ITHACA, N.Y. – Men's soccer head coach John Smith and his staff have officially announced the 10 student-athletes set to join Cornell for the 2018 season.

"It is with great excitement that we are able to announce our 2018 class," said Smith. "Our staff has spent the last twelve months looking to bring in a group of guys who will both compliment a very strong group of returners, and also help propel the group toward greater successes. This group of players will not only provide extremely promising options for us in areas of need, it will also give us much needed depth all over the field, which will undoubtedly make competition for playing time more intense. As always, we feel that with this group, we are adding yet another class of guys who have the right mentality to go along with very impressive skill-sets. They are all coming here looking to become elite soccer players, elite students and elite human beings. There really isn't anything else a coach can ask for."

Nick Allen – RB
Lancaster County Day School/PA Classics
Smith on Allen: Nick is an explosive full back. He is extremely powerful and he has the engine, technique and the speed to be a very dangerous attacking threat. He has the kind of mentality we have come to expect from players involved with the PA Classics organization. We are expecting Nick to become a points-getter from the full back position.
 
Emeka Eneli – WM/CM 
Dublin Coffman High School/Ohio Premier
Smith on Eneli: Emeka is a very talented attacking midfielder, and also has the ability to slot in out wide. When in possession, Emeka is very difficult to knock off the ball—a combination of a low center of gravity, and very good feet help make him extremely elusive. Emeka will certainly bring an exciting attacking threat to the team.
 
Charlie Ferguson – CM                
Cavendish School/Brighton & Hove Albion
Smith on Ferguson: Charlie is an exceptional central midfielder. He has great feet and is a wonderful passer of the ball. Having represented Brighton and Hove Albion Academy of the English Premier League since the age of 10, he has developed a skill-set which will make him a very exciting player to both work with and to watch. His vision, coupled with his understanding of the game will help add an extra dimension to our attack.
 
Andrew Hevener – GK                 
Fuquay-Varina HS/NEFC
Smith on Hevener: At 6'5", Andrew is an extremely imposing sight in front of goal. For his size, Andrew possesses the kind of athleticism and explosiveness you wouldn't ordinarily expect to see. He is brave and has great hands and feet. He has a very high ceiling as far as his potential goes, so we expect to see Andrew developing into a top goalkeeper.
 
Jonah Kagen – CM/WM
Shattuck St Mary's HS/Shattuck St Mary's
Smith on Kagen: Jonah is a very technical and industrious midfielder. We have seen him play with great success as both a central midfielder and a wide midfielder, and this kind of versatility will be essential to the team as we move forward. He is very good in possession, and couples this with an ability to create.
 
Tate Keir – CB                 
Mission Viejo HS/Pateadores
Smith on Keir: Simply put, Tate possesses the rare combination of being a tough as nails central defender who also has the ability to play out of the back. He currently plays at a very high level with his Pateadores team, where he's tasked with shutting down some of the nation's top strikers on a weekly basis. We think he's someone that will relish in the physicality at the collegiate level.
 
Gennaro Nigro – CM                    
Arthur L Johnson HS/PDA
Smith on Nigro: Gennaro is undoubtedly one of the most versatile soccer players we have ever come across. He is equally gifted in both feet, and could slot in and excel in any of the back 8 positions. He has superb feet, and he combines this with a great engine which definitely puts him into the category of a box-to-box midfielder. Gennaro can score and create goals, and he combines this with a great drive and work ethic which he puts to incredible use on defense.
 
Ilan Piker – CB                 
Redmond HS/Crossfire
Smith on Piker: Ilan is probably one of the better ball winners that we have come across in our time at Cornell. He will typically eat up anything in the air on the defensive side, and he is also very capable of scoring goals when he joins into the attack. He is strong in the challenge, and does a great job of reading the game in front of him. He couples all of this with a high comfort level on the ball and a good range of passing.
 
John Scearce – CM                       
Yavapai CC/Yavapai CC
Smith on Scearce: John is equally capable of winning balls in midfield and maintaining possession once we've got it. He has the tools, the physicality, and the engine to be both a threat going forward and also a great defender in midfield. We expect him to help improve our productivity in front of goal. Being an incoming junior, John will also be able to add some maturity and experience to a very young midfield line.
 
Szabi Wiksell – F                           
Revere HS/Internationals
Smith on Wiksell: Szabi is an incoming striker. His skill-set allows him to score many types of goals with his head and both feet, and his intelligent movement will also help create scoring opportunities for his teammates. He has great control of the ball and he understands how to use his body to hold a ball up and bring the rest of the team into play. The great thing about Szabi is that he has both the pace and the energy to threaten both sides of the defense, which makes him incredibly dangerous.