GREENSBORO, NC – UNC Greensboro men’s soccer coach Michael Parker announced Wendesday the commitment of four high school seniors and one transfer to enroll at UNCG.
Coming off their third consecutive NCAA Tournament Round of 16 appearance, the Spartans received commitments from high school seniors James Lofton, Will Dunaway, Mike Favero, Nirav Kadam via a National Letter of Intent. UNCG also received a scholarship commitment from Tebatso Manyama, a forward who has played the last two seasons at NAIA powerhouse Auburn-Montgomery and will transfer to UNCG.
“This was obviously an important recruiting class for us,” said Parker, who is the winningest active coach in Division I. “When you lose two All-Americans who are now competing for spots in MLS and have the kind of success we have had over the last three years, you have to recruit the highest level players to try to maintain that level of success. We think we have been able to keep ourselves in that realm with this recruiting class. These players have succeeded at the highest levels nationally, and in some cases internationally, and bring a wealth of experience to our program.”
Manyama, a native of Johannesburg, South Africa, was a member of the top-ranked squad in NAIA last year. Auburn-Montgomery finished the season 16-4-0 and was the top seed in the NAIA National Tournament before being knocked off in the second round by Northwood University. Manyama had an assist in that game. In 2005, he appeared in the final nine matches of the season. Last year, he played in 13 matches and had three goals and three assists on a team that had six NAIA All-Americans.
Lofton, a senior at Eastern Mennonite HS this year, earned NSCAA High School All-American honors as a defender this past season. His club team, Braddock Road Premier, was the Virginia State Cup champions and was ranked No. 12 nationally. A Super Y and Region I ODP participant, he twice earned all-state honors and was named all-conference all four years. A native of Harrisonburg, VA, he played internationally with the D.C. United U-17 squad, traveling to Spain. He has also played with club teams traveling to France and England.
Dunaway, an adidas ESP camp participant, played center midfield and forward for his Greenbrier HS team in his native Evans, GA. Greensbrier was the top-rated high school team in the state of Georgia and was ranked No. 8 in the country this past season. As a junior, he had 17 goals and 28 assists, earning his third all-area honor from the Augusta Chronicle. He plays his club soccer for the Cobb Futbol Club, where he has been a part of the Region 3 Premeier East finals and the Georgia State Cup finals two years in a row. He helped his team win those titles in 2005 and finish second in 2006. The team was ranked No. 10 in the nation among club teams this past January. Dunaway also played in the Georgia ODP program, was a member of the Region 3 ODP team, and participated in the National ODP Championships in 2005.
Favero is currently a senior midfielder on the Countryside High School squad in Clearwater, FL. He was a second-team all-county selection last year with 16 goals, including the game-winner in the state 6A title match. Currently, Countryside was ranked No. 1 in the nation in the NSCAA adidas winter season rankings before losing its first match in the regional finals earlier this month. Countryside finished a remarkable 28-1-1 on the season.
Kadam was also an NSCAA High School All-American at Northwest HS in Germantown, MD. A four-year starter for Northwest at forward, Kadam had 12 goals in his senior season as he earned all-state honors. Set a school-record as a junior with 14 goals on the season. Also an adidas ESP camp participant, Kadam plays his club soccer for Bethesda United, which is currently ranked No. 13 among club teams nationally according to Soccer America. He led Bethesda United in scoring last season with 16 goals. He also has played in the Maryland ODP program and on the national level. Currently, he is a member of the Region 1 ODP squad.
The Spartans finished 16-8-1 last season and captured both the Southern Conference regular season and tournament titles. UNCG also advanced to the NCAA Tournament’s round of 16 for the third straight year.
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