YOKOHAMA, Japan --- La Mirada will be a bit of change of scenery for Kousei Mattox, who joins Biola Men's Soccer after spending his entire life in Japan up to this point.
 
He was born abroad, as his father is in the Comand Navy Force Japan, and has competed in soccer on recreational and club teams in Japan his whole life.
 
"Kousei is very competent in so many areas of the game," said Head Coach Todd Elkins. "He is an aggressive ball winner in the air and on the ground. He reads the game well and is technically very clean and efficient on the ball."
 
Mattox is a defender who played six seasons for Esperanza SC, a top club team in Kanagawa, Japan. He captained the team from 2012-15 and led the team to the equivalent of a state tournament title in 2013.
 
He was named to the Kanagawa Selected Team, equivalent of American all-state honors, each year from 2012-15.
 
In 2015 he led the team to the Kanto Best Four. This is a tournament that features club teams from across multiple "states" in Japan. To be in the Best Four is to make it to the tournament semifinals.
 
"I want to play as a Christian soccer player," said Mattox. "Biola is like a family. It is one big family so I will not feel alone. To play here will be a big step up for me."
 
Mattox begins classes at Biola in the fall of 2015. He plans to study kinesiology and hopes for a professional soccer career.