STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford, the three-time defending national champion, stockpiled more talent with the signings of five prep standouts to National Letters of Intent, Knowles Family Director of Men's Soccer Jeremy Gunn announced Friday.
Joining the Cardinal for the 2018 season are Matt Frank (Bloomfield, Mich./New York Red Bulls Academy), Ryan Ludwick (York, Pa./PA Classics Academy), Kyle Orciuch (Saint John, Ind./Chicago Fire Academy), Will Richmond (Piedmont, Calif./San Jose Earthquakes Academy) and Tyler Shaver (Riverside, Conn./NYCFC Academy).
The group joins a program that cemented its dynasty in December when it beat Indiana 1-0 in the College Cup final to become just the second school to win three consecutive NCAA championships. Stanford, 52-7-10 during its three-year championship run, did not allow a goal throughout the entire tournament for the second straight year and upped its NCAA-record postseason shutout streak to 12 - a stretch of 1,214 minutes and 20 seconds.
"We ask each student-athlete to leave the jersey in a better place than when they inherited it and I don't think there could be a better example of this than the class that just graduated," Gunn said. "They set what is now the gold standard in collegiate soccer. Their ability to work as hard as they could on a daily basis to become the best players they could should provide great inspiration to every aspiring student-athlete. The 2018 recruiting class will now be provided the same high-performing environment with all of the tools necessary to achieve their individual and team goals. Replacing so many major contributors in one year will be a huge ask, but something that hopefully each individual will relish."
Matt Frank • Bloomfield, Mich. • New York Red Bulls
- New York Red Bulls Academy (2016-18) and Vardar Soccer Club (2014-16)
- Red Bulls were Generation Adidas Cup semifinalists in 2017
- Eastern Conference Best XI and Generation Adidas Best XI (2017)
- Participated in three U.S. Soccer camps
- U-17 - Washington D.C. (2017)
- U-17 - Bradenton, Fla. (2016)
- U-14 - Michigan (2014)
- 2015 national champion with Vardar Soccer Club
- Detroit Police Athletic League Soccer for Success (member and volunteer)
- National Honor Society
Gunn on Frank »Matt is a very vocal keeper who has top-class organizational skills, which allows him to run his defensive unit with a maturity you rarely see in such a young player. He is a top-level shot stopper who is capable of making game-winning saves.
Ryan Ludwick • York, Pa. • PA Classics
- PA Classics Academy (2014-18)
- Two-time team captain with the U-16's (2015-16) and U-18's (2017-18)
- Started 61 of 65 games the past three seasons
- Ranked fifth in his high school class with a 4.0 GPA
- Two-year member of the National Spanish Honor Society
- Three-year member of the National English Honor Society
Gunn on Ludwick »Ryan is a versatile player who has the engine to play as a box-to-box center midfielder and the strength to defend at the back. He is very willing to compete and fight for every ball. Ryan joins our program from the hot bed of soccer, PA Classics SC in Pennsylvania coached by Steve Klein, which produced previous Stanford captains Brian Nana-Sinkam and Drew Skundrich.
Kyle Orciuch • Saint John, Ind. • Chicago Fire
- Chicago Fire Academy (2012-18)
- 2014 Liga BBVA Bancomer Torneo Internacional Final against Pachuca in Estadio Azteca
- 2016 Academy Playoffs knockout round appearances for the U-18's
- 2016 Academy Playoffs quarterfinal and semifinal appearances for the U-16's
- 2017 Academy Playoffs knockout round with the U-19's
- Invited to train with the Chicago Fire reserves at 14 years old
- Invited to regularly train with the first team at 16 years old
- Maintained a 4.35 cumulative GPA
- Organized and volunteered for Lake Central High School's Veterans Day Convocation since 2015
- National Honor Society
Gunn on Orciuch »Kyle has a great presence as a goalkeeper and has a big frame which he uses well in 1-v-1 situations, while also dominating in the air. He is someone that also has the ability to make those big game-winning saves that can be the difference in a tight match.
Photo by Lyndsay Radnedge/Center Line Soccer
Will Richmond • Piedmont, Calif. • San Jose Earthquakes
- San Jose Earthquakes Academy (2016-18), De Anza Force Soccer Club (2015-16) and Ballistic United Academy (2014-15)
- Participated in numerous invitational events
- U.S. Soccer National Training Center (2014-16)
- Sheffield-BUSC Wednesday International Camp, England (2014)
- SuperCupNI, Formerly Dale Farm Milk Cup, Northern Ireland (2015)
- BBVA Bancomer International Tournament, Mexico City, Mexico (2016)
- U.S. Soccer Showcases (2014-2017)
- Generation Adidas Cup, Los Angeles, Dallas and Colorado (2017)
- Named to the tournament's Best XI
- eSoccer volunteer in San Jose (2017) and Oakland (2015)
- Inclusive soccer program where typical and special needs children ages five and up participate alongside each other in an inclusive environment.
- Piedmont High School Honors Society (2015-17)
Gunn on Richmond »Will is an exciting attacking winger in every sense. He has an ability to glide past players with ease and has a phenomenal ability to provide a quality end product with a goal or an assist when he enters the attacking third.
Tyler Shaver • Riverside, Conn. • NYCFC
- NYCFC Academy (2017-18) and Beachside Soccer Club (2014-17)
- Beachside SC was ranked sixth nationally in 2014-15 and advanced to the national quarterfinals
- Started and played up two years on BSC's U-15-16 Academy (2014-15)
- Started and played up three years on BSC's U-17-18 Academy (2015-16)
- Member of the U-17 U.S. Men's National Team
- Member of U.S. U-17 World Cup team in India that reached the quarterfinals in 2017
- Invited to U-17 U.S. Men's National Team Residency Program in Bradenton, Fla. (2016-2017)
- Traveled to Argentina, Atlanta, Portland and Czech Republic training camps in the spring and summer of 2017
- Traveled to India for the All India Football Federation Youth Cup in May of 2016
- Traveled to the Mondial Football of Montaigu Tournament in France in March of 2016
- Won tournament
- Played Brazil, England, Russia and France
- Captained final game against France
- Traveled to Turkey for the Aegean Cup in January of 2016
- Also a member of the U-15 and U-14 U.S. Boys' National Teams
- Went to preseason with the NYCFC first team in January 2018 (Florida and California)
- Achieved high honors every semester at Brunswick School
- Member of Waterside Club and Brunswick Tutoring Initiative
Gunn on Shaver »Tyler has spent his fledgling career at the top of youth soccer playing for the USYNT, including being in the squad for the U17 World Cup in India. He plays the game with a real maturity and reads defensive situations that arise in a game impeccably before they create danger. Tyler is very much a modern defender that is extremely comfortable on the ball and very capable of breaking pressure with forward passes.