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Upper Iowa Head Men’s and Women’s Soccer Coach Brian Bahl announced the commitments of six student-athletes to attend Upper Iowa University and compete on the men’s soccer team. Three of the student-athletes signed National Letters of Intent while three have committed to walking on at UIU. The newly-signed Peacocks are Jasmin Arapovic (Waterloo, Iowa), Matthew Nicholson (Stillman Valley, Illinois), Andy Youde (Cedar Falls, Iowa), Corey Lange (Rosemount, Minnesota), Alexander Hess (St. Cloud, Minnesota), and Aaron Hoyne (Blaine, Minnesota).
Jasmin Arapovic Arapovic comes to Upper Iowa from West High School in Waterloo, Iowa. The midfielder was a three-year letter winner and a two-time captain. This past season the Waterloo native earned 2nd Team All-State honors. Arapovic twice earned First Team All-Conference and First Team All-Metro as well as numerous honorable mention honors. This past season he was named the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier “Prep of the Week” and was also inducted into the Waterloo West Men’s Soccer Hall of Fame. Arapovic works hard in the classroom and is an honor roll student. “Jasmin is a tenacious player who gives 110 percent every time he laces up his soccer cleats. Jasmin is a hidden gem, his technical abilities will be at the top of the Division 2 level and the energy he brings to the field is incredible. We see Jasmin sparking the attack for us from the midfield. He is a leader by example and I am sure he will be an inspiration to the rest of the team,” said Coach Bahl. Jasmin is the son of Sead Arapovic and Zemira Hozanovic and will major in Biology at UIU. Matthew Nicholson Nicholson comes to Upper Iowa from Stillman Valley High School in Stillman Valley, Illinois. The midfielder was a four-year varsity starter and was named the team MVP in his junior and senior seasons. After leading the team in scoring in his junior season, Nicholson became the team captain his senior season. The Stillman Valley native was a unanimous All-Conference selection after his senior season. Nicholson received the IHSA Scholastic Achievement Award for his work in the classroom. “Matt is an extremely talented central midfielder with a wonderful creative flare to his game. Matt should provide a unique boost to our midfield and will fit in very well with our style of play," said Coach Bahl. Matthew is the son of Paul and Martha Nicholson and will major in Secondary Education at UIU. Andy Youde Youde comes to Upper Iowa from Cedar Falls High School in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The goalkeeper was Mississippi Valley All-Conference selection in both his junior and senior seasons and was named the Mississippi Valley Conference Soccer Athlete of the Year this past season. The Cedar Falls native also found his name on the All-Metro Soccer Team the past two seasons. He was named his team’s Defensive MVP and helped the Cedar Falls team to the State Tournament the past two seasons. Youde earned the U.S. Army Scholar Athlete Award and is listed on the honor roll due to his efforts off the field. “We are fortunate to have recruited one of the best high school goalkeepers in the Midwest Region in Andy Youde. He is a raw talent who will be the cornerstone of this great program for the next four years. Andy is very agile and has outstanding positioning and judgment skills to go along with his terrific physical presence and amazing athletic ability. His displays we have witnessed in goal are incredible and he will give the team so much confidence when they take the field because they know the opposition is going to have to do something very special to get past Andy in goal. Any successful college soccer team needs a top goalkeeper and we have secured that in Andy,” stated Coach Bahl. Andy is the son of Jerry and Cynthia Youde. Corey Lange Lange comes to Upper Iowa from Rosemount High School in Rosemount, Minnesota. The forward was an All-Conference selection and the team’s leading scorer in 2006. The Rosemount native has also been the leading point scorer on every traveling team he has ever been on. Lange has also worked hard in the classroom earning the Rosemount Academic Improvement Award. “Corey is a passionate forward/midfielder with great distribution abilities. He is solid technically and will provide a needed boost to the midfield,” Coach Bahl said. Corey is the son of Bradley and Becky Lange and Michele Degeneffe and will major in Secondary Education at UIU. Alexander Hess Hess comes to Upper Iowa from Cathedral High School in St. Cloud, Minnesota. The sweeper/goalkeeper was a three-year letter winner and a captain in 2006. Hess earned All-Conference and All-Area honors in 2005 and 2006 for his defensive work. The defender was also named to the 2005 All-State Tournament Team. “Alex is a top class defender who also doubles as a very successful keeper. He has great size and is aggressive in his approach to defending. We see Alex as a quality ball winner for us in the back over the next four years,” stated Coach Bahl. Alexander is the son of Jerry and Judy Hess and will major in Athletic Training at UIU. Aaron Hoyne Hoyne comes to Upper Iowa from Spring Lake Park High School in Spring Lake Park, Minnesota. The Blaine, Minnesota native was an Honorable Mention All-Conference player in high school. “We are excited to have Aaron join us. His speed and ability to score goals will give us a great boost up top. I am very confident he will settle in quickly with our style of play and be able to make a significant contribution,” said Coach Bahl. Aaron is the son of Michael Hoyne and Susan McCurdy and will major in Business at UIU. |
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