Feb. 13, 2004

Los Angeles, CA (Feb. 13, 2004) - The Loyola Marymount University men's soccer team announced today the signing of five high school seniors to national letters of intent. Joining the Lions in the fall of 2004 will be Diego Barrera, Nick Blanco, Stephen Carlson, Jawaan Delaney and Tyler Mehl.

"Our focus of this recruiting class has been to bring in players suited to a central midfield role and defenders," said Lions' Head Coach Paul Krumpe. "When losing a playmaker like Kevin Novak, who provided the bulk of our offense, we felt it was essential to recruit players with the potential ability to fill his shoes from day one. We also needed to provide depth in the back with the graduation of Michael Erush. I think we have more than accomplished this with this class."

Barrera, from Thousand Oaks, California was voted the 2003 MVP of the Coast Soccer League, arguably the best youth soccer league in the country. He led his club team to the 2003 USYSA National Title and was the recipient of the Golden Boot award as the tournament's top goal score. Most recently, he was selected for the January 2004 training camp for the U.S. U-18 National Team.

"Diego is one of the most dangerous midfield players to come out of California in years," said Krumpe. " He will really be a handful for our opponents."

Blanco, a midfielder from Littleton, Colo., continues the Lion's grasp on the top talent from the Rocky Mountains. A four-time member of the Region IV ODP team and an alumni of the prestigious Adidas ESP Program, Blanco also was named a NSCAA / Adidas Youth All American in 2003.

"Nick is one of the top recruits in the country and I think that his versatility in the midfield will immediately pay dividends here at LMU," said Krumpe. "Providing the creativity and vision in the midfield was this year's top priority," said Krumpe, " and I feel we've done that with two of the most dynamic midfielders in the country. These two players are cut from the same cloth as Andres Murriagui."

The two defenders that will be responsible for filling the void left by Erush over the next four years will be Carlson and Delaney. Krumpe, a former U.S. National Team defender, is excited about the addition of these two players. "Both of these young men are very athletic, aggressive, and accomplished defenders and will immediately challenge for starting spots in our team," he said.

Carlson hails from Punahou High School in Honolulu, Hawaii. He is also an alumnus of Adidas ESP and the Region IV ODP team. "Stephen could very well be starting in our first game this fall. He is very mature in his ability to read the game and organize a defense," Krumpe said.

Delaney will join the Lions squad from perennial CIF power Wilson Classical High School in Long Beach, CA. He is a member of the Wolfpack Soccer club and was selected as Wilson's Defensive MVP in 2003. "Jawaan is a very physical defender and I think that he has the potential to develop into the type of player we have with Matt Kovar," stated Lion Assistant Coach Brian Irvin.

Rounding out the 2004 class is Tyler Mehl, a forward also hailing from Wilson in Long Beach. A teammate of Delaney's at Wolfpack, Mehl has been one of the most prolific scorers in CIF over the past two seasons.

"Tyler is a similar player to Yugi Teranishi, and that quick, darting style in front of the net will be a very nice addition to our corps of forwards," said Krumpe. "These five young men make up potentially the most talented class we have ever brought in to LMU. They will blend in very well with the style of play and the core group of players we already have in place. We aspire every year to win a WCC title and play for the NCAA Championship, these players will help us to accomplish these goals."

- GO LIONS -