Men's Soccer announces first three recruit signings of 2022
Matias Daniel (Santiago, Chile), Fletcher Hedge (Beccles, England), and Dan Smith (Hadleigh, England) have all signed letters of intent to continue their academic and athletic careers at Bellevue beginning in the fall.
BELLEVUE, Neb. -- Bellevue University men's soccer coach Mark Heath-Preston has announced the first three signings of the 2022 recruiting season. Matias Daniel (Santiago, Chile), Fletcher Hedge (Beccles, England), and Dan Smith (Hadleigh, England) have all signed letters of intent to continue their academic and athletic careers at Bellevue beginning in the fall.
Matias Daniel
Daniel, a forward, has already played two seasons stateside with Iowa Lakes Community College. Prior to ILCC, he attended C-dar Chile and played soccer for Union Espanola under the tutelage of coach Cesar Bravo.
In two seasons at Iowa Lakes, Daniel played in 37 games making 19 starts. He scored four goals and a further four assists to help the Lakes to a 30-9-2 record, the 2021 Midwest District Championship, and a pair of trips to the NJCAA National Championships, including a semifinal appearance in the spring of 2021.
He intends to major in Business at BU.
Fletcher Hedge
Hedge, a defender, makes the moves to Bellevue from Beccles, England. He attended Verulam Boys School and played soccer for Lowestoft Town FC where he received coaching from Jamie Godbold and Andy Reynolds.
He served as his high school's team captain, earned selection to the St. Albans and Harpenden District six times including one captaincy. He made his semiprofessional debut at 16 and earned selection to the FA Cup Preliminary, First, and Second Round Squads. He led his team to the Schools District Cup finals four times, winning three championships in addition to winning the Bedfordshire County Cup Championship, a pair of Eastern Junior Alliance Runner-Up finishes, and the National Aces Tournament Quarterfinal. Further, he won a regional futsal championship and qualified for National where his side reached the quarterfinals.
At Bellevue, he intends to major in Sport Management.
Dan Smith
Smith, a midfielder, comes to Bellevue from Hadleigh, England. He attended Hadleigh High School and played soccer for AFC Sudbury under the direction of coaches Danny Laws, Dave Cannon, and Craig Power.
Progressing throughout the AFC Sudbury Academy over the years, in addition to playing for the Ipswich Town FC Academy, Smith appeared for the U18 and Reserve team, representing the reserves as a team captain. He received the AFC Sudbury Outstanding Achievement Award and represented Suffolk Schools at the U16 captain. Among his club team accomplishments were appearances in the FA Youth Cup First Round Proper and the FA Cup First Round Proper.
He intends to major in Health and Human Performance while at BU.
Bellevue concluded the 2021 season with a 16-3-2 overall record, matching the 2005 and 2020 squads for the second highest win total in program history. The Bruins won their second-straight CAC Tournament Championship to qualify for the NAIA National Tournament for the third time in four seasons, hosting for the second time.