Temple University Athletics
Men's Soccer Signs 15 to 2022 Class
8.9.22 | Men's Soccer
We feel very strongly that this recruiting class is one that will bring a ton of quality to our program and help us compete for championships. There is balance in the group from front to back in each position. Not only are the dynamic young student-athletes, but we have also brought in quality leadership and NCAA D1 experience. We are confident this group of Temple Owls, will help to raise the bar, and push for our continued growth as a program.Head Coach Brian Rowland
Fridtjof Andberg is a 6-1 defender originally from Lillehammer, Norway. Andberg is no stranger to Philadelphia, he attended Philly Soccer Six rival La Salle for one season in 2018 where he was named to Soccer Six All-Rookie team. He played the last three seasons for the LIU Sharks, where he continued to impress. Andberg was named All-NEC tournament in 2019, first team All-NEC in 2020-21, first team United Soccer Coaches All-Region in 2020-21, and second team All-NEC in 2021. He was also named NEC Male Scholar Athlete of the Year in 2020-21. Andberg helped lead LIU men’s soccer to their first NCAA tournament win since 1982 in November, taking down perennial powerhouse Maryland 1-0 in the first round. Andberg plans to major in Business at Temple.
Fritdjof will bring a ton of leadership and experience to our group this coming fall. He was the key leader of an LIU team the advanced in the NCAA tournament last season. We expect an immediate impact from Fritz on the field, where he can play a couple of different positions in different formations for us.Coach Rowland
Draven Barnett is a 5-9 midfielder from Springfield, Missouri. Barnett attended Lee’s Summit High School where he graduated in 2022. He spent the last three years in the Sporting Kansas City system. Barnett competed for Sporting KC U16/U17, as well as Sports Kansas City II in the MLS Next League. He plans to major in Finance at Temple.
We are extremely excited to welcome Draven to Temple. He is a very versatile player, capable of playing at a very high level in multiple positions. Draven will make an immediate impact within our team, and will push our program to higher level during his career.Coach Rowland
Joseph “Joey” Cino is a 5-10 Left Back/Left Center Back hailing from Linwood, New Jersey. Cino attended Mainland Regional High School in Linwood. During the three seasons of varsity soccer he played, Mainland posted a 40-17 record. Cino was part of a powerhouse club in Real Jersey FC. He helped lead RJFC to two United States Youth Soccer Association National Titles and was awarded to the USYSA best eleven in 2018. Cino plans to major in Kinesiology at Temple.
Joey is a very dynamic and versatile defender who will bring technical and physical tools to our back line. As a competitor, Joey will look to fight for minutes right away, but we also know he will grow and develop here in his four-year career.Coach Rowland
Ferran Vera Filella comes to Temple after spending his first four collegiate seasons in his native Spain where he attended Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona (The Autonomous University of Barcelona). During his time attending university, Filella played for three different clubs. In his freshman season, Filella played for U.E. Cornella. In his sophomore campaign, he suited up for Cerdanyola C.F of the Spanish Third Division. During Filella’s final two seasons, he led Sant Cugat to second and third place finishes in its league. He will major in Computational Data Science at Temple.
We expect an immediate impact from Ferran, who is coming with a wealth of experience from Spain. He possesses excellent technical and tactical awareness, which will fit in great with our midfield and our team philosophy.Coach Rowland
Zain Hameed comes to North Broad as a rising sophomore. The 6-0 goalkeeper played last season at Old Dominion University. Prior to his time with the Monarchs, Hameed spent two years suiting up for George Mason High School in Northern Virginia. While a senior, Hameed was named All-Region and was the starting goalkeeper as George Mason won the state championship. He also won the Virginia State Cup as a freshman. On the club side Hameed is also very accomplished, having won the Disney Cup at the Disney Soccer Showcase and gaining the opportunity to travel to France after winning the club regional. He will major in Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management at Temple.
Zain is an exciting goalkeeper who brings an athleticism and college experience to our goalkeeping core. He has all the tools to be an impact player and develop into an excellent goalkeeper here at Temple. We are excited to see Zain compete right away and push to reach his full potential with our talented goalkeepers.Coach Rowland
Rocco Häufglöckner arrives at Temple from Mainz, Germany. He is a 5-9 winger who spent his youth days in the FSV Mainz 05 system. FVS Mainz 05 has played in the highest level of European soccer during the last decade. During his time with the U17 and U19 Bundesliga teams, Häufglöckner helped Mainz 05 earn a top 5 finish, and second place finish, respectively. He attended IGS Mainz-Bretzenheim for secondary schooling, and plans to major in engineering at Temple.
Rocco brings experience and maturity along with high level skill to Temple. He has been educated in one of the best academies in Germany, and will bring this knowledge and versatility to our team. We expect Rocco to have an immediate impact on our team from his first days on campus.Coach Rowland
Lucas Hitters is a 6-0 forward who hails from Cypress, Texas. He was raised in Pilar, Argentina, before immigrating to the Houston area in 2014. Hitters spent four years on varsity at Cypress Ranch High School. While he was attending, Cypress Ranch earned a 36-15-3 record and earned three district top two finishes. Hitters was awarded all-district honors in all four years, including Newcomer of the Year as a freshman and district MVP as a senior. The forward has appeared for Rise SC and Houston FC on the club side. He last played for Houston FC at the USL 2 level. He plans to major in Exercise and Sport Science at Temple.
Lucas is a modern attacking player who can play multiple roles in multiple systems and formations. Lucas has the ability to impact our program right away; he brings others into the attack extremely well and creates goal scoring situations. He possesses all the technical, tactical, and physical qualities to be an impact player here and help elevate our program.Coach Rowland
Lleyton Imparato is 6-0 Midfielder who can play multiple positions but specializes in the midfield. While Imparato is currently based in Tampa, Florida, he attended high school at La Costa Canyon in southern California. Imparato played four years with Nomads SC MLS Next, as well as Charles MLS Next. In his junior year with Nomads SC, Imparato was the leading scorer on a team ranked second among development academies on the west coast. He plans to major in Real Estate at Temple.
Lleyton is a smooth, and technical central midfielder, who can open up games with his technical abilities. He will fit in well with our team, and our style of play. Lleyton will compete right away, and we also expect him to develop within our system during his Temple career.Coach Rowland
Dominic “Dom” Jones is a 6-0 goalkeeper who spent his high school days at powerhouse Mount Saint Joseph’s in Baltimore alongside fellow Owl Tyquan Stroud. Jones was the starter during his senior season as Mount Saint Joseph’s went undefeated and was ranked as the second best high school men’s soccer team in nation by TopDrawerSoccer. The goalkeeper also was the starter and captained Liverpool FCIA MD on the club side. Jones led the club in both saves and shutouts; he led Liverpool to their first Regional and National tournament. He was also a nationally recognized track star, competing at the New Balance Nationals and winning indoor track MVP in 2019. Jones plans to major in Health Professions on North Broad.
Another exciting prospect, Dom has been with our group since the Spring semester. As a goalkeeper, he possesses the athletic ability to make big plays for our team. Dom has already shown tremendous growth and development in his one semester here, and we are excited to see that continue this season and beyond.Coach Rowland
A local product, Sawyer Koza is a 5-8 left/right back who graduated from Council Rock North in Newtown, Pa. Koza played club with the Philadelphia Union and also spent time with the Pennsylvania Development Academy. He was part of one of the better youth club teams in Union history, advancing to the 2021 national MLSNext finals. Koza was also a member of his school’s football program, being named first team all-district as a punter. He comes from a family of athletes, his aunt, Stephanie Downer, played soccer for the University of Delaware, while his brother Ethan ran track and cross country for the Owls. He plans to major in Business Marketing at Temple.
Sawyer is an aggressive defender who brings all the technical and tactical ability to make an immediate impact this season. He can play multiple defensive positions, but is also a very modern defender who impacts the attack, and provides options that we look for in our defenders.Coach Rowland
Lawrence Kwazema comes to Temple as a graduate transfer from Division II Biola University in California. Originally from Nigeria, the 5-9 forward attended The International School of Minnesota and played his club ball with Minnesota Twinstars FC where he won the 2015 Minnesota State Cup. Kwazema spent 2017, 2018, and 2019 at Northern Illinois where he appeared in all 32 games in 2018 and 19, making 17 starts. He spent the last two years at Biola where he was twice named All-PacWest Conference and was named second team All-West Region in 2021. Highlights include a hat trick and assist in March of 2021 and starting all 17 games in 2022. He plans to major in Sports Tourism and Hospitality Management at Temple.
Lawrence brings a dynamic, athletic presence to our backline. He is a leader and impact player who will compete immediately within our team. Lawrence will bring solid technical and tactical ability along with elite speed to our team. He will allow us to be aggressive in how we set our team up both defending and attacking.Coach Rowland
George Medill a 5-10 midfielder from McAlester, Oklahoma. He grew up in the Dallas area where he suited up for FC Dallas on the club side from the U12-U17 levels. Medill spent his senior year of high school in Olathe, Kansas, in the Kansas City metro area while training with Sporting Kansas City. During his senior year at Olathe East High School, Medill was a star, racking up 13 goals and 12 assists. He will major in Business Management at Temple.
George is a smart and technical player who can play all of the positions in the center of midfield. He is capable of scoring and creating chances for others. George will fit in very well with our midfield group, and we are excited to see how he progresses here next season and beyond.Coach Rowland
Tommy Napoli is a 5-8 Center Midfielder originating from Linwood, New Jersey. Napoli attended Mainland Regional High School in Linwood. During the three seasons of soccer he played, Mainland posted a 40-17 record. Napoli was part of a powerhouse club in Real Jersey FC. He helped lead RJFC to two United States Youth Soccer Association National Titles and was awarded to the USYSA best eleven in 2018. Cino plans to major in Psychology at Temple.
Tommy is a very technical central midfield player who has a tenacity and competitiveness that will allow him to excel right away. He has the attributes to play multiple midfield positions, and we expect him to grow and develop within our program.Coach Rowland
Micah Ramirez is a 5-11 goalkeeper arriving at Temple from Plano, Texas. He is the third and final goalkeeper in the 2022 class, and second member of the class from the Dallas area. Ramirez spent his high school days suiting up for Solar SC. In 2021, the goalkeeper led Solar City to the MLS Next Playoffs. He is undecided on his major at Temple.
Micah is an athletic and technical, modern goalkeeper. We know that Micah has a bright future, and has the ability to compete right away this upcoming season within our goalkeeper core.Coach Rowland
Elyad Shojaei has had a decorated collegiate career thus far. The 6-0 defender comes to Temple as a graduate transfer after a stint at the University of British Columbia and three years at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTGV). Shojaei started and played in all 43 games during his tenure with the Vaqueros. He earned All-WAC Honorable Mention as a sophomore in 2019 and was named first team All-WAC in 2020-21. The Tehran native scored one goal and passed for an assist in 2020-21 as well, he played 3,768 minutes during his three years at UTRGV. Shojaei is also very accomplished in the classroom. He graduated Summa Cum Laude from UTRGV after doubling majoring in Political Science and Economics. He intends to pursue a Masters of Public Policy at Temple.
Elyad has already impacted our team, having arrived here in the Spring. He is a leader in the locker room, and his experience has greatly helped our team and our younger players. Elyad is a versatile defender who possess the technical and athletic skills to excel in our conference and beyond.Coach Rowland
