SAN FRANCISCO – As the Academy of Art men's soccer team prepares for the upcoming season, head coach Mike Keller has announced the addition of six incoming players: Jaret Gil, Oliver Hadeen, Kris Jensson, Zak Kiser, Connor Lacey, and Jon Peregrina.
 
Jaret Gil is the first of five freshmen to join the Urban Knights, hailing from Richmond, Mich. Gil is primarily a right or left midfielder and plans to major in Video Game Development and Programming. During his prep career, he attended Richmond High School where he graduated in 2017. While playing all four years on varsity, Gil was presented with several accolades, including: being named to the All-Academic Team, earning All-District, and being a member of the All-Blue Water Area Team.
 
"Jaret comes to us with a solid prep playing background from Michigan," said Keller. "He has a lot of technical ability and he's always looking for the final pass or the pass that leads to it. This type of thinking and vision is always great to have in the attacking third. I look forward to Jaret having a great impact."
 
As another incoming freshman, Oliver Hadeen will look to assist ART U as an outside/center back. The Los Alamitos, Calif. native graduated from St. Anthony High School in 2017 and was named All-League his sophomore through senior seasons. Hadeen has also played for several club teams during his young career, including: Cypress FC, Cerritos FC, OC Premier, and Pateadores.
 
"Oliver has great size and ability for his age," said Keller. "He comes off as a bruising type of player because of his physique but is light on his feet and shows great composure with the ball. He can play anywhere in the back line which is really valuable for our team."
 
Next, Kris Jensson will add depth to Academy of Art's goalkeeping ability, giving the Urban Knights three keepers on the roster. With a hometown of Raykjavik, Iceland, Jensson will join three other Icelanders on team and will study Web Design and New Media.
 
"Kris has a lot of experience and we are really excited to bring that into our program," said Keller. "He's got a lot of attributes that he uses on the field from his handling and distribution, to his size and presence. I look forward to bringing him into our goalkeeping group."
 
From Waxahachie, Texas, Zak Kiser is the sole transfer to join the Urban Knights this season. After graduating from Waxahachie High School in 2014 where he played two years of varsity soccer, Kiser attended both Tyler JC (2015-15) and Paris JC (2016-17) before joining the Urban Knights this year. Primarily playing in the forward position, he also competed for Kernow Storm FC from 2011-13 where he served as a captain all three years. Kiser will major in Music Production and Sound Design for Visual Media.
 
"We are really excited about Zak coming to our team for a lot of reasons," said Keller.  He has size, skill, and speed which are all things coaches are looking for. He also fits right into our team mentality and how we want to play. He strikes me as a consummate 'team guy' who will put his teammates first."
 
Another freshman joining the team in 2017 is Connor Lacey. While growing up in Adelaide, Australia, he was mainly a left-back and graduated from Pembroke High School in 2016. Lacey was also an All-Star for the U15 Australian NTC Team and played on the state team every year between U12-U16. The Music Production and Sound Design for Visual Media major played for several clubs during his prep career, including: Adelaide City, FFSANTC, and Adelaide United.
 
"Connor is another guy with a lot of background for his age," said Keller. "From getting to know him, it is clear that he takes a lot of pride in his play and ability to contribute on the field not only athletically but as a leader and a teammate. He will fit right into our backline and play with leadership on the field."
 
Lastly, Jon Peregrina joins ART U as a midfielder from Medford, Ore. Peregrina played on varsity all four years at South Medford High School where he served as the team captain and dealt the most assists on the team. Some of the clubs he played for include The Rogue Valley Timbers and the CGP Athletico Club with whom he won the state championship in 2014. The incoming freshman plans to study Web Design and New Media at Academy of Art.
 
"We got to know Jon through Timmy Sullivan, one of our current players," said Keller. "From getting to know him, he is a guy with a lot of technique and vision. He also has a great players' mentality and will be great to add to our attacking group."
 
The Urban Knights begin their 2017 campaign on September 3 when they face Cal State East Bay in non-conference-play.