LAS VEGAS --- Head Coach Torrey Stricklin knows transfer Haiko Hovak can be trusted to lead a defense; it's something the center back has been doing for years. 

A 2018 graduate of Desert Oasis High in Nevada, Hovak has assumed leading roles since he served as a team captain over his last two years of high school with the Diamondbacks. Then he started over 90 percent of his team's matches as a freshman and sophomore at University Colorado Colorado Springs and logged over 2,800 minutes for the Mountain Lions. 

That caliber of experience alone makes Hovak a very exciting addition for the Eagles, especially after they graduated four major contributors to last year's backline. But Coach Striklin also expects Hovak to contribute to the team in several ways that do not show up in his statistics.

"Haiko is a proven college soccer player who is going to be able to come in and address a specific need for us at the center back position. His athleticism combined with technical quality will allow him to excel in our system," said Coach Stricklin. "What I love most about Haiko is his competitive spirit and I am excited to see how he will impact our program moving forward."

Before moving to Colorado, Hovak played four years of varsity soccer at Desert Oasis High and developed a decorated resume on top of his responsibilities as a team captain. The Las Vegas-native earned two team MVP's and had two years where he earned all-league, all-region and All-Southern Nevada recognitions in the same season. 

That list of accomplishments led Hovak to start every match and play every minute of his freshman season at UCCS, a year which saw the Mountain Lions advance to the semifinals of the RMAC tournament after posting a 6-1-1 mark at home and an 8-4-2 conference record. 

Hovak helped his teams to six clean sheets that year, assisted two goals, and played several matches against nationally ranked NCAA DII teams along the way. Then he started 15 more matches, and logged over 1,300 minutes, in 2019 while also being named to the RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll. 

Hovak will major in kinesiology at Biola as he builds on last year's academic award. He hopes his time studying in Biola's recently opened Lim Center for Science, Technology and Health will lead him to a career as a physical therapist. And he's thankful for the other opportunities Biola will offer him as a Christian university in Southern California:

"I chose Biola because of the beautiful campus and location with the opportunity to grow as a person and player," said Hovak.

Haiko Hovak will join an Eagles team that is looking to build on three-straight winning seasons since joining the PacWest. More information on the incoming 2020-21 class that will join him at Biola can be found on the Committed Athletes page.