ANDERSON, S.C. – Anderson University head men's soccer coach Michael Zion has announced his 2017 signing class on Thursday, as five future Trojans will look to make an immediate impact.
The Black and Gold welcome: Jhon Vaca (Madrid, Spain/Universidad Complutense de Madrid), Oriol Gomez Pintos (Escola Pia Sarria-Calassanc), Harry Ward (Clarkesville, Ga./Tallulah Falls H.S), Gal Elyashiv (Rishon Le Zion, Israel/Educational Campus of Alon) and Thomas Jorgsholm (Farum, Denmark/Marie Kruses Skole H.S.),to the team for the upcoming campaign.
Name: Jhon Vaca
Position: Forward
Hometown: Madrid, Spain
Previous School: Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Club: Las Rozas CF
Zion on Vaca: "Vaca is a quick technical player that will provide us with another dynamic option going forward. He has great vision and creativity which allows him to be a dangerous asset in around the goal. He has played at a highly competitive level in Spain for Laz Rozas CF youth team. We are excited to welcome Jhon Vaca to the Trojan family."
Name: Oriol Gomez Pintos
Position: Forward
Hometown: Barcelona, Spain
Previous School: Escola Pia Sarria – Calassanc
Club: UE Cornella
Zion on Pintos: "Oriol is a strong and athletic forward with a lot of speed. He is not only a player that creates chances for his teammates, but also a goal scorer in the box. Oriol has competed at a very high level in Spain representing teams such as UE Cornella, Atletico Madrid, and Junior FC. During his time at Junior FC he was named MVP in both 2013 and 2014. In 2016 he won the prestigious Future Champions Tournament in South Africa with Atletico Madrid. We are very excited to have Oriol join us in August. He will undoubtedly be an attacking threat for opposing teams to deal with. We are looking forward to his arrival in August.
Name: Harry Ward
Position: Defender
Hometown: Clarkesville, Georgia
Previous School: Tallulah Falls High School
Club: KSA – Kalongi Soccer Academy
Zion on Ward: "Harry is a talented player with a lot of potential. We knew from the beginning that Harry was a perfect fit in terms of the type of player we were looking for. Harry has an accomplished youth career that includes the 2014 USYS National Champions and the 2013 USYS National Runner-Up with United FA. Harry has spent the last few years with KSA - Kalongi Soccer Academy who competes in the USYS National League. Not only is Harry an outstanding athlete, he is goal driven and successful in the classroom. Harry is a complete student athlete."
Name: Gal Elyashiv
Position: Goalkeeper
Hometown: Rishon Le Zion, Israel
Previous School: Educational Campus of Alon
Club: Sektzia Nes Tziona FC
Zion on Elyashiv: "Gal is a great athlete with outstanding physical characteristics. He has a tremendous presence in goal and we expect him to compete for a starting position right away. Gal has also represented Maccobi Tel-Aviv and Hapoel Rishon Le Zion FC during his youth career, in addition to winning the Israeli National Youth Soccer Cup while playing with FC Ashdod in 2015. He will be a great addition to our defense and help secure our backline for the upcoming season. We are looking forward to Gal's arrival in August.
Name: Thomas Jorgsholm
Position: Forward
Hometown: Farum, Denmark
Previous School: Marie Kruses Skole High School
Club: Farum BK
Zion on Jorgsholm: "Thomas joins AU with a strong playing background. Thomas has played for both the U19 and First Team of Farum Boldklub, where he is an important figure in the offensive play. Thomas can play as either a forward or attacking midfielder. Thomas is very attack minded and will be a strong addition to our team this fall. His versatility on the field will help him compete for a starting role right away.
