Men's Soccer Announces Several New Signings for 2020 Season
 
Ashland, WI – The Northland College Men's Soccer program announced seven new signings from their 2020 recruiting class on Saturday afternoon.  "The staff and I are very pleased with the roster we are constructing for next fall," commented Head Coach Greg Gilmore.  "We've been pleased with the progress of the returners and our winter transfers, and we're looking forward to finishing off our freshman class over the next few weeks.  All of our staff has been hard at work since the season has ended and I think everyone is really excited to start putting everything together on the field and take the next steps as a program.  This certainly won't be the last anyone will be hearing from us when it comes to recruiting as we have several others that we expect to be announcing soon!"
The Jacks are coming off their first ever appearance in the UMAC playoffs and have high hopes for the 2020 campaign.  "Our goal next year is to be highly competitive in the UMAC as well as our non-league schedule.  We got a small taste of winning and league success last fall, and now we need to expand on that," said Gilmore.
The Jacks open the 2020 season at home on September 1^st against Finlandia University.  On the weekend of September 12^th and the 13^th the Jacks are hosting a tournament with Coe College, Viterbo University, and Lawrence University.  The semifinal games will be played on Saturday while the championship and consolation matches will be played on Sunday.  The Jacks start their UMAC campaign on September 26^th when the UW-Superior Yellowjackets come to Northland.  The Yellowjackets have captured the last three UMAC Championships and advanced to the second round of the last two NCAA tournaments. 
 
Izaak Dmitri Clarke, Middlesbrough, England
Izaak joins the Lumberjacks from Atlanta, Georgia, where is currently finishing up is third season there after coming to the United States.  Izaak has also spent time with the Concorde Fire while helping lead his varsity high school squad deep into the Georgia State tournament all three years.  As a sophomore, Izaak scored 12 goals while helping his team make the final eight in the state finals.  Izaak followed that up with All-Region honors his junior year, and helped lead his team to the final four.  He is currently captaining his side for his senior season.

"We're excited to have Izaak join us next fall," said Gilmore.  "He has a very strong soccer background, and I think he's going to be a dangerous player in the UMAC next year.  He's very dynamic and can play a variety of roles both in the midfield and attacking phase of the game.  He delivers a pretty vicious freekick and isn't of a tackle either.  We're looking forward to seeing what he can do over the next four years."

Nate Strum, Bismarck, ND 
Nate Strum joins the Lumberjack soccer program from Legacy High School in North Dakota.  Strum also played competitively for Magic Soccer FC.  Strum brings a lot of pace to the Lumberjacks as well as size.  "Nate is a very dynamic player who has the potential and ability to play several roles with us.  He's a proven goal scorer and he isn't one to shy away from the physicality of the game," said Gilmore.  "Nate is another player that we got on campus early and we're pretty excited to get him out on the field with us next fall."  
"Nate is a dedicated team player who always works hard on his personal skills and game but is willing to always fill the role that is most important for the team," commented Coach Tom Marcis, who coached Nate at Legacy High School.  "Nate was a valuable player on the offensive side of the game.  As a senior he was willing to move into a defensive role and anchor the team.  His move helped us to have the strongest season ever at Legacy."
 
Thomas Carey, Rock, MI
Thomas joins the Lumberjacks from Gladstone high School in Michigan.  The 6'3 defender brings a lot of athleticism to Northland and he looks to bolster the defensive ranks right away.  "Tom is a ball winner in the defensive third," said Gilmore.  "We're looking forward to working with Tom over the next four years.  We see a ton of potential in this young man and we've been very excited ever since we got him on campus in the fall."
Carey spent time with SSA Redbull and Marquette United while also playing for Bayside Soccer Club.  For Bayside, Carey captained the squad during his junior and senior years and during his last season he found the back of the net ten times as a central defender.
 
Zach Wanty, Waupaca, WI
Zach joins the Lumberjacks from Waupaca, Wisconsin after a great career at Waupaca High School.  Waupaca High School made it to the regional finals in 2018 and sectional finals in 2019.  The versatile striker most recently played club soccer for PCYS and Fox Cities United. Zach exceled at playing in an attacking role throughout his youth career and looks to do the same for the Lumberjacks come next fall.  "Zach is a very active, hard-working striker, and I am excited about the energy he will bring to the team this upcoming fall," said Gilmore.
 
Ethan Brown, Waconia MN
Ethan joins the Jacks as a transfer from UW-La Crosse.  Prior to that, Ethan was a three year varsity player at Waconia High School while also captaining his club team, Waconia FC.  During Ethan's senior year, his varsity squad reached the sectionals finals.  
"Ethan is going to provide us with a lot of speed on the outside," said Gilmore.  "He has a great work ethic and knows the challenges of a building program.  He has experience with winning cultures and we're looking forward to having him join us here at Northland."
 


Julien Ruoppolo, Melbourne, Australia
Julien Ruoppolo will be yet another player recently joining the Men's Soccer program from abroad.  The versatile defender will look to compete right away for minutes in the defensive third of the pitch.
"We're expecting Julien to come in and be very competitive within our backline," said Gilmore.  "He's got a terrific build when it comes to chasing down attacking players and he has the pace to be very effective in the defensive third.  He's played at a pretty high level in Australia, and we are thrilled to be adding him to the squad next fall!"
Julien joins the Lumberjacks after spending time with Australian side Fawkner FC, Brunswick SC, and Avondale SC. 
 
Caleb Fink, Wilmar, MN
Caleb Fink joins the Lumberjack program next fall after a very successful high school career at Wilmar in Minnesota.  Fink helped his squad finish undefeated his junior year while the team won the Central Lakes Conference, and he captained his side during his senior year. 
"Caleb looks to play the game the right way," said Gilmore.  "He wants to possess and break teams down.  When we first started talking it was evident that he had a high soccer IQ and he has the potential to really help the program here."