
Men’s Soccer Adds Three New Signees
3/28/2024 11:19:00 AM | Men's Soccer
MACON – The Mercer Men's Soccer team signed three new student athletes. The first is goalkeeper, Samuel Risell, the second is midfielder Flint Haligas, and the final student athlete is forward Aaron Pondeca.
Samuel Risell
6-0 | Goalkeeper | Woodmont High School | Carolina Elite Soccer Academy | Simpsonville, S.C.
Samuel Risell is a goalkeeper from Simpsonville, South Carolina and attends Woodmont High School. With Woodmont, Risell was able lead his team as a captain to the state playoffs twice, along with the making the playoffs, Risell was named as the Region Player of the Year Award. On a club level, Samuel plays for the Carolina Elite Soccer Academy, he has seen tremendous success winning the U15 Boys ECNL National Championship. Risell was also a member of the U16 Boys ECNL National Champions Runner-ups, U17 Sweet Sixteen, and U18 Round-of-32.
Flint Haligas
6-3 | Midfielder | Bay High School | Florida Roots FC | Panama City, Fla.
Flint Haligas is a midfielder from Panama City, Florida and attends Bay High School. With Bay High School, Haligas has shown nothing but excellence after being named Rookie of the Year his freshmen year. Following his freshmen year, Haligas has been named Offensive Player of the Year, Team MVP twice, was a captain for three years, and lead Bay high school to the Regional Qualifiers. On the club level, Haligas plays for Florida Roots FC. With Roots FC, Haligas is a four-time captain and helped lead them to be State Runner-ups and National Qualifiers. Haligas was selected from a showcase for a LaLiga Select program in Spain.
Aaron Pondeca
5-9 | Forward | Marcus High School | FC Dallas Academy | Dallas, Texas
Aaron Pondeca is a forward from Dallas, Texas and attends Marcus High School. With Marcus High School, Pondeca has seen a huge amount of personal success. He has been named Marcus High School's Utility Player of the Year and received several Player of the Game Awards. Outside of the team awards, Aaron was named as a District 2nd team member and an honorable mention the year before. Aaron Pondeca will be joining his brother William Pondeca on the Mercer Men's Soccer team.
FOLLOW THE BEARS
For complete coverage of Mercer Men's Soccer, please follow the Bears on social media at @Mercer_MSoccer (Twitter), MercerMSoccer (Instagram) and /MercerMSoccer (Facebook) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com
Samuel Risell
6-0 | Goalkeeper | Woodmont High School | Carolina Elite Soccer Academy | Simpsonville, S.C.
Samuel Risell is a goalkeeper from Simpsonville, South Carolina and attends Woodmont High School. With Woodmont, Risell was able lead his team as a captain to the state playoffs twice, along with the making the playoffs, Risell was named as the Region Player of the Year Award. On a club level, Samuel plays for the Carolina Elite Soccer Academy, he has seen tremendous success winning the U15 Boys ECNL National Championship. Risell was also a member of the U16 Boys ECNL National Champions Runner-ups, U17 Sweet Sixteen, and U18 Round-of-32.
Flint Haligas
6-3 | Midfielder | Bay High School | Florida Roots FC | Panama City, Fla.
Flint Haligas is a midfielder from Panama City, Florida and attends Bay High School. With Bay High School, Haligas has shown nothing but excellence after being named Rookie of the Year his freshmen year. Following his freshmen year, Haligas has been named Offensive Player of the Year, Team MVP twice, was a captain for three years, and lead Bay high school to the Regional Qualifiers. On the club level, Haligas plays for Florida Roots FC. With Roots FC, Haligas is a four-time captain and helped lead them to be State Runner-ups and National Qualifiers. Haligas was selected from a showcase for a LaLiga Select program in Spain.
Aaron Pondeca
5-9 | Forward | Marcus High School | FC Dallas Academy | Dallas, Texas
Aaron Pondeca is a forward from Dallas, Texas and attends Marcus High School. With Marcus High School, Pondeca has seen a huge amount of personal success. He has been named Marcus High School's Utility Player of the Year and received several Player of the Game Awards. Outside of the team awards, Aaron was named as a District 2nd team member and an honorable mention the year before. Aaron Pondeca will be joining his brother William Pondeca on the Mercer Men's Soccer team.
FOLLOW THE BEARS
For complete coverage of Mercer Men's Soccer, please follow the Bears on social media at @Mercer_MSoccer (Twitter), MercerMSoccer (Instagram) and /MercerMSoccer (Facebook) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com
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