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Men's Soccer Announces 2006 Incoming Class

John Astudillo

The nine players include Herbert Deleon (North Babylon, NY/Oneonta State), Mateo Escobar (Liverpool, NY/Wilbraham & Monson Academy), Justin Fredsell (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford), Alex Mihal (Syracuse, NY/Bishop Ludden), Pat Maloney (Jamestown, NY/Jamestown), Bob Shuttleworth (Tonawanda, NY/Nichols), Dan Stevens (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool), George Tagaris (Seaford, NY/Seaford), and Ville Wahlsten (Naantali, Finland/Naantali-Aurajoki).

Deleon, a junior defender, comes to UB from Oneonta State, where he earned first-team All-Atlantic Soccer Conference honors as a sophomore. He started and played in all 20 games while picking up one assist for the Red Dragons.

Escobar is a freshman midfielder out of Liverpool, NY who started every game in his four-year high school career. A two-time New York State Class A Championship finalist, he garnered first-team CNY Section III in 2003 and 2004 while leading his team in scoring in 2002 and 2003. Escobar was also named first-team All-New England while playing at his prep school, Wilbraham & Monson Academy. Escobar played for the U-18 Syracuse Blitz club team, where they were named U.S. Club Regional Champions and placed third at the National Tournament.

Fredsell, a midfielder, joins the Bulls after a successful campaign with New Hartford High School. Fredsell finished the year with 14 goals and seven assists in 12 games, which earned him second-team All-League honors last season. He helped lead his team to a league title as well as an appearence in the semifinals of the Section III championships. His premier team, the Syracuse FC Cobras, were ranked 10th in the nation and third in the region last season.

Mihal earned top honors while playing at Bishop Ludden last season, receiving second-team All-State, first-team All-CNY, and first-team All-League honors. As a sophomore, his team won the B-2 Sectional Championships, and Mihal was named honorable mention All-CNY and first-team All-League.

After being named Jamestown Post Journal's Player of the Year last year, Maloney makes the journey to UB as a freshman after being a starter on defense for all four years while at Jamestown. He led his team to an ECIC Division Championship as a sophomore captain. Maloney received second-team All-Western New York honors in his senior year while also earning a spot on the ECIC Division I All Stars First Team.

Shuttleworth returns home to Buffalo after a one-year stint with Loyola College after being a medical redshirt in his freshman year. The transfer goalkeeper was a four-year letterwinner at Nichols, where he led his team to two private school championships while becoming the school's all-time career shutout leader with 48. Shuttleworth earned first-team All-New York State honors his senior year as well as being named to the All-East Region squad.

Stevens is the second member of this recruiting class to have transferred from Oneonta State. In 2004, Stevens played 18 games while starting in 10, racking up two goals for the Red Dragons. While attending high school in Liverpool, Stevens was named first-team All-Section III all four years, while earning a first-team All-CNY nod as a senior. During the first annual Western New York Open in April, Stevens netted two goals for the Bulls, en route to the title. He was named to the Western New York Open All-Tournament team.

Tagaris is a transfer from Pittsburgh who played nine games and had three starts. He was a four-year starter at Seaford High School, notching 26 goals and 31 assists in his high school career. He was named All-Nassau County during his sophomore and senior years and was an All-State nominee as a junior and senior. Targaris was a member of the Yorktown Spirit club team and helped lead the squad to three state titles. At the international level, Targaris attended the Elliniada Tournament in Greece and the Viarejio Youth World Tournament in Italy, representing New York.

Wahlsten is the only recruit hailing from outside the United States. A midfield/defense specialist from Finland, Wahlsten participated for four years at the men's second division level with club teams Salpa, TP-Seinajoki and Kaapo. Wahlsten won three championship medals with TPS Turku in his junior years, while medaling three times at the Finland National High School Championships.

The Bulls travel to Morgantown,WV on August 25 for the West Virginia University Tournament to kick off the 2006 season. The team will face Pittsburgh on the opening day followed by West Virginia to close out the weekend.