Maryland men’s soccer announces 5 new additions to 2019 roster

Maryland men’s soccer announced the addition of five new players to the 2019 roster on Thursday, adding to a group of newcomers that already featured eight players.

After Class of 2019 commit George Campbell decided to forgo his time at Maryland in order to sign a homegrown contract with Atlanta United, there certainly seemed to be a need for more reinforcements heading into a title defense this fall. The Terps’ new wave of additions includes three forwards, a defender and a goalkeeper.

Hofstra transfer Luke Brown is the most experienced of the group, having played forward at Hofstra and earning All-CAA honors in his first three seasons. He managed to rack up 40 points in 50 appearances with 16 goals and eight assists at the college level. Brown also started matchups for Hofstra against Maryland in 2016 and 2017, tallying just one shot on goal.

“Luke is a dynamic attacking player who is capable of creating and finishing,” head coach Sasho Cirovski said in a statement. “He is a proven high-level college player that will fit in seamlessly with our style of play. He is a skillful player but also plays with a lot of grit.”

The Terrapins also added two other forwards in Louis Spicer and Tej Munshi. Spicer, who shares a hometown of Cambrigeshire, England, with Brown, has had a strong youth career, taking part in both Norwich City and Leicester City academies in England. Cirovski will look to use Spicer on either wing to help create plays, as “he is capable of unbalancing teams with his dribbling and creativity.”

Munshi, on the other hand, is a goal scorer out of the Woodward Academy in Atlanta, where he leads the program with 50 goals in his career. In 2018, he was tabbed as the DiVarsity 4A Player of the Year. Cirovski noted Munshi’s scoring ability while also adding he is “very much a provider with his ability to get end line and find that finishing pass.”

The Terrapins also return just four defenders from last season’s championship roster, and after signing three in March, added Marques Antoine of the Montreal Impact Academy for further depth. He “is an exceptional central defender who is very comfortable playing out of the back but is known for his tenacity in defending,” according to Cirovski. Standing at 6’1, 178 pounds, Antoine provides needed size in a central defending role and has a knack for using his head to help clear opposing teams’ chances.

With the loss of Dayne St. Clair to MLS, Cirovski also added depth to the goalkeeper position by bringing Niklas Neumann from Germany into the fold. His experiences at both the youth and senior levels could spark competition in 2019 and provide a long-term future option for the program.

Maryland begins its title defense Aug. 30 in College Park against USF.