June 23, 2008

Chicago, Ill.- UIC head men's soccer coach John Trask announced on Monday, June 23, that he has rounded out the 2007 NCAA quarterfinalist Flames' 2008 recruiting class with nine new student-athletes set to join the program this fall.

The nine student-athletes joining the UIC men's soccer team beginning in the 2008 season are:

Francisco Alvarez (Seabrook, Texas/Clear Lake H.S./Southern Methodist University)

Bart Boguszewski (Belvidere, Ill./Rockford Boylan Catholic H.S.)

Asa Carson (Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley H.S.)

Brett Hruby (Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley H.S.)

Paul Kopec (Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg H.S./Western Kentucky University)

Phillip Mitchell (Springfield, Ill./Athens H.S./University of Illinois at Springfield)

Julian Serrato (Boca Raton, Fla./Boca Raton Community H.S.)

Brandon Wallace (Shawnee, Kan./Maranatha Academy H.S./Coffeyville Community College)

Tim Walsh (Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley H.S./University of Tampa)

Boguszewski and Serrato signed National Letters of Intent, while Kopec signed a financial aid agreement. Alvarez, Carson, Hruby, Mitchell, Wallace and Walsh accepted the University of Illinois at Chicago's offers of admission and have returned their Intent to Enroll forms.

Alvarez, who has played for the Illinois Men's State Team, joins the Flames after attending SMU.

"Francisco's instincts and quality left foot will bring a new dimension to the midfield for UIC," said Trask.

Boguszewski enters the collegiate ranks after starring on the prep level as a midfielder and forward for Boylan Catholic in Rockford, Ill.

"Bart's upside as a collegiate soccer player has never been in doubt, having first played under Louis Mateus with the Rockford Raptors club and now for the Chicago Fire Youth Academy," said Trask. "He has all the tools to become a standout player for UIC in the years to come."

Carson, a back, is one of three former Neuqua Valley players to join the Flames this fall.

"Asa comes highly recommended by former UIC standout player Ko Thanadabouth," said Trask. "He has the natural ability and upside of very few defenders and was a big part of Neuqua Valley advancing to the Illinois state finals in 2007."

Another member of that incoming Neuqua Valley trio is Hruby, who brings an offensive skill set that was also honed under Dragan Pavlovic and former UIC head coach Sasha Begovic while playing for Ajax F.C.

"Bret is a natural goal scorer who can change the game with one burst of speed," Trask said. "He had a tremendous senior season at Neuqua Valley in helping them reach the state finals. Bret's instincts and pace will make it difficult for defenders to relax while playing UIC in years to come."

Kopec joins UIC after playing the last two seasons at Western Kentucky, which dropped its men's soccer program earlier this year.

"Paul is an outstanding player from Orland Park and Sandburg High School," Trask said. "A two-year starter at WKU, the staff feels his maturity and ability to play anywhere across the backline will only enhance one of the finest defenses in the country."

Mitchell also comes with collegiate soccer experience. He played for UIS the past two seasons.

"Phillip is tremendous athlete who will bring more maturity to the attack, having already scored goals at the collegiate level," said Trask. "Having spoken to coach [Joe] Eck at UIS, we feel Phillip could have a major impact this coming fall."

Serrato brings an impressive soccer resume to UIC. He was a member of the United States U-18 Men's National Team Player Pool in 2006 along with current U.S. phenom Jozy Altidore and becomes the first student-athlete to bring such U.S. national credentials to the UIC men's soccer program.

"Julian is a cultured player who has great feet, tremendous knowledge of the game and can play many positions for UIC," stated Trask. "Bringing in another standout player like Julian will only improve an already-gifted group of players."

Wallace enters the program after transferring in from Coffeyville Community College in Coffeyville, Kansas.

"Brandon comes highly recommended from coach Corey Feerer, who has built an outstanding program in Kansas," said Trask. "His athleticism and positive influence will be felt immediately for UIC."

Walsh, another Neuqua Valley product, will also join the program via a transfer after playing at the University of Tampa for the last two campaigns.

"Tim played for the Chicago Magic club and will bring excellent depth and maturity to the squad," Trask said. "His versatility could be an added bonus for UIC this coming fall."

The UIC men's soccer team returns nine starters from last year's NCAA Elite Eight team that finished 2007 with a pair of Top 10 national rankings.