Westminster men’s soccer coach Josh Pittman announced the addition of six student-athletes for the 2017 season on National Signing Day. Five freshmen will join one transfer to make up the group of newcomers. Transfer Alec Marshall (Bozeman, Montana/Cal State Fullerton) will complement first-year student-athletes Ethan Fletcher (Cedar City, Utah), Amit Hefer (Beercheeva, Israel), Marshall Johnson (Centervile, Utah), Zach Nielsen (Salt Lake City) and Gus Pyle (Bedford, Pennsylvania).
Marshall and Nielson are enrolled for the spring semester.
"We lost seven great seniors," Pittman said. "They were great on the field for us, but also provided great leadership off the field. We feel that our 2017 recruiting class has all the intangibles to build the program to the level that we expect here at Westminster and the characteristics we are looking for on and off the field. They are all very talented young men and are going to fit in very well with our returning players."
Marshall, a 5-foot-10 midfielder, will have two years of eligibility remaining as he joins the Griffins after three years (one redshirt) at Cal State Fullerton.
"Alec is a very strong midfielder and will step in and add experience as well as a high quality of play immediately to our program. He has the mindset and drive to really push our group and I expect him to do great things here at Westminster," Pittman said.
Fletcher, a 6-3 defender, is a senior at Cedar High School in Cedar City, Utah. He has been the captain of his high school team and has started and played every game since his freshman year. He led his U19 Fire FC team to the Utah Youth Soccer State championship game this past fall where he also captained the team.
"Ethan is a defender that comes in the mold of a guy like Nat Borchers," Pittman said. "He is strong, smart, physical and is a leader. We expect him to come in and challenge for a spot in the back for us immediately."
Hefer, a 5-3 midfielder, just completed his required military duty in Israel and will begin school in the fall. He has played club soccer at Hapoel Beer - Sheva youth team and attended Omer High School in Beercheeva, Israel.
"Amit has the ability to open up the game for us in many different ways. He can pass, dribble, shoot and his ability to see the game and make high-level intelligent decisions will help us tremendously. He is a player we expect to have a big impact on our program," Pittman said on Hefer.
Johnson, a 5-10 midfielder/forward, will play his senior season at Viewmont High School this spring where he will try and lead his team to back-to-back state championships. Marshall was first-team all-state in 2016 and a team captain. Marshall also plays for the Forza Soccer Club.
"Marshall, I think is one of the most all-around players in the state of Utah," Pittman said of Johnson. "He can play in the 9, 6, 8, 10 and I'm sure if he had to play wide or in the back he can do that, too. He is a player that has the physical ability to go with his soccer ability to compete for us right now and I expect him to come in and prove that right away."
Nielsen, a 6-2 midfielder, is currently enrolled and participating in winter training. He played high school soccer at Bingham High School where he was a two-year captain and earned first-team all-state in 2016. He played his youth soccer with Utah Soccer Alliance.
“Zach is a smart and technical midfielder who will add depth for our program. He has jumped right in with the guys and is playing at a great level and I’m excited to see how he performs in the spring,” Pittman said.
Pyle, a 6-6 goalkeeper, just completed his senior season this past fall at Bedford High School in Bedford, Pennsylvania. Gus was a four-year letter winner and was a three-time Bedford Gazette All-Star.
"Gus is a big, athletic young man. He has good hands and is a strong shot blocker who is only going to get better,” Pittman said of Pyle. “He will come in and complement our current GK duo of Max Medley and Sean Speirs and will be a very important player for the future of our program.”
Pittman completed his first season at Westminster this past fall after replacing coach Chris Dorich who led the Griffins for 32 years. The 2016 season was the team's second competing at the NCAA Division II level as a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.