formally introduced the 10 members that comprise the Huskies' 2017 freshman class on Monday, announcing the addition of two forwards, four midfielders, three defenders, and one goalkeeper to the program.
Gbandi, who is entering his second season as head coach of Northeastern, proudly welcomed
as the 10 newcomers to the Huskies' roster.
"We are very excited to welcome our 2017 freshman class to Northeastern," said Gbandi. "I would like to thank associate head coach
for their effort in helping put this great class together. It is a wonderful group of young men that are hungry to be successful both on the field and in the classroom.
"During the recruiting process, it was evident from the beginning that these student-athletes were all very passionate about their desire to attend Northeastern and be a part of our Huskies family. We strongly believe that our 2017 class will leave a positive legacy with the men's soccer program and Northeastern University."
The Huskies' 2017 freshman class will be joining a strong corps of returners from the program's 2016 squad. Northeastern will retain all but one of its six 1,000-minute players from last season, in addition to maintaining 54 percent of its scoring output.
NU will open its 2017 schedule with a pair of exhibition matches at Parsons Field against Massachusetts (Aug. 13) and Bryant (Aug. 19) and return home for its regular-season opener on Sept. 9 against UMass Lowell (5 p.m.).
Noah Abrams  |  Goalkeeper  |  6-1  |  185  |  New York, N.Y. |  Berkshire School  |  Black Rock FC
Player Profile
• Three-year varsity boy's soccer student-athlete at the Berkshire School (Sheffield, Massachusetts)
• Studied for 10 years at The American School in London
• Ranked by Top Drawer Soccer as the No. 2 goalkeeper and No. 20 recruit in the Northeast
• Interested in studying business at Northeastern
• Aspires to play professionally before becoming an agent or coach
Club Accolades
• Captained Black Rock FC (Pittsfield, Massachusetts) during the club's 2015 and 2016 campaigns
• Member of Black Rock's 2017 Massachusetts State Cup championship team
• Three-time competitor in the IMG Cup Super Group (Bradenton, Florida) with Black Rock FC (2014-16); member of Black Rock's 2014 squad that finished runner-up to Tottenham Hotspur Under-18
• Trained for three months during the winter of 2016-17 with the Crystal Palace Under-23 reserve team
Prep School Accolades
• Captained the Berkshire School's 2016 varsity team that went 18-1-0 overall under head coach Tony Mohammed, was ranked as high as No. 2 in the national prep school rankings, and won the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) Class A championship
• Named a 2015 NEPSAC All-Star
• Member of the Berkshire School's 2014 varsity team, led by coach Jon Moodey, that went 19-2-1 overall, was ranked as high as No. 1 in the national prep school rankings, and won the NEPSAC Class A title
• Recorded 25 clean sheets during his prep school career
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Evensky Berleus  |  Defender  |  5-11  |  160  |  Lake Worth, Fla.  |  Santaluces Community High School  |  FC Florida
Player Profile
• Earned his merit and scholars diploma from Santaluces Community High School (Lantana, Florida), where he was enrolled for four years
• Two-year member of the Santaluces Community varsity boy's soccer team (2013, 2014)
• Interested in studying mechanical engineering at Northeastern
Club Accolades
• Captained FC Florida Preparatory Academy 1999 (Palm City, Florida) during its 2016-17 campaign, helping lead the club to a 25-5-8 record, No. 1 ranking in the state of Florida, and No. 1 national ranking
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Dom Galletti  |  Midfielder |  6-0 |  165  |  San Francisco, Calif.  |  Saint Ignatius College Preparatory  |  Marin FC
Player Profile
• Three-year varsity boy's soccer student-athlete at Saint Ignatius College Preparatory (San Francisco)
• Interested in pursuing a degree in finance at Northeastern
• Aspires to manage the assets of an athletic association
Prep School Accolades
• Two-year captain (2015-17) of the Saint Ignatius varsity boy's soccer team under head coach Alan Downey
• Three-time All-WCAL (West Catholic Athletic League) selection: two First Team honors (2016, 2017) and one Second Team selection (2015)
• Recipient of the 2017 Stephen Negoesco Award, presented to the best high school boy's soccer student-athlete within the city of San Francisco
• Member of Saint Ignatius' 2016-17 team that won the 2017 WCAL title and 2017 Central Coast Section (CCS) Open Division championship
• Collected 2016 WCAL Forward of the Year honors as a junior
• Named the 2015-16 Saint Ignatius boy's soccer Most Valuable Player
• Garnered San Jose Earthquakes High School Soccer Player of the Week honors
Club Accolades
• Four-year left wing and left back for Marin FC (Greenbrae, California)
• Captain at Marin FC under head coach David Frank
Off the Pitch
• Earned placement on the Saint Ignatius Principal's honor roll
• Has logged more than 150 volunteer service hours
• Primary hobbies include golf, music, futsal, and basketball
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Other Sports
• Played one season as the kicker and punter of the Saint Ignatius football team under head coach John Regalia
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Adama Kaba  |  Forward / Midfielder |  5-11  |  151  |  Norwood, Mass. |  Saint Sebastian's School  |  FC Boston
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Player Profile
• Enrolled for six years at Saint Sebastian's School (Needham, Massachusetts)
• Eager to study business at Northeastern
• Aspires to become a professional soccer player or an accountant
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Prep School Accolades
• Scored 24 career goals and registered 10 career assists as a midfielder and forward for the Saint Sebastian's varsity boy's soccer team
• Served as team captain
• Two-time All-ISL (Independent School League) First Team selection (2015, 2016)
• Collected 2015 Massachusetts All-State honors as a junior
• Named to the 2015 New England Junior All-Star Game
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Off the Pitch
• Earned placement on the honor roll and effort honor roll at Saint Sebastian's
• President and events coordinator of Men with Positive Attitudes (MPA)
• Member of the finance academy, schola mass ensemble, and international club
• Main hobbies include reading, golfing, watching Netflix, basketball, and playing chess
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Other Sports
• Played one season as a guard on the Saint Sebastian's junior varsity boy's basketball team
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Alex Koritsas  |  Midfielder |  6-2 |  155  |  Washington, D.C. |  Saint John's College High School |  Arlington SA
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Player Profile
• Graduated from Saint John's College High School (Chevy Chase, D.C.)
• Will enter Northeastern as an undecided major
Club Accolades
• Two-year midfielder (2015-17) for Arlington SA Attack 1999 (Arlington, Virginia), led by head coach Amos Magee
• Represented Arlington SA on the D.C. Boy's Best XI
• Played two seasons (2013-15) with Bethesda SC (Bethesda, Maryland) in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy under head coach Emile Mbouh
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High School Accolades
• Two-year member of the Saint John's College varsity boy's soccer team (2013, 2016)
• Named the squad's 2016 Most Valuable Player of the Year
• Chosen as the team's 2013 Surprise Player of the Year
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Off the Pitch
• National Honor Society member
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Dante Morrissette  |  Defender |  6-2 |  176  |  Ajax, Ontario  |  Donald A. Wilson Secondary School  |  Toronto FC III
Player Profile
• Arrives at Northeastern after graduating from the Donald A. Wilson Secondary School (Whitby, Ontario)
• Eager to study business administration at Northeastern
• Aspires to become a professional soccer player or begin a career in management or business marketing
• Distant cousin of LaDainian Tomlinson
Club Accolades
• Three-year academy player with Toronto FC; played two seasons (2016, 2017) with the club's League1 Ontario squad, Toronto FC III (as rebranded in December 2016), and one season (2015) with its Ontario Soccer League Under-21 Provincial Elite team
• Played under Toronto FC academy head coaches Danny Dichio (2015, 2017) and Stuart Neely (2016)
• Member of Sigma FC Under-17 (Mississauga, Ontario) during the 2015 season
• Trained with Real Madrid in Spain
• Member of the Canadian men's national soccer team player poolÂ
High School Accolades
• Two-year varsity boy's soccer student-athlete at Donald A. Wilson
• Named the Most Valuable Player of the 2014 Grape & Wine Youth Cup (Niagara Falls, Ontario)
• Regional finalist during the 2014 Lake Ontario Secondary School Athletics (LOSSA) junior team tournament
• Member of the junior high school team's 2014 Durham Ontario District regional championship squad
• Captained the junior high school team during the 2013 season
• Member of the senior high school team during his freshman year (2013)
Off the Pitch
• Primary hobbies include playing video games, watching the NBA, bowling, and basketball
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Dan Munch  |  Forward / Midfielder |  6-0 |  165  |  Burlington, Mass.  |  Buckingham Browne & Nichols  |  GPS Mass.
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Player Profile
• Two-year varsity boy's soccer student-athlete at Buckingham Browne & Nichols School (Cambridge, Massachusetts)
• Attended Burlington High School (Burlington, Massachusetts) during his freshman year
• Interested in pursuing a degree in business at Northeastern
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Prep School Accolades
• Captained Buckingham Browne & Nichols and led the Independent School League (ISL) with 16 goals during the 2016 season
• Ranked third in the ISL in overall points (34) during the 2015 season, netting 12 goals and charting 10 assists
• Two-time All-ISL selection (2015, 2016)
• Named to the All-ISL Junior Team
• Chosen as BB&N's Most Valuable Player
• Garnered one Massachusetts All-State selection
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Club Accolades
• Played under head coach Alex Brame at GPS Massachusetts (Waltham, Massachusetts) within the National Premier League
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Other Sports
• Played two seasons of boy's basketball at BB&N as a point guard
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Off the pitch
• Primary hobbies include golfing during the summer, skiing during the winter, and photography
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Cameron Okoro |  Defender |  5-11 |  165 |  Weston, Conn.  |  Weston High School |  FC Westchester
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Player Profile
• Graduated from Weston High School (Weston, Connecticut)
• Eager to study pediatrics and sports medicine at Northeastern
• Aspires to become a pediatrician or physical therapist
Club Accolades
• Played under coaches Ryan Casey and Steven Carson at FC Westchester (Scarsdale, New York)
• Recorded three assists during eight matches with FC Westchester, making six starts in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy
• Tallied two assists on Oct. 15, 2016, during a match against the Montreal ImpactÂ
High School Accolades
• Member of the Weston boy's soccer team's 2015 South-West Conference Patriot Division championship squad
Other Sports
• Member of the Weston indoor and outdoor track team under head coach Lloyd Weinstein; competed in the 100m, 200m, 300m, 400m, 4x100m, 4x200m, and 4x400m events
• Three-time Connecticut 4x400m state champion (2015-17) and two-time open 4x400m state champions (2015, 2017)
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Off the Pitch
• Winner of the Department of Motor Vehicles Safe Driving contest as a junior
• Interests include reading and working out
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Griffin Sabatini |  Midfielder |  5-8  |  154  |  Geneva, Switzerland  |  International School of Geneva |  Vernier FC
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Player Profile
• Graduated from the International School of Geneva, Campus des Nations (Geneva, Switzerland)
• Interested in studying journalism at Northeastern
• Aspires to become a professional soccer player or a journalist
Club Accolades
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2016-17: scored nine goals and registered 16 assists for Vernier FC (Vernier, Switzerland), which finished third in the Under-21 Swiss League (18-3-1); played under head coaches Mitrovic Borisav and Boudjellaba Djamel; garnered the team's Top Assister honors
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2015-16: charted one goal and seven assists during 11 matches with Meyrin FC (Meyrin, Switzerland), which finished third in the Under-20 Swiss League (7-3-1)
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2014-15: helped Meyrin FC claim the 2015 Under-17 Swiss League championship with an overall record of 20-1-1, scoring five goals and charting 15 assists; progressed to the Elite tournament and helped Meyrin FC win the Swiss championship; played under head coach Diniso Navarro; was named the team's Best Player and Top Assister
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2013-14: recorded a goal and four assists for Meyrin FC and helped the club advance to the Elite tournament, where it finished third at the Swiss championship
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2012-13: named Top Scorer of Lancy FC (Lancy, Switzerland) after directing in six goals and being credited with six assists
• Played previously with FC Grand-Saconnex (2008-10) of the Under-14 Elite Geneva League, and Lancy FC (2010-11) within the Under-16 Swiss League
• Scored 35 goals during 22 matches with FC Grand-Saconnex during the 2008-09 campaign and was named the team's Top Scorer and Best Player
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High School Accolades
• Chosen as Athlete of 2017 by the coaching staff, having also served as captain
• Selected as the Most Valuable Player of the 2016 Lausanne indoor tournament
• Named the Most Valuable Player and selected to the All-Star Team at the 2016 International Schools European Championship
• Shared in his team's first-place finish at the 2015 International Schools European Championship and was selected to the All-Star Team
• Recipient of the 2013 Ryan Giggs "1-on-1" Award at the Manchester United Soccer School summer camp
• At the age of 14 during the summer of 2011, played with the Highlanders in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, at the main city stadium
Off the Pitch
• Has passed two Chinese Proficiency Test levels: HSK Level 1 and YCT Level 1
• Helped raise more than 2,000 Swiss Francs for Amnesty International
• Devoted time to teaching sign language to children with disabilities
• Wrote a story for his school journal, Nations Magazine, on how sports are aiding children in Nepal
• Primary hobbies include reading, tutoring, basketball, badminton, and swimming
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Alec Supinski |  Forward |  6-4  |  205  |  McDonough, Ga. |  Union Grove High School |  Concorde Fire
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Player Profile
• Graduated magna cum laude and All A-Honors from Union Grove High School (McDonough, Georgia)
• Interested in studying finance at Northeastern
• Aspires to become a professional soccer player
Club Accolades
• Four-year forward with Concorde Fire of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy
• Served Concorde Fire (Atlanta) as co-captain
• Played under head coach Garth Pollonias
High School Accolades
• Played for the Union Grove varsity boy's soccer team during his sophomore season (2015)
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