DETROIT (7-17-24) – Detroit Mercy Men's Soccer Head Coach
Nate Kopunek has finalized the 2024 roster with the signing of eight newcomers in
Rafael Moro Galvez,
Carter McMahon,
Colin Monroe,
Ryan Sanborn,
Noah Sandahl,
Louis Simon,
Johnny Strickler, and
Travis Zeleji.
"We are thrilled to welcome these new student-athletes and families into our Detroit Mercy soccer family," said Kopunek. "This is an important class for us as it will be our first full recruiting class here as a staff. It is a talented group that all boast a winning mentality from their youth careers but most importantly, all possess high character. This, along with their abilities on the field and competitive edge, will thrive here at UDM on and off the field. Each player brings good athleticism, physicality, and quality on the ball. We have a very strong returning group and this incoming class will raise the competition at all positions."
"I also want to thank my entire staff who helped put together a great class by building relationships with them and their families ultimately leading them to join us as Titans," added Kopunek. "Their hard work does not go unnoticed. We are excited about the potential all these student-athletes bring and look forward to the success they will have during their time here at Detroit Mercy both on the field and in the classroom."
Rafael Moro Galvez – MF
Hometown: Lima, Peru
High School: Chester College International School
Club Team: SD Compostela
Highlights:
• Named team MVP helping Chester to the 2018 ADCA Championship and 2019 Copa Movistar championship.
• Two-time U17 and U18 Mittelrheinauswahl club team selection.
• Helped SD Compostela qualify for the Copa del Rey Juvenil for the first time in the club's history in 2022 and FC Duren win the Pokal Championship in 2022
• Also earned a district championship in tennis in 2017 and a table tennis championship in 2018.
Carter McMahon – G
Hometown: Roseville, Mich.
High School: Fraser
Club Team: Nationals Macomb Select
Highlights:
• Helped Fraser win two MAC Division titles (2021-White, 2022-Blue) and a District championship in 2022.
• Earned MAC All-Academic Team honors and received the MIHSSCA Individual All-Academic Award and Most Dedicated Award as a senior.
• Helped the Nationals to a Junior State Cup Championship in 2018.
• Named JV offensive MVP and team MVP and Scholar-Athlete as a freshman
• Also was a member of the Track and Field team helping Fraser to a Team Dual & White Division Championship.
• Two-time track and field Scholar-Athlete and MAC All-Academic Team selection and Team DNA Award recipient.
Colin Monroe – G
Hometown: Willoughby Hills, Ohio
High School: Saint Ignatius
Club Team: Spire FC
Highlights:
• Helped Saint Ignatius win three consecutive state championships (2021, 2022, 2023) and a national championship in 2022.
• All-Greater Cleveland Second-Team and Academic All-Ohio selection.
• Helped Spire qualify for the 2024 USYS National Tournament and the 2022 and 2023 Midwest Regional
• Made the game-winning penalty kick save in the 2023 OHSAA state championship game
Ryan Sanborn – F
Hometown: North Olmsted, Ohio
High School: North Olmsted
Previous School: Bowling Green
Club Team: Team Challenger FC
Highlights:
• Four-year letter winner for Head Coach Chris Marsh and team captain
• All-Ohio First-Team selection as a senior after earning Second-Team honors as a junior
• Two-time All-Great Lakes Conference First-Team selection, and was named the GLC Player of the Year as a senior
• Named all-league second team as both a freshman and a sophomore
• Also named to the All-Greater Cleveland First-Team in 2022
• Posted career totals of 65 goals and 35 assists, scoring at least 20 goals in each of his last two years
• Helped Olmsted post a 14-2 record during his senior season, earning district runner-up honors for the second-straight year
• Helped Challenger FC win the Midwest Regional championship
• Also lettered in track and field, and twice was a regional qualifier in the high jump
Noah Sandahl – MF
Hometown: Brook Park, Ohio
High School: Berea Midpark
Club Team: Spire FC
Highlights:
• Four-year letter winner and three-year team captain for Head Coach Steve Blatnica
• 2023 All-State and 2022 All-Greater Cleveland selection
• Two-time All-Conference selection and team MVP (2022, 23)
• Helped Spire qualify for the 2024 USYS National Tournament and the 2022 and 2023 Midwest Regional
Louis Simon – MF
Hometown: Paris, France
Previous School: Casper College
Club Team: PSG
Highlights:
• Saw action in 39 games with 24 starts in a two-year stint at Casper
• Totaled 22 career points with six goals and 10 assists
• Stared in 16 of 21 games played posting 13 points with three goals and seven assists to earn All-Region honors as a sophomore (2023).
• Started in eight of 18 games played recording nine points with three goals and three assists as a freshman (2022).
• Helped lead PSG to a club championship in 2020
Johnny Strickler – MF
Hometown: St. Joseph, Mich.
High School: St. Joseph
Club Team: Kingdom SC
Highlights:
• Four-year letter winner for Head Coach John Brown and team captain as a senior
• Scored 36 total goals over junior and senior year
• Helped St. Joseph win two district championships
• All-State Second-Team selection as a senior and All-State Third-Team selection as a junior.
• Two-time All-District and All-SMAC selection
• Helped Kingdom SC to a State Cup title in 2023 and a runner-up finish in 2020 and 2022.
Travis Zeleji – D
Hometown: Northville, Mich.
High School: Northville
Club Team: Michigan Jaguars
Highlights:
• Helped Jags win three consecutive State Cup titles in addition to a USYS National Championship
• Also named Jags MLS Next team captain
• Four-year High School Academic Excellence Award recipient
