UNCG incoming class ranked in Top 40 for the fifth straight year

GREENSBORO, NC – UNC Greensboro’s incoming recruiting class is ranked the 32nd best in the nation according to a Top 40 ranking released this past week by College Soccer News.

It is the fifth consecutive year that UNCG’s incoming class has been ranked by College Soccer News. The Spartans are the only Southern Conference team listed in the Top 40 rankings.

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 has transferred to UNCG.

Lofton was listed as one of the top 100 freshmen in the country by College Soccer News.

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 graduate of Eastern Mennonite HS, earned NSCAA High School All-American honors as a defender during his senior 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 last 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 was  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 was a 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. Countryside was ranked No. 1 in the nation in the NSCAA adidas winter season rankings last year before losing its first match in the regional finals. 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. Kadam 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 was ranked among the Top 20 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. He was also 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. The team reported to pre-season camp on Sunday evening and will begin pre-season meetings on Monday.

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College Soccer News Top 40 Recruiting Classes
1. Duke
2. Indiana
3. Virginia
4. SMU
5. Akron
6. Wake Forest
7. Clemson
8. Maryland
9. Stanford
10. South Carolina
11. North Carolina
12. Connecticut
13. UC Santa Barbara
14. Santa Clara
15. Notre Dame
16. California
17. Washington
18. Seton Hall
19. San Diego State
20. St. John’s
21. Northwestern
22. Saint Louis
23. Hartwick
24. South Florida
25. Providence
26. Cincinnati
27. Rutgers
28. NC State
29. Illinois-Chicago
30. West Virginia
31. New Mexico
32. UNCG
33. Georgetown
34. Oregon State
35. Boston University
36. Momouth
37. Michigan
38. Northern Illinois
39. Louisville
40. Loyola-Marymount

- UNCG -