Princeton Announces Incoming Class of 2022

The Princeton men's soccer coaching staff led by head coach Jim Barlow is pleased to announce the seven incoming student-athletes who will join the squad in the fall as the Class of 2022. Barlow, along with associate head coach Steve Totten and assistant coach Ryan Hayward are eager to add them to the mix and create a competition for minutes.

"Jim, Ryan and I took our time putting this class together to make sure we were comfortable that each player would be a great addition at Princeton University and in our soccer program," Totten said. "We are excited to integrate this class into a returning group that has shown great potential. They are coming from very competitive youth and professional soccer environments so we are hopeful that it will be a quick transition. We have added the types of players that we look for in each part of the field. The attacking players are dynamic and have a nose for goal. The midfielders are competitive, comfortable with the ball, cover a ton of ground, and make good decisions. The defenders are athletic, great leaders, and love winning individual matchups."

Ben Bograd
New York Red Bulls
Center Back
Short Hills, N.J. / Millburn High School
5-10 / 175 lbs
• Captain of Red Bull U19 team that went undefeated and ranked #1 in the nation through the first 19 games (19-0-0) of the 2017-18 season
• Captained the Red Bull U16 team at the Generation Adidas Cup in 2017, placing 3rd, highest of any American team
• Named to the TopDrawerSoccer Best XI for American Players at the Generation Adidas Cup
• Attended numerous US Soccer training centers
• Played up an age group and started in 2015-2016 for the Red Bull U16 team ranked #2 in the nation
• Played up an age group and started in 2016-2017 for the Red Bull U18 team ranked #10 in the nation
• Competed at the Next Generation Trophy tournament in Salzburg in 2015, playing against Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, and S.L. Benfica

Alex Charles
North Carolina FC
Center Back/Right Back
Durham, N.C. / Durham Academy
5-10 / 155
• 2016-2017 North Carolina FC team captain
• 2016-2017 North Carolina FC that finished 6th in the nation and 3rd in the nation for goals against
• 2015 Hamilton Sportsmanship Award Winner
• 2014 International games and training against and with Everton, Rangers, and Celtics academy teams

Ryan Clare
New England Revolution
Wide Midfield
Wellesley, Mass. / Wellesley H.S.
5-10 / 150
• 2 goals in first 5 games with New England Revolution Academy in spring 2018
• 24 goals and 15 assists for Wellesley High School, setting a school goal record
• Bay State All-Star, Eastern Massachusetts All-Star, All-State and All-New England and Herget Conference MVP
• Boston Globe All-Scholastic and Boston Herald All-Scholastic
• Metrowest Daily News All-Star and Player of the Year
• Lead Boston Bolts in goals in 2016-17 with 12 goals for a team that qualified for the 2017 USSDA playoffs
• Attended multiple US Soccer Training Centers

Mehdi Essoussi
Toronto FC
Center Midfield
Ottawa, Ont. / Lycee Francais de Toronto
6-1 / 170
• Qualified and played in Generation Adidas Cup Champions U17 Division, finishing 1st in Central Region
• Played in the 2017 U16 Liga MX International Tournament in Mexico
• U15 Canada Soccer National Team Identification Camp (March 2016)
• 2016 Team Ontario player that won the Provincial Games
• Il Viaggio Puma / FIGC (Italian National Soccer Federation) North America Selection Team to train and play vs. Fiorentina U15 at National Italian Team Training Centre (August 2016)

Truman Gelnovatch
Kendall SC
Forward
Miami, Fla./ Gulliver Prep
5-10 / 175
• Ranked #10 and #4 in the East Region in USSDA play with 19 goals in 25 games during the 2015-16 season
• Tallied 14 goals in 21 games in 2016-17 and 5 goals in 7 games in 2017-18
• Two-year captain at Kendall SC
• State champion at Gulliver, and three-year captain

Moulay Hamza Kanzi Belghiti
Montreal Impact
Midfield
Montreal, Que./Maisonneuve College
5-9 / 152
• Trained With the Montreal Impact First Team (MLS) for 6 months
• Played for the Montreal Impact Academy for 4 seasons and was the captain of the U18 team
• Represented Canada at the Francophonie Games in Ivory Coast, with wins over Morocco (1-0), Congo (1-0), Haiti (2-1) and a 3-0 loss to France
• Played every minute at the Francophonie Games and
• Nominated by the Quebec Soccer Federation in the category "senior player of the year" (alongside current MLS pro players) for 2017 performances

Kazu Shigenobu
New York Red Bulls
Center Midfield
Ridgewood, N.J. / Ridgewood HS
5-11 / 160
• Called for 2 U18 USA National Team Camps
• Played 10 games for professional side New York Red Bulls in 2017, making five starts
• USSDA National Finalist for the 2014-15 season
• Red Bull U19 team that was undefeated and ranked #1 in the nation through the first 19 games (19-0-0) of the 2017-18 season

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