LA MIRADA---The Biola men's soccer team is eager to begin the 2024 season with 11 newcomers added to their returning 2023 roster of 22. Biola's group of 11 newcomers includes five transfers and six freshmen.

"I cant wait to start the season," exclaimed head coach Joey O'Keefe. "I think our first game is a really good gage to where we are at as a program. We have a really hard preseason schedule with six difficult preseason matches. Of those six matches, five teams have been to the national tournament in the last two years. We did that for a reason, we want to make sure that we are playing against the best opponents that we can and we are expecting to win those games."

The Eagles, coming off of a 5-8-5 overall record, were ranked fifth by the PacWest Conference's coaches in the 2024 preseason poll. Biola returns four all-conference selections including Luca McGreevey Couchman (PacWest Freshman of the Year), Ethan Hardin (Second Team All-PacWest), Tom Irion (Third Team All-PacWest) and graduate transfer Leandro Weingaertner (First Team All-PacWest for HPU).

2024 BIOLA MEN'S SOCCER NEWCOMERS
NAME	POS.	YR.	HOMETOWN	PREVIOUS SCHOOL
Em Baris	M	So.	Dortmund, Germany	William Penn Univ.
Anthony Campos	F	Fr.	San Bruno, Calif.	Capuchino
Joseph Davis	D	Jr.	Freehold, NJ	NJIT
Ryan Ellsworth	F	Fr.	Colorado Springs, Colo.	Air Academy
Eoin Kingsley	M	So.	Ventura, Calif.	CSUN
Cruz Navarro	F	Fr.	San Bernardino, Calif.	Redlands East Valley
Jorge Negrete	M	Fr.	Hesperia, Calif.	Hesperia
Jaden Nisperos	GK	Fr.	San Diego, Calif.	Westview
David Setters	D/M		Eastleigh, United Kingdom	Algoma Univ.
Sam So	D	Fr.	Chino Hills, Calif.	Chino Hills
Leandro Weingaertner	M	Gr.	Frankfurt, Germany	Hawaii Pacific Univ.

Em Baris
O'Keefe's thoughts on Baris: "Emre was a highly talented international player transferring from a top NAIA program in the midwest. He boasts Freshman of the Year honors from his conference before coming to Biola and has shown tremendously well in the early days of his Biola tenure. Emre is mature well beyond his years and will be a name to keep your eye on throughout the season."

Anthony Campos
O'Keefe's thoughts on Campos: "Anthony's a Northern-Californian freshman that can run the sideline channel in very intelligent ways. His work rate is phenomenal which gives him a very high ceiling to grow."

Joseph Davis
O'Keefe's thoughts on Davis: "Joe comes into Biola as a D1 transfer from New Jersey where he played almost every game. His hunger to get out of his comfort zone and challenge himself in new ways is a major reason why we tried so hard to bring him in. He brings game-like intensity and toughness to every single training session and he will be able to play multiple positions on the field."

Ryan Ellsworth
O'Keefe's thoughts on Ellsworth: "Ryan, a Colorado native, is a multi-positioned athlete and has an incredibly mature demeanor on and off the field. He's a student of the game and has a marvelously high ceiling if he continues the progression we have seen in our short time with him."

Eoin Kingsley
O'Keefe's thoughts on Kingsley: "Eoin is a Southern California native that transferred in the spring from a D1 program just up the freeway. He is a true competitor and brings grit and toughness to every training session and match. Being able to get him last semester was important to be familiar with the group and the system of play. He has high expectations and holds himself to a high training standard each day."

Cruz Navarro
O'Keefe's thoughts on Navarro: "Cruz is a stand out player club and high school player from the IE with incredible raw athleticism and an eye for goal scoring. He has the potential to be a highly contributing four year player and a hunger on the field that I have rarely seen in players his age."

Jorge Negrete
O'Keefe's thoughts on Negrete: "Jorge reins from the high desert is as technically gifted as they come. Jorge's ability to get out of danger in tight spaces is unparalleled and he has the capacity to make defenders look silly when they over-commit."

David Setters
O'Keefe's thoughts on Setters: "David comes with exceptionally high pedigree playing for a top club in the UK as well as holding dual nationalities to earn multiple caps for the Philippines National Team caps in the U23 World Cup Qualifiers. David is technically gifted and has a composure rarely seen from a player of his age. He has the bonus of playing in multiple positions on the field and is a player that can help us get our program to the next level."

Sam So
O'Keefe's thoughts on So: "Sam comes from just down the freeway in Chino Hills. He's a modern outside back with a sweet left foot. In the early days, we've already seen how dangerous he can be in contributing to the attack from a deep lying position. 

Leandro Weingaertner
O'Keefe's thoughts on Weingaertner: "The moment we saw Leo enter the transfer portal, we knew that he needed to come to Biola. We've rated him a top player in the conference for the last several years as he brings 3 years of Pac-West All-Conference pedigree prior to transferring in. Leo's impact has been immediate and his humble demeanor is infectious to the rest of the group."

The men's soccer team is kicks off their season tomorrow Thursday, Sept. 5 against Cal Poly Pomona at 7:30 p.m. at Al Barbour Field.