Olivet men’s soccer program announces decorated 2012 recruiting class

OLIVET, Mich. – The Olivet College men's soccer team will bring in seven new faces for the 2012 season, filling several needs with impact players and adding valuable depth as the program challenges for a Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) championship and NCAA Tournament berth. One of the best recruiting classes in program history, the additions were announced by Head Coach Chad Wiseman Wednesday, May 9.

"We are very excited about this class," said Wiseman. "They are a massively talented and special group. If they can adjust to the level of play and pace of the MIAA, we think they will help bring us to the top. I want to give a lot of the credit to Josh Ross, my recruiting coordinator and assistant coach. He has done an outstanding job working on this recruiting class.

"The class is small in numbers but it is loaded with talent," Wiseman added. "We have added players who will strengthen our already strong defensive unit, which was fourth in the nation with 14 shutouts a year ago. We also addressed our attacking needs with outstanding, dynamic players who will bolster our attack for many years to come."

The commitments are Kyle Cupp (Otsego/Otsego), Austin Dunn (Perry/Perry), Rabee Hamdan (Wayne/Plymouth), Matt Meldrum (Chesterfield Township/Anchor Bay), Michael Moscone (Washington Township/Warren De La Salle), Joey Sieg (New Baltimore/Anchor Bay) and Cory Werner-Hoskins (Kalamazoo/Mattawan).

"On paper we have upgraded our roster and it could be one of the top recruiting classes not only in the MIAA but the entire nation. We return a great deal of talent, including all 11 starters from the MIAA tournament championship match. As coaches, we are now left with the task of getting these guys to play together and for each other. It is an exciting time for Olivet College men's soccer!"

Kyle Cupp – Defender – 6'3" – 175 lbs.
(Otsego/Otsego High School/Kingdom Premier)
"Kyle is a versatile defender with superior size, speed and the ability to organize and control the back line. His talent to dominate periods of the game in the air is unchallenged. I have watched Kyle take massive strides in his development as a player in the last 18 months. There is no question his best soccer lies ahead for him and we are thrilled he will do that in an Olivet uniform." 

Austin Dunn – Midfielder – 6'0" – 160 lbs.
(Perry/Perry High School/Vardar SC Freiburg Academy)
"We are just delighted Austin will be joining the program. He has an assortment of abilities which allow him to play several different positions in our system. Austin is a competitor, who wants to win and knows what it takes to win. He brings toughness to our program, which we were looking for as well. Austin will have an outstanding career as a student-athlete at Olivet College." 

Rabee Hamdan – Midfielder – 5'11" – 145 lbs.
(Wayne/Plymouth Canton High School/Vardar Ann Arbor)
"We are excited about Rabee's potential here at Olivet. He is very coachable and has a winning attitude. He demonstrates leadership qualities, is focused, disciplined and from what we experienced, capable of getting a lot better."

Matt Meldrum – Defender – 5'10" – 160 lbs.
(Chesterfield Township/Anchor Bay High School/Vardar SC Freiburg Academy)
"To say were excited to have Matt at Olivet is an understatement. He's a no-brainer in terms of what he can help us with, so we just can't wait to have him here. Matt has an assortment of versatility to his game which allows him to play several different positions on the field. He has incredible vision and can spray the ball around the field. Matt is very committed to winning tackles. I believe he has all the tools to be a top MIAA player."

Michael Moscone – Forward – 5'10" – 165 lbs.
(Washington Township/Warren De La Salle High School/Crew Soccer Academy Wolves)
"Michael is an attacking player who has a great ability to create goals. His style of play fits well with the way we want to attack. He has pace, quick feet, is passionate and competes for every roll of the ball. He comes from a winning background. I can say without question he will make an immediate impact on the program."

Joey Sieg – Midfielder – 5'11" – 155 lbs.
(New Baltimore/ Anchor Bay High School/Vardar SC Freiburg Academy)
"Joey is a dynamic attacking player. He's shifty, quite technical and is very dangerous running at defenders. He is very smooth and confident on the ball, which we hope will directly mean more scoring for our offense. He has all the tools to grow into a fine player."

Cory Werner-Hoskins – Forward – 6'0" – 165 lbs.
(Kalamazoo/Mattawan High School/Kingdom Premier)
"Cory has athletic abilities you simply do not see every day throughout college soccer. He is very fast, explosive and stronger than anyone he comes up against. Cory is capable of dominating periods of the game and we expect him to be the same when he is wearing an Olivet uniform."

NOTE: On the line after the student-athlete's name above, the next three items in order are the athlete's hometown, high school and club team.