Men's soccer announces seven local signings
Bellevue University men’s soccer head coach Mark Heath-Preston has announced signing of seven student-athletes to letters of intent to continue their academic and athletic careers at BU beginning in the fall.
BELLEVUE, Neb. -- Bellevue University men's soccer head coach Mark Heath-Preston has announced the signing of seven student-athletes to letters of intent to continue their academic and athletic careers at BU beginning in the fall.
The seven student-athletes signing on to play for BU are Nhial Yor (Omaha, Neb./Omaha Central HS), Joel Auther Bazayamekele (Omaha, Neb./Omaha Central HS), David Rojas (Omaha, Neb./Omaha South HS), Diego Gavia (Omaha, Neb./Omaha South HS), Angel Anguiano (Omaha, Neb./Omaha South HS), Caedmon Schwanke (Lincoln, Neb./Lincoln Southwest HS), and Kaden Simpson (Omaha, Neb./Westside HS).
Bazayamekele and Rojas are sophomores with the former having previously attended Iowa Western Community College while the other five signees are all freshmen.
Yor played his club soccer for OHA FC alongside David Rojas where they were coached by Sal Issaka. Rojas also gained club experience through Omaha Kings and Nebraska FC.
Gavia, Anguiano, Schwanke, and Simpson all played club ball for coach Ryan Kruse for Sporting Nebraska FC ECNL.
Bazayamekele is originally from Cape Town, South Africa and moved to the United States in 2016, living in Omaha since. He is also a model signed with Develop Model Management in Omaha.
Rojas was a two-time Nebraska State Cup Best XI selection, 2021 Omaha World-Herald All-Metro Honorable Mention, and captained Omaha South to the 2020 and 21 State Championships. He helped his teams to a pair of Nebraska High School State Championships, two Nebraska Club State Championships, and the 2022 MASL 2 Midwest Regional Championship.
Gavia served as Omaha South High School's team captain and collected team MVP honors. As a youth, Gavia played for Real Salt Lake's Academy team during his freshman and sophomore seasons.
Anguiano earned Omaha World-Herald Honorable Mention nods as both a sophomore and junior while helping Omaha South High School to State Championships in 2021 and 2022 and winning a Nebraska League State Championship with his club side in 2021.
Schwanke was named one of Nebraska's Best XI in each of the past three seasons and earned ECNL Heartland All-Conference honors. He also played for Olympic Development Nebraska, earning first-team honors each year from 2018-21, and was named Young Player of the Year for Elite Boys Academy in 2017. He was a Nebraska High School State Runner-Up in 2018 and 2021, won the 2019 Nebraska State Cup, and claimed back-to-back Nebraska League State Championships in 2021 and 2022.
Simpson captained Sporting Nebraska 05 ECNL and conceded just one goal during their 2021 State Cup Tournament Run. He was named the club's goalkeeper of the year in 2020. Scholastically, he won a pair of State Cup Championships and competed in the ECNL National Playoffs.
The latest batch of recruits joins earlier signees Taariq Ganga (GK; Cape Town, South Africa), Ben Thompson (D; Hertford, England), Andres Valencia (D; Bogota, Colombia), Giovani Lima Soares (MF; Sao Paulo, Brazil), Rramon Isaku (MF; Gift-Oberfrick, Switzerland), Gabriel Dias Juliana (F; Sao Paulo, Brazil), Carlos Ortega Arguelles (MF; Isla de Margarita, Venezuela), and Ombeni Mubake (F; Cedar Rapids, Iowa) in the Bruins' 2023 recruiting class.
The Bruins won their third-straight CAC Tournament title and reached their third-straight NAIA National Tournament this fall, qualifying for the fourth time in five seasons and ninth time overall.