STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford, the two-time defending national champion, signed nine of the nation's best prep soccer players to National Letters of Intent head coach Jeremy Gunn announced Friday.
Fresh off its second consecutive NCAA title, the Cardinal stockpiled an impressive array of talent with the addition of its 2017 class, widely considered the best in the country. Joining Stanford in the fall are Andrew Aprahamian (Malvern, Pa./Philadelphia Union Academy), Arda Bulut (Los Gatos, Calif./San Jose Earthquakes Academy), Rhys De Sota (Parker, Colo./Colorado Rapids Academy), Jack O'Brien (Broomfield, Colo./Colorado Rush Soccer Club), Logan Panchot (Wildwood, Mo./St. Louis Scott Gallagher Soccer Club), Zach Ryan (Chatham, N.J./New York Red Bulls Academy), Kei Tomozawa (Bellevue, Wash./Seattle Sounders Academy), Carson Vom Steeg (Santa Barbara, Calif./Real So Cal) and Charlie Wehan (Laguna Nigel, Calif./Strikers FC).
"In the process of recruiting student-athletes to join our program we are always looking for specific qualities and for me they all center around the individual's character," Gunn said. "We are looking for people who have created great skill sets in the sport, but most importantly have a great work ethic and a hunger to continuously improve. This class is very exciting to announce and only time will tell whether it is worthy of that excitement. A past resume is wonderful, but only future performance and future desire to succeed is what is going to make it in our program today. I truly believe that this group has the personality and the drive to continue to push our program forward."
The group joins the nation's best collegiate men's soccer program over the past three seasons. Stanford leads the nation in winning percentage since 2014 with a 46-8-11 (.792) overall record and three Pac-12 titles in addition to its back-to-back national championships in 2015 and 2016.
In 2015 the Cardinal routed Clemson 4-0, the largest margin of victory in a College Cup final since 1975. This past December, Stanford became the first program in a dozen years to win consecutive NCAA titles when it beat Wake Forest in penalties following a scoreless 110 minutes. The Cardinal did not allow a goal throughout the entire tournament on the way to its second crown, becoming just the third team to win the championship while posting at 0.00 postseason goals against average.
"Any other program in the country greatly benefits from the exposure from championship success," Gunn added. "The stories can help attract an individual that might have chosen elsewhere. It doesn't quite work that way at Stanford. No matter how many wins we get, the academic profile to be admitted to this great university does not change and so our ability recruiting doesn't change. It is what makes Stanford so unique and so special. Our pool of players to choose from doesn't grow based on our success. That being said we were fortunate to find great strength and depth in the 2017 class."
Work has already begun in preparation for next season, when Stanford will look to become the second program to win three straight NCAA titles (Virginia; 1991-94).
Andrew Aprahamian • Malvern, Pa. • Philadelphia Union
- Philadelphia Union Academy (2013-17)
- U-14 (2014-15), U-16 (2015-16) and U-18 (2016-17) team captain
- Played against Ecuador's U-20 National Team at the U.S. Soccer Training Center in Oct. 2016
- Traveled to Clairefontaine, France in Nov. 2014 with the U.S. U-16 Boys' National Team
- Participated in a pair of U.S. U-15 training camps in March and Aug. 2014
- Volunteers at Share Food Bank in Chester, Pa.
- Restored villages with Rustic Pathways in Fiji
Gunn on Aprahamian »Andrew is a dominant, vocal leader at the back and is equally adept at playing center back or right back. He is a good organizer and really impressed us with his sharpness and how agile he was closing players down 1v1.
Arda Bulut • Los Gatos, Calif. • San Jose Earthquakes
- San Jose Earthquakes Academy (2015-17)
- De Anza Force Academy (2013-15)
- Trained with the Earthquakes professional team for two weeks in the summer of 2016
- 2016 NSCAA Youth Boys All-West Region
- USSDA Western Conference Starting XI (2015-16)
- Fourth in the country in scoring for the U-16's in 2015-16 (24 goals)
- Led the nation in scoring for the U-14's in 2013-14 (33 goals)
- Participated in a U.S. Soccer domestic camp in Jan. 2016 and a pair of international camps in Argentina (March 2016) and Mexico (May 2016)
- Maintains a 4.5 GPA
- Fluent in English, Spanish and Turkish
Gunn on Bulut »Arda has been on our doorstep for a long time and has scored goals through every level of academy. He's certainly one of those forwards who is just desperate to score goals, which has to be the most important attribute of any striker.
Rhys De Sota • Parker, Colo. • Colorado Rapids
- Colorado Rapids Academy (2016-17)
- Real Colorado Academy (2015-16)
- USSDA third-place finish
- Colorado Storm 99 Copa (2013-15)
- State champions in 2014 and runners-up in 2015
- Colorado state MVP (2013-14)
- USSDA top-three scorer at the U-15-16 level (2015-16)
- USSDA Midwest Conference Starting XI (2015-16)
- Participated in a U.S. U-18 National Team training camp in 2016
- 4.54 GPA and three-year National Honor Society member
- Volunteer with the Global Down Syndrome Association
Gunn on De Sota »Rhys is a big, strong, athletic target striker - a true No. 9. He not only can hold the ball up with great strength, but he also has the pace and power to get in behind defenses.
Jack O'Brien • Broomfield, Colo. • Colorado Rush
- Colorado Rush Academy (2013-17)
- USSDA playoffs in 2014 and 2015
- Leads the team with nine goals in 13 games this season
- USSDA Player of the Week in June 2014
- Scored his first USSDA goal in a summer showcase as an incoming high school freshman
- Generation Adidas Real Madrid Select Team (Aug. 2015)
- 4.4 GPA and volunteers with Broomfield FISH Food Bank, A Previous Child and Circle of Friends
- Great-grandfather Peter Kmetovic was a prominent member of the Wow Boys, Stanford's 1940 national championship football team
- 1941 Rose Bowl Player of the Game
- Third overall pick in the 1942 NFL Draft
Gunn on O'Brien »Every time we've watched Jack play you get the same commitment and the same drive to attack. He's a tremendous forward that can also look at playing wide midfield as well. His work rate, personality and commitment will allow him to succeed in any position he plays.
Logan Panchot • Wildwood, Mo. • St. Louis Scott Gallagher
- St. Louis Scott Gallagher Soccer Club (2006-17)
- Won state championships in 2009 and 2016
- Two-time team captain
- Has been involved in the U.S. Soccer system since 2011
- Participated in a U-14 camp in 2011 and also traveled to Scotland and England
- Participated in five U-14 camps in 2012 and six U-15 camps in 2013
- Member of the U.S. Soccer U-17 Residency Program (2013-16)
- Captain of the U-17 National Team for a match against Panama (2013)
- Scored his first international goal against Norway in Denmark (2014)
- Participated in two U-19 camps in 2016
- Maintains over a 4.0 GPA
- Leader of the Suicide Awareness Project at his school
Gunn on Panchot »I enjoyed watching Logan for a number of years where he was originally playing at a club for one of my ex-Fort Lewis players. He's a wonderful, composed, smooth soccer player who is equally capable of playing as a wide midfielder or as a fullback. His all-around technical ability and composure on the ball are very, very valued assets in his game.
Zach Ryan • Chatham, N.J. • New York Red Bulls
- New York Red Bulls Academy (2013-17)
- National runners-up (2014-15)
- Northeast Division champions (2013-16)
- Led the team in scoring and assists three out of six seasons.
- Co-captain
- Participated in a U.S. U-14 National Team camp in Pasadena, Calif. in Aug. 2013
- Four-year honor roll member
- Co-founder of a local soccer equipment drive which collects and ships cleats, balls and gear for Ethiopian children
- Father and uncle were champion wrestlers at Syracuse
- Uncle, Thomas, is the head wrestling coach at Ohio State and the 2015 Big Ten Coach of the Year
Gunn on Ryan »Zach is a well-rounded forward who can play as a target or as a link-up player. He has the skill and vision to get into good scoring positions, always looking to create chances for himself or his teammates.
Kei Tomozawa • Bellevue, Wash. • Seattle Sounders
- Seattle Sounders U-16 Academy (2014-16)
- Made his debut with Sounders FC2 in May 2016
- Participated in three U.S. U-18 camps, including one internationally in Argentina in March 2016
- Trained with Argentina's and Peru's national teams during Copa America 2016 at the Sounders' training complex
- Part of Microsoft's coding competition in 2015 and 2016
- Volunteers with Green Seattle Partnership to rid parks of invasive plant species
Gunn on Tomozawa »Kei is a smooth, skillful central midfielder who will be able to compete anywhere across the midfield – centrally or out wide. He has composure, wonderful vision and an engine that drives him to constantly look to get on the ball in midfield.
Carson Vom Steeg • Santa Barbara, Calif. • Real So Cal
- Real So Cal Academy (2014-17)
- Earned playoff spots in 2015 and 2016
- U.S. U-18 Men's National Team captain (2015-present)
- Played at the Open Nordic Cup in Sweden in 2015
- 2016 Václav Ježek Tournament champions (Czech Republic)
- Volunteer assistant coach for Goleta Valley South Little League
- Father is the head men's soccer coach at UC Santa Barbara
Gunn on Vom Steeg »Carson has been a man against boys at the youth level – equally adept as a midfield general or a dominant, leading central defender. He has a maturity beyond his years and a true presence when he steps onto the field, something you don't usually see materialize until much later in a player's career.
Charlie Wehan • Laguna Niguel, Calif. • Strikers FC
- Strikers FC Academy (2014-17)
- Played his freshman year at Aliso Niguel High School and was first team All-CIF and first team all-conference
- Participated in a U.S. Soccer camp in Los Angeles in 2012
- Has five siblings and his brother Chris played soccer at New Mexico
Gunn on Wehan »Charlie's an exciting, energetic, skillful attacking player who can play anywhere in the front six. He's very crafty, gets into great attacking positions and has an ability to change pace and direction in ways that other players can't.