Men's Soccer Announces Addition of Eight Players
4/5/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
MACON, Ga. – Mercer University men's soccer head coach Brad Ruzzo has announced the addition of eight players to the program for the 2016-17 season. The Bears welcome Roberto Arteaga, Jacob Chadwell, JR DeRose, Natnael Endale, Bentley Skinner, Quran Thomas, Leonel Toldeo Jr. and Cortland Young.
Roberto Arteaga
Jonesboro, Ga.
Jonesboro HS
Concorde Fire
Midfield
Roberto Arteaga is rated as a three-star recruit by Top Draw Soccer and plays for Concorde Fire and head coach Garth Pollonais. He has also played for the Georgia ODP region team for three years. Arteaga played for Jonesboro High School for two years, helping his team to an Elite Eight appearance in the state tournament during his freshman season and a Sweet 16 appearance during his sophomore season. He was named the Freshman Offensive Player of the Year at Jonesboro High School. Arteaga is also an honor roll student and three-year science fair participant. He chose Mercer because he wants to continue to learn both on and off the field and felt Mercer provided the best environment for his continued development. Arteaga intends to major in business.
Ruzzo on Arteaga: "We have been tracking Roberto for over a year and we think he is one of the best attacking midfield players to come out of Georgia this year. He possesses the ability to score goals from deeper positions, a competitive edge and a great work ethic. Roberto is left footed which will add a much needed dimension into our team. Along with Quran Thomas, Roberto will be competing in some of the midfield roles and will add to the depth of a strong midfield."
Jacob Chadwell
Valrico, Fla.
Newsome HS
Clearwater Chargers DA
Midfield
Jacob Chadwell plays for the Clearwater Chargers DA under head coach Roberto Lopez, as well as Newsome High School and head coach Allen Ware. Chadwell helped Newsome win a 6A District Championship and was named an All-County Honorable Mention after his sophomore season. He chose Mercer for the challenging education environment and strong soccer program and intends to major in business management.
Ruzzo on Chadwell: "Jacob comes from Clearwater Chargers US Soccer Academy team and has attended camp in the past as well. We have seen him play multiple positions either as a midfielder or in the back. He will do the same for us and add to our backline and defensive midfield roles. He is very competitive, coachable and possesses a great work ethic. We look forward to him developing in our culture and he is a very strong student."
JR DeRose
Peoria, Ill.
Peoria Notre Dame
Central Illinois Soccer Academy
Goalkeeper 
JR DeRose plays for the Central Illinois Soccer Academy under head coach Joe Burger as well as Peoria Notre Dame and head coach Mike Bare. As a two-year starter, DeRose has helped Peoria Notre Dame to a 2014 Elite Eight appearance in the Mid State Conference Championship and 2014 IHSA regional and sectional championships. He also led Peoria Notre Dame to a 2015 Big 12 Conference Championship, IHSA regional, sectional and super-section titles as the Irish finished second in the state championship. DeRose was a 2015 First Team selection for the Big 12 Conference, All Sectional and All State. He also earned First Team All Sectional honors in 2014 and was named to the 2014 and 2015 First Team All Peoria Journal Star. In 2015, DeRose tied the school record for single-season shutouts (17). He is a member of the National Honor Society and Peoria Notre Dame Anchor Club. DeRose chose Mercer because of its No. 1 regional and national academic rankings in multiple publications and the winning tradition the soccer program has established. He intends to major in business.
Ruzzo on DeRose: "JR comes to us through our camps and showed tremendous upside as a goalkeeper. He has good size, very good technique and good sense of the game from that position. We believe that with more physical and mental maturity, JR has the ability to develop into a very good starting goalkeeper when his time comes. Over the last seven years, we have had a tradition of great goalkeeping with the accolades of Goalkeeper of the Year, All-Region and All-Conference. We believe that JR has the chance to develop into a long line of good goalkeepers that we have had over the years."
Natnael Endale
Suwanee, Ga.
Collins Hill HS
Georgia United
Midfield/Defense 
Natnael Endale plays for Georgia United and head coach Dave Smith. He has helped his team to a 2014 Disney Showcase finals appearance and a 2015 State Cup Championship. He has also played for KSA and Baltimore Armour. Endale chose Mercer because it is one of the top-ranked schools in the southeast for academics and the men's soccer team has shown continued success over the past few years. He intends to major in marketing.
Ruzzo on Endale: "Natnael came to us late in the recruiting process because he lived in Baltimore for a little time period but now is back in Georgia. He is a defender that will add much-needed depth in the back for us as an outside back. He can play either left or right back and we believe he has the chance to develop into a very good college defender. He is a patient 1-v-1 defender with the ability to add to the attack with delivering good balls into the box. He has good athletic ability to get up and down and a great attitude to develop."
Bentley Skinner
Duluth, Ga.
Norcross HS
UFA Norcross
Forward/Defense 
Bentley Skinner plays for UFA Norcross and head coach Robin Dixon as well as Norcross High School under head coach Frank Pitt. As a captain, Skinner helped lead Norcross to an 8-8 record in 2015 and was named the team MVP. He is an honor roll student and has spent time volunteering with Operation Christmas Child. Skinner chose Mercer because of its highly respected academic and soccer programs and intends to major in economics.
Ruzzo on Skinner: "Bentley is another Georgia student-athlete that attended several camps in the past and plays for UFA club team. Bentley has a strong academic background and is a player that can play a couple of different positions for us. He can play as a forward or in the back. He has great size, good athleticism and a competitive edge to himself. Bentley also possesses good speed to make him a versatile player."
Quran Thomas
Fairburn, Ga.
Creekside HS
Georgia United
Midfield
Quran Thomas plays for Georgia United and head coach Dave Smith. He helped his team to a semifinal appearance in the Developmental Academy Finals Week. He is rated as a three-star recruit by Top Drawer Soccer. Thomas also spends time volunteering at the Atlanta Food Bank. He chose Mercer because of the balance of a high quality education and high athletic performance in combination with the nice campus. Thomas intends to major in business and pre-med.
Ruzzo on Thomas: "Quran is a player that has played at very high level with Georgia United in the playoffs last year of the US Soccer Development Academy. He really has a tenacious and competitive attitude every time he plays. Quran is certainly one of the better players to come out of Georgia this year, which is one of our goals. He possesses the ability to control games in the midfield while performing a role. We look forward to him competing in the midfield roles."
Leonel Toledo Jr.
Gillsville, Ga.
East Hall HS
GSA
Forward/Midfield 
Leonel Toledo Jr. plays for GSA and head coach Bruni Kalonji. He has helped his team to 2014 and 2015 State Cup Championships. He also aided his club in a 2013 national league runner-up finish and 2014 and 2014 regional semi-final appearances. Toledo has also played for KSA. He played for head coach Chris Horton at East Hall High School, helping his team to acquire a 41-17-5 record and appearances in the Region 3A Final Four and Elite Eight. Toldeo was named the Region Player of the Year and All-Area Player of the Year. He is also a member of the National Honors Society. Toledo chose to attend Mercer because of the great soccer program, good coaching staff and good academics. He intends to major in finance.
Ruzzo on Toledo: "We have seen Leonel play over the last year and he has developed quite well. He is a wide midfielder or winger that has the ability to beat players 1-v-1 and score goals or create chances from his crossing ability. His speed is a big attribute and will be a handful to deal with. Leonel comes from KSA club team in Georgia and he will be the second player from that club to join our program, joining Emmet Johnson. He will add to our midfield depth and bring a different dimension to our team."
Cortland Young
Clemson, S.C.
D.W. Daniel HS
Carolina Elite Soccer Academy
Goalkeeper 
Cortland Young plays for the CESA 97 Premier team and head coach Nick Finotti. While with CESA, Young helped the team to a 2013 Disney Showcase finalist appearance, 2014 State Cup Championship and 2015 Southern Regionals semifinals appearance. Young also played for the South Carolina ODP team for two years and was in the ODP 97 Region III Pool in 2014. Young also played for head coach Phillip Boyer at D.W. Daniel high school, where he aided in a 2015 region championship. Young was named to the 2015 All-Region team and was nominated for the 2015 All-State Team. He is a member of the National Science Honor Society and Beta Club and has been awarded a Rotary Youth Leadership Award and a National Merit Scholarship Letter of Commendation. Young volunteers with the South Carolina Special Olympics soccer team, serving as an assistant coach. He also spends time giving back to his community with the Boy Scouts of America and Environmental Club. Young chose to attend Mercer because of the academics and the opportunity to play soccer. He intends on majoring in mechanical engineering.
Ruzzo on Young: "Cortland is an outstanding student who possesses great character. He also attended our camp and did very well as a goalkeeper. He has great instincts, good hands and a good upside to his game. In adding Cortland, I believe we will have the strongest group of goalkeepers in my tenure and I am looking forward to them competing with each other."
