The Northwestern College men's soccer team has rounded out its recruiting class for 2019 with five more signings.
 
Joining the Red Raiders for the 2019 season will be Nathan O'Rourke, Bryant Carrere, Aaron Eckmann, James Bolger and Roman Stokes.

"We are excited to welcome this group of players to Northwestern College this fall," assistant coach Adam Potter said.  "We work really hard to identify student athletes that will fit well into our environment at Northwestern!  We have a strong core of young talent returning and it's exciting to see this recruiting class that we have constructed along with the competition that will be created this fall."

Nathan O'Rourke | Defender | Northeast Texas Community College
Native of Bray, Republic of Ireland
Nathan played two seasons at Northeast Texas Community College under head coach Dean Johnson.  He helped lead Northeast to the national tournament, a #7 national ranking, and a 17-3-2 overall record.  Nathan was also a captain at Northeast for 2 years. He is planning to select a major from the Kinesiology department offerings once he arrives at Northwestern.

Swier on O'Rourke: "We are excited to have another experienced junior college player coming in from a nationally ranked program, our third of this recruiting class.  Nathan will bring a calm and confident presence to our squad due to his experience as a player and captain at his previous school."

 

Byrant Carrere| Midfielder | Pleasant Grove High School   
Native of Pleasant Grove, Utah
Bryant spent the last four years at Pleasant Grove High School under head coach Chris Ecalono.  He was a part of a team that won a 6A state championship in 2018 and lost in the semi-finals in 2019, ending with a 14-4-1 record. Bryant scored 5 goals and had 6 assists He plans to major in Businesses Management while at Northwestern.

Swier on Carrere: "Bryant is a very talented player. At our ID Camp he showed that he is ready to take his game to the college level.  We are excited about the combination of talent and big game experience that he brings with him to our program, and look forward to his contributions both on and off the field."

 

Aaron Eckmann | Forward | James Valley Christian High School
Native of Cavour, South Dakota
Aaron is a defender who comes to Northwestern from James Valley Christian High School, where he played for head coach Brent Stahl.  He lettered four years in soccer and three in track and field.  He was the president of the National Honor Society and plans to study pre-engineering and political science at Northwestern.

Swier on Eckmann: "Aaron is a nice addition to our program.  His plan to compete in track and field in addition to soccer shows that he is a true athlete.  We are happy that he has chosen Northwestern and look forward to what the next four years will bring."

 

James Bolger | Midfielder | Abbey Community College
Boyle, Republic of Ireland
James comes to Northwestern from the Republic of Ireland where he played for head coach Aaron O'Connor.  His team finished 4^th in their local league in 2018 and he was voted player of the year.  At 6'3" tall, James is an imposing and prototypical defensive midfielder.  He is a talented multi-sport athlete, also successfully competing in basketball and gaelic football. 

Swier on Bolger: "James comes into our program at a critical time.  As we continue to bolster our roster from an influential outgoing group, James will compete to fill the void.  He is a very assertive player and has the frame to be a ball-winner in the midfield.  We are excited about the contributions he will bring to our program."

 

Roman Stokes | Defender | MOC Floyd Valley  High School
Native of Orange City, Iowa
Roman is a defender who comes to Northwestern from MOC Floyd Valley High School, where he played for head coach Blake Wieking. He lettered three years in soccer. Roman was an honor roll student at MOC for four years and plans to study Business at Northwestern.

Swier on Stokes: "We are happy to announce that Roman has chosen to continue his soccer career with the Red Raiders.  He is an experienced defender who has a college soccer body, which will benefit him during the transition to the college game.  We look forward to his contributions to our program."