Men’s soccer announces 2012 signing class

FIU men’s soccer Head Coach Kenny Arena announced the addition of six signees to the 2012 men’s soccer recruiting class. The class includes three freshman and three transfers.

FIU signee Andrew Mattek. Photo courtesy FIUSports.com.

“Our staff is extremely proud to have signed some of the most talented players in South Florida,” Arena said. “With FIU being the only Division I men’s program in such a soccer-rich city as Miami, our goal is to be the number one destination for all of the area’s homegrown talent. This class will prove to be an integral part of our program’s success for the fall and in the future.”

Kevin Barber is a defender from Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tenn., who brings more than 2,000 minutes of intercollegiate experience to the Panthers defense. At Lipscomb, Barber was a second-team all-conference honoree his sophomore season and played in 33 career games, with 30 starts. He was tied for fourth on the team as a freshman with two goals, including a game-winner against Belmont. Barber’s club team, Schulz Academy, was ranked as high as No. 2 in the country in 2009 and reached the U.S. Soccer Development Academy National finals where they finished third.

Kwesi Alleyne is a defender from New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) in Newark, N.J. In his career at NJIT, Alleyne played in 30 matches, starting in 27. Alleyne played high school soccer at University School in Tamarac, Fla., and will be reunited with fellow transfer Kevin Barber in the Panther backfield. At University School, he was a four-time all-county first-team honoree while his team won the district finals all four years he was in school, reaching two state finals. Alleyne is a former ESPN Rise Magazine Athlete of the Year. While playing on the Schulz Academy club team in 2008 with Barber, he set the record for most consecutive games without conceding a goal (17 games). In 2008, he was called up to the United States U-18 National Team.

Icaro Marcos Cesar De Oliveria, or Iko for short, is a midfielder from Tyler College in Tyler, Texas. He was part of the 2010 NJCAA National Championship team and had five goals and 10 assists in two years at Tyler with a 3.18 GPA to boost. De Oliveria played high school soccer at Stoneman Douglas in Parkland, Fla., where he scored 32 goals with 28 assists in his four-year career. His club team, Team Boca, won the state championship in 2008. Iko isn’t the only De Oliveria to play collegiately at FIU; his brother Marcos Cesar was a member of the Panthers from 2007-10.

Daniel Gonzalez is a midfielder out of Miami Killian Senior High School in Miami, Fla., where he scored 76 career goals. He was named All-Miami Dade and team MVP his junior and senior seasons and was a Copa-Dorada Hispanic Athlete Award recipient. In 2011, he traveled to England as a member of the Chelsea Disney Showcase all-star team. He is also a member of Kendall SC in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy where he scored a total of 17 goals over the last two seasons.

Lyle Lindquist comes to FIU from Miami Palmetto Senior High School in Pinecrest, Fla., where he was a two-time, All-Dade selection. The defender/midfielder is a member of Kendall SC in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy where he played in 22 games, starting 17.

Andrew Mattek is a forward from West Boca Raton High School in Boca Raton, Fla., where he scored 20 goals in his junior season and was a two-time, all-county selection. He is a teammate of Lyle Lindquist and Daniel Gonzalez on Kendall SC in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy where he scored nine goals and had 11 assists in 18 games in 2011-12.