before moving to Colorado for his junior and senior year. He played two seasons with U.S. Soccer Development Academy's Real Colorado and scored seven goals, including six last year with the U-17/18 team.
 
Taylor Demick
Freehold, N.J. • FC Copa
 
Coach Dow: "Taylor joined us at the beginning of the spring from Providence College. Taylor's resiliency and grit stood out from day one and will always compete for his job on the depth chart."
 
Demick spent the last two seasons at Providence College as the Friars are coming off their second quarterfinal appearance in the NCAA Tournament in program history last season. At Colts Neck High School in Colts Neck, New Jersey, he led his team in scoring with six goals and six assists as a senior.
 
Justin Freitas
North Attleboro, Mass. • New England Revolution Academy U23's
 
Coach Dow: "Justin is a smart and educated forward who can break down defenses in different ways. Along with being technical and good in the build, his nose for goal is his best attribute."
 
Freitas joins the Catamounts from Dean College after scoring 16 goals last season and dishing out six assists. Freitas was selected to the USCAA All-America Second Team after guiding the Bulldogs to a 17-2 record in 2016. He spent two seasons with the Bulldogs and played club soccer with the New England Revolution U23 Team.
 
Jacob Gutierrez
Urbandale, Iowa • Shattuck-St. Mary's DA
 
Coach Dow: "Jacob is a competitive defender who takes pride in defending and attacking inside the box. We expect Jacob to acclimate quickly with our experienced back line to contribute this fall."
 
Gutierrez was a defender for the Waukee High School Warriors in Waukee, Iowa where he served as team captain and was named an All-Conference Second Team selection as a sophomore. He anchored the backline for Shattuck-St. Mary's, a club soccer team in Faribault, Minnesota, which included nine shutout victories last season.
 
Nolan Jimmo
Shelburne, Vt.  • Marbella United FC/Synergy FC
 
Coach Dow: "Nolan is someone we have known and watched for several years at our ID camps. This past year, Nolan has had a unique experience in Spain with Marbella United. His time in a new environment, in another country has prepared him for the demands of the college game. Nolan's intensity, determination and drive will make our team better and challenge our opponents."
 
Jimmo joins the Catamounts after attending nearby Champlain Valley Union High School. Prior to his senior year at CVU, he signed with Marbella United in Spain and played in the U18 Spanish First Division. In 2014, he was key member of the Vermont Olympic Development Program team which earned its first-ever bid into the national tournament after netting a pair of first half goals.
 
Luke Magnier
Shelburne, Vt. • FAB Academy/Synergy FC
 
Coach Dow: "Luke is also from the Burlington area who took a gap year to play in England for FAB Academy. Luke's character and work ethic fits perfectly with our values and standards in our program."
 
Magnier joins his former club teammate Nolan Jimmo at UVM. Magnier spent his senior season at FAB Academy in London where he trained and competed against some of the top teams in England. With FAB Academy, he tallied five goals and notched nine assists in 12 games.
 
Nick Neptune
Far Hills, N.J. • Stronghold SC
 
Coach Dow: "Nick is a No. 9 who possesses speed and power with goal scoring instincts. Nick was the leading goal scorer at our winter ID camp and we simply could not ignore his effectiveness on the field."
 
Neptune netted 42 goals and recorded 22 assists in his career at Bernards High School in Bernardsville, New Jersey. As a senior, he lifted the Mountaineers to a Central Group II State Championship and earned Second Team All-State, First Team All-State Group II, First Team All-County, and First Team All-Conference honors.
 
Danny Orrego
Revere, Mass. • FC Blazers/New England Revolution U23's
 
Coach Dow: "Danny is an aggressive and competitive player with the ability to play anywhere in the midfield and defense. His versatility and character proves he is always prepared to do a job that is best for the team."
 
Orrego joins the Catamounts as a transfer from Dean College. As a freshman with the Bulldogs, he earned nine starts and dished out four assists in four shutout victories. A native of Colombia, Orrego played at East Boston High School and led the Jets to back-to-back Boston City Championships in 2014 and 2015. As a senior, he was named an Eastern Massachusetts All-Star.
 
Joe Parento
Montpelier, Vt. • Black Watch Premier Academy Burlington
 
Coach Dow: "Joe possesses high-level athletic instincts and resilience that will challenge our depth chart. Joe is a local player we know well by attending our ID camps and will always compete when given a challenge."
 
Parento makes the short commute to Burlington from Champlain Valley Union High School where he was a four-sport letterwinner in soccer, hockey, lacrosse, and tennis. In soccer, he was a two-time All-State selection and anchored the Redhawks' backline. He tallied 10 goals and handed out 15 assists in his CVU soccer career.
 
Dani Rovira
Bogota, Colombia • New England Revolution Academy
 
Coach Dow: "Rovira is a very technical, box-to-box midfielder, who is reliable and very productive in the attack. Dani has a high IQ and exceptional work rate while covering a lot of ground on and off the ball."
 
Rovira is the fourth transfer from Dean College to join the Catamounts. He played two seasons with the Bulldogs and joined the likes of former Bulldog teammates Alves and Freitas to earn USCAA All-America honors. Rovira was named to the USCAA All-America Second Team as a sophomore after finishing third on the team with seven assists.
 
Noah Stracqualursi
Scarborough, Maine • SUSC Maine/NH
 
Coach Dow: "Every time I saw Noah play he scored, assisted, or drew a PK against some of the top MLS academy programs in the country. We feel Noah is a hidden gem from the state of Maine who will find success in his career as a Catamount."
 
Stracqualursi racked up 40 goals as a forward at Scarborough High School in Scarborough, Maine. He helped the Red Storm to their fourth state title in the six seasons as a freshman. His senior campaign included 23 goals on his was to receiving All-State and All-Conference honors.
 
Seniors Arthur Bacquet and Tom Cole along with junior Mikel Kabala will serve as the team's captains for the upcoming season. The Catamounts return a solid core of players from last season, including sophomore Barödal – an America East All-Rookie Team selection a year ago. Fellow sophomores Hansson and netminder Runarsson will help anchor UVM's defensive unit which included four shutout victories last year.