Western Illinois Signs 10 To Men's Soccer Program

Director of Soccer Dr. Eric Johnson signs 10 for 2017 campaign.

MACOMB, Ill. - Western Illinois Director of Soccer Dr. Eric Johnson added 10 new additions to the men's soccer roster for the upcoming 2017 season. The signees include Ryan DeBois, Luke Duball, Noah Kettle, Paul Kirdorf, Keegan Leaper, Kasey Leaper, Ben Marett, Mitchell Moynihyan, Gavin Nevshemal and Brian Soto-Mendez.

"We are very excited about our incoming class," said Director of Soccer Dr. Eric Johnson. "They are all good students and fill the void left by our departing seniors. I am confident that they will raise the bar in training and make it a very competitive situation every day. We need that environment if we are going to challenge to win The Summit League this fall."

Throughout his four years at Maple Grove Senior High School in Maple Grove, Minn., Ryan DeBois totaled 53 goals and 10 assists. He was also team captain his senior year, and was a First Team All-State and All Conference Selection, Star Tribune First Team All-Metro and Twelve TV First Team All-Area selection in his career. DeBois was also the Northwest Suburban Conference Most Valuable Player, a Mr. Soccer Finalist and the Minnesota Senior Classic Outstanding Player of the Game as a senior. His team also went to the State Semifinals during his sophomore season.

Luke DuBall comes to Western Illinois from Xavier High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where he played midfield. During his time, he totaled 50 goals, 69 assists and scored the game winning goal in overtime for his team's 2015 State Final. His list of awards included: First Team All-State (2016), First Team All-Conference (2016-17), First Team All-Metro (2016-17), Des Moines Elite 11 Selection (2016-17), MVC Conference Player of the Year (2017), All-Tournament Team (2015, 2017), Second Team All-State (2015), Second Team All-Conference (2015) and Second Team All-Metro (2015).

Noah Kettle is a native of Wheaton, Ill. and comes to Western from Wheaton Warrenville South. From his freshman through junior seasons, Kettle played year-round for the Chicago Fire Academy soccer club. As a senior, he played for his high school and earned All-Sectional, All-Area and All-Conference awards.

Paul Kirdorf hails from Kaub, Germany, where he attended Rheingauschule. The midfielder played for the club SV Alemannia Waldalgesheim, where he played in the U19 Region, helping his team earn multiple top-10 finishes. Throughout his career, he played in the Men's League Verbandsliga, which is considered the highest league to play in the Regional rankings.

Brothers Keegan and Kasey Leaper are both from Norwalk High School in Norwalk, Iowa, and will join the Leathernecks for the upcoming season. Both Keegan and Kasey were named All-Conference in 2016 and were both two-time high school State Champions. Keegan was also named Second-Team All-state and Honorable Mention in 2015, while Kasey was a four-year letterwinner in high school.

Ben Marrett comes from Richard Challoner School in New Malden (England). During his career with Met Police in the FA Youth Football Club, he helped his team to the fourth round of FA Youth Cup.

Mitchell Moynihyan comes from Highland High school out of Highland, Indiana where he totaled 24 goals and 13 assists as a senior. He was also First-Team All-District and Most Valuable Player on his team for his junior and senior years. He was also all-state as a senior and earned three varsity letters.

Gavin Nevshemal joins the Purple and Gold after a playing career at Winterset Senior High School out of Winterset, Iowa. His accomplishments included being named First Team All-Conference three times as well as being on the Des Moines Register All-Iowa team. He was also named IHSSA Second-Team All-State.

Brian Soto-Mendez joins the Leathernecks from Georgetown High School (Georgetown, Texas) and was named to the Regional 3 ODP Team from 2012-16. He is a two-time a State Cup Champion (2013, 2015) and was selected All-District (2016). He also played for Lonestar U18 Academy from 2016-17.

The Leathernecks open the 2017 season with three exhibition matches against UIC (Aug. 15), DePaul (Aug. 19) and Quincy (Aug. 21). Western Illinois officially opens the season Aug. 25 with a road trip to Milwaukee with a 7 p.m. start time.

Tweet #W1U

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

#24 Ryan DeBois: F; 5' 8"; Freshman; Maple Grove

#15 Luke Duball: M; 5' 10"; Freshman; Xavier H.S.

#5 Paul Kirdorf: M; 5' 8"; Freshman; Rheingauschule

#4 Ben Marett: D; 6' 1"; Freshman; Met Police

Players Mentioned

#24 Ryan DeBois
: 5' 8"; Freshman; Maple Grove
: F

#15 Luke Duball
: 5' 10"; Freshman; Xavier H.S.
: M

#5 Paul Kirdorf
: 5' 8"; Freshman; Rheingauschule
: M

#4 Ben Marett
: 6' 1"; Freshman; Met Police
: D