Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG, Va. – Virginia Tech men’s soccer head coach Mike Brizendine has announced six additional student-athletes to join the 2016 recruiting class.
Marcelo Acuna, Nico Quashie, Charles Filby, Burke Bender, Geaten Roux and James Kasak will all join the Hokies for the fall season.
“We are happy that we were able to round out this class with some excellent student-athletes. I am always proud when we are able to get some of the best kids in the state of Virginia. It’s also great to add a player of Marcelo’s caliber to our team. He is a proven goal scorer at the Division I level, has been an all-conference performer and will make an immediate impact on our group,” said Brizendine.
Acuna is from Costa Rica and spent last year playing for Houston Baptist University. He has also been called up to the U20 Costa Rica National Team in both 2013 and 2014. He played in five games for Costa Rica in the UNCAF Cup qualifiers. Prior to that, he attended Saint Paul College and played club soccer for Deportivo Saprissa. At Houston Baptist for coach Steve Jones, he played in 19 games with 10 goals, four assists, 24 total points and four game-winning goals. His played earned him All-WAC honors. At Saint Paul, he was the team’s top goal scorer. His club team won the U17 National Championship in 2012.
Quashie joins from Lake Braddock High School. He played his club soccer for BFC Barca 97 Elite. He also played for coach Joseph Soos at Lake Braddock where he has won two letters. He was named team MVP his junior season as well as All-Met, All-Region and All-Conference for Lake Braddock. He helped lead his club team to three appearances in the Dallas Cup and was a three-time Virginia State Cup semi-finalist.
Filby signs with the Hokies from Houston, Texas. The goalkeeper attends Bellaire High School and also plays club for the Houston Dynamo Academy. He played his freshman year at Bellaire but has played for coach James Clarkson at the Houston Dynamo Academy for five years. His current team finished first in their division and ranked fifth nationally. As a U16, he played in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy Playoffs and the team finished ranked 14th in the country.
Bender currently plays his club soccer for SOCA and Waynesboro High School. He lettered four times in soccer for coach Dale Osteen. He has been named all-district every season and was the MVP of the team his sophomore and junior seasons while leading the team in goals and assists. He played for SOCA and coaches Brian Kuk, Corey Geiner, Dan Ensley and Dan Atwell. he represented ASI at the Navaro Serie B training camp, played Virginia OPD one season and helped lead his club to a U18 club state championship and two other top three finishes. Burke’s father is a Virginia Tech alumnus.
Roux is from Episcopal High School and plays his club soccer for the Arlington Impact Red. For Episcopal High School, he plays for Rick Wilcox and spent three years on the varsity team. His team was the 2014 IAC Playoffs and he was team MVP, served as team captain while also being named first team all-conference and all-state. He played for Amos Magee. His team was the top-ranked squad in Virginia, National League winners, national finalists and Bethesda premier cup winners two years in a row.
Kasak is from Stuarts Draft, Virginia from Riverheads High School. He played club soccer for SOCA and was a four-year letterman for coach Scott Harrison at Riverheads. He was three-time first team all-district selection and a two-time first team all-state pick. He helped his team to a state runner-up finish and a semifinalist finish. He broke VHSL record for goals in a season.