ITHACA, N.Y. – The Cornell men's soccer team has announced the class of 2016, a strong group of six incoming freshmen who hope to make an impact for the Big Red in the next four years.
Cornell's newcomers are a group of four midfielders, one defender and one forward who will hope to bolster the offensive attack and stalwart defense that last year led the Big Red to within one goal of at least a share of the Ivy League title.
Gregory Antognoli | Fresno, Calif. | F | #7
Antognoli comes to Ithaca as the No. 94-ranked recruit in the country according to CollegeSoccerNews.com's top 150. He participated in the U.S. Under-18 Men's National Team Camp in November 2010 and then a month later made the Academy Select Game at the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) Development Academy Winter Showcase. Antognoli scored 56 total goals during his time in the USSF Development Academy for the California Odyssey, and in May 2010, he earned a score of 106.53 on the Nike SPARQ test – a top-10 score in the entire Academy. The SPARQ test is a multi-tool measure of a soccer player's athletic ability. He also led his team to the national championship game in 2009 and 2010. For his performance in the 2009-10 season, he was selected to the Academy Finals Starting XI team.
In the summer of 2011, Antognoli was chosen to play for SuperElite, a select team, and traveled with them to Europe, recording a hat trick against the U-19 squad of 1860 Munich. He also played in the 2010 Milk Cup in Northern Ireland with SC Bayern and scored seven goals in seven matches against international competition.
Antognoli was the only high school player on the roster of the USL Premier Development League's Fresno Fuego this summer. A three-time letter winner at San Joaquin Memorial High School, he scored 20 goals in his freshman season and was an All-Valley Selection. Antognoli will study in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Max Brashear | Kowloon, Hong Kong | MF | #11
Brashear, who was ranked the No. 106 recruit in the country according to CollegeSoccerNews.com's top 150, is a skilled midfielder who has been playing for IMG Soccer Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) in the USSF Development Academy for the last two years. In 2010-11, he led his U15/16 team into the playoffs with a team-high 15 goals, and he was chosen for the Academy Select Game at the USSF Development Academy Winter Showcase. He was chosen to attend the US Soccer Market Training Centers on three different occasions and was named the U15/16 Development Academy Player of the Week (Sept. 30, 2010) for his two-goal effort.
Brashear, who was born in Ithaca and holds dual passports from the United States and Australia, currently resides in Hong Kong with his family and attended the Chinese International School there before attending IMG prior to the start of his junior year. Brashear will study in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Skyler Erickson | Littleton, Colo. | D | #20
Erickson, a strong, physical defender, has played for the Colorado Rush in the USSF Development Academy for the last four years and this year captained his team to within a goal of a berth in the Academy playoffs. He scored the game-winning goal in the derby game against the Colorado Rapids in April and started in 17 of 19 games played.
As a senior, he captained J.K. Mullen High School to the Colorado Class 4A State Championship. He scored the game-winning goal in the championship game and for his play, was named Second-Team All-State. Erickson was named Academic All-State First Team in 2010 as well as 2011. Erickson will study in the College of Engineering.
Ben Feldman | Seattle, Wash. | MF | #3
Feldman, a technical, creative midfielder, has played for Emerald City FC for the past two years. He served as the team's captain in 2012 while leading his squad in scoring and earning its MVP award. He was the recipient of Garfield High's Athletic Academic Award in 2011, and he was a team captain with the club team Emerald City FC in 2011 and 2012. In both of those seasons, he was the team's top scorer as well as the winner of its MVP award in 2012. Feldman will study in the School of Hotel Administration.
Simba Meki | Harare, Zimbabwe | MF | #14
A strong midfielder originally from Zimbabwe, Meki played soccer for three years in high school in Temple, Texas. Earning second-team All-District honors as a junior, Meki was also a team captain that season. He played for the El Tri club team where he was a captain for three years. In 2010, his team won its league, and he scored 19 total goals in three seasons with El Tri. Meki will study in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Sanath Shettigar | Troy, Mich. | MF | #2
Shettigar, an athletic, wide midfielder, has played for the Derby County Wolves in the USSF Development Academy for the past three years. He was chosen to attend two US Soccer Market Training Centers in January and March 2011. A four-year varsity player at International Academy, Shettigar won district championships in his first two seasons while picking up a league title when he was a junior. This past fall, Shettigar's squad was a regional finalist during a season when he captained the team, led it in scoring and was named team MVP. For his efforts this past season, Shettigar was named All-League, All-District, All-Region and All-State. Shettigar will study in the College of Arts and Sciences.
