San Francisco, CA -- The Academy of Art University men's soccer program and head coach Daniel Rosaia have announced the signing of Jesus “Chava” Sanchez, a five-time state champion out of Lowell High School.

"We're very excited about acquiring 'Chava' as there were a lot of schools going after him,” Coach Rosaia said. “He is very good academically and he's going to be a good help to our soccer team. He is very athletic and has speed up and down the wing. He will be a true freshman and his attitude is going to be good.”

Sanchez was Lowell's goals scored leader his senior season and, in his four years on varsity, the young man known as “Chava” helped lead the Cardinals to two undefeated seasons (20-0 most recently in 2011). Highlighting a resume loaded with championship experience, Sanchez, also a member of Santa Clara Sporting SC, was on teams that were Dallas Cup Champions (2009), Dallas Cup Finalists (2010, 2011), North Huntington Beach Futbol Club Champions (2011), and Surf Cup College Cup Champions (2010, 2011). Additionally, Sanchez earned the Heart and Creativity Award and was top pick for the All-Star Team.

“He was a five-time state champion with his club team as well as Dallas Cup Champions,” Coach Rosaia said. “We're excited to have someone with that kind of background who can bring that winning attitude that we need to the team. It's going to be our program's fifth year now and we're excited to turn the corner and win some championships.”

One of Sanchez's particularly memorable moments came in Lowell's 2011 AAA Championship match versus Lincoln this past November which ironically took place at Boxer Stadium, ART U's home for the past four seasons. In the 53rd minute, a long ball was sent from the defensive third to Sanchez who split two defenders and sprinted to the goal.  His initial shot was deflected off a diving goalie then came right back to “Chava” who tapped it in for a 2-1 lead and what would be the eventual victory margin.

“This young man is going to bring a lot of character to the team and hopefully he will be an instant impact,” Coach Rosaia said.

Sanchez plans to major in Advertising at Academy of Art and joins the Urban Knights having achieved academic success while at Lowell.

“Honestly, I feel I couldn't have made a better decision than to come to Academy of Art University,” Sanchez said. “Being that this school has an excellent art program and is an institution with a diversity of majors within each area, I found Advertising and Multimedia Communications extremely interesting. So I decided to take this special opportunity to be a challenge, excel, and develop my skills at one of the best universities in California.”