Men's Soccer Inks 11 to Class of 2023

WEST POINT, N.Y. – Army West Point head men's soccer coach Russell Payne announced his 2023 recruiting class of on Monday afternoon.

"As we move toward the 2019 fall season, we expect to see a greater depth of toughness and talent in each position," Payne said. "The 2019 incoming class has a tremendous potential to move our group even closer to our team goals. This class has a lot of character and personality and we know they will be fun to work with every day. We will focus on getting them integrated into the team culture by helping them understand their specific individual roles and how we can help each other win the moments and pursue excellence."

The 11 member freshman class features recruits from all across the nation including Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Texas.

The Class of 2023

Melic Belong | Midfield | 5-10 | 160 | Frisco, Texas
Belong trekked from the Lone Star State to West Point after playing his high school soccer at Frisco High School. He was the senior class president and the president of the Black Student Union. Belong additionally served as a student ambassador and as a member of the Climate Committee from 2016-18. The Frisco, Texas, native received his high school's Outstanding Leadership Award in 2018. He played club soccer for FC Dallas Academy in 2014 before joining the Solar Soccer Academy from 2015-18.

D'Anthony Brown | Defender | 5-9 | 164 | Lake Mary, Fla.
Brown attended Lake Mary High School and was a defender on the soccer team. The Lake Mary, Fla., native was a member of the National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, while also serving as an AP Ambassador. He played club soccer for five years at the Orlando City Development Academy.

Luke Doyle | Defender | 6-0 | 178 | Northville, Mich.
Doyle becomes the first player from Michigan to commit to Army since A.J. Glubzinski played for the Black Knights from 2005-08. Doyle, a Detroit Catholic Central High School graduate, has played for several academy teams including U-19 and U-17 Michigan Wolves Academy and U-14 Vardar Academy. He participated in the Gothia Cup in 2014 as well as the Iber Cup in Florida, Lisbon and Barcelona. While at Detroit Catholic Central, Doyle was a member of the Finance Club and the National Honor Society. He additionally was a member of DECA and an honor roll student.

Linden Eberle | Forward | 5-8 | 175 | Cincinnati, Ohio
Eberle comes to the banks of the Hudson with already a year of collegiate playing experience under his belt. The Cincinnati native, played in 18 games and made two starts at Wright State a season ago. While with the Raiders, he tallied four points on two goals. Prior to playing at Wright State, he attended Lakota West High School where he lettered for four years and led his team to the district finals as a senior when he scored 26 goals and collected four assists. Eberle ended his career with a school record 62 goals. The United Soccer Coaches All-American was named the Southwest Ohio Player of the Year in addition to receiving the First Team All-State nod, All-Great Lakes First Team Honors and conference player of the year recognition. He capped his high school career by being selected to play in the High School All-American Game. While at Lakota West, he was a Latin Club Officer and an honor roll student. Eberle played his club soccer for Cincinnati United Premier 99 Gold and helped his squad claim an Ohio State Cup championship and a pair of National League Division championships.

Sam Epitime | Forward | 5-6 | 158 | Bloomfield, N.J.
Epitime was a four-year varsity forward at Bloomfield High School. During his freshman season, he was the top scorer on the varsity squad with nine goals. At Bloomfield, he was a member of the National Society of High School Scholars and was a four-year honor roll student. He played club soccer for the New York Red Bulls Development Academy, Cedar Stars and TSF Academy. He was a member of the U.S. Club Soccer National Cup championship team in 2014. Additionally, he played a key role on a pair of New Jersey Cup championship teams in 2014 and 2017.

Ero Iyoriobhe | Forward | 6-0 | 180 | Houston, Texas
Iyoriobhe attended Stephen F. Austin High School, where he was tabbed First Team All-District in 2018. He played his club soccer for Texans SC (DA) from 2018-19, after playing for N.C. ODP in 2016-17.

Justin McStay | Midfield | 5-9 | 170 | Holmdel, N.J.
McStay was a co-captain of the Holmdel High School varsity soccer team. In 2017, he received All-American recognition, while also being named First Team All-State, First Team All-Shore, First Team All-Monmouth County and First Team A-Central. McStay was additionally a two-time MVP during his time at Holmdel. Since 2014, he has been recognized as a top-35 defender nationally by IMG, which included a pair of top-10 honors in 2014 (No. 9) and 2017 (No. 10). In the 2015 and 2016 seasons, McStay was named Second Team All-State, Second Team All-Shore, Second Team All-Monmouth County and First Team All-Central A. During the 2014 and 2015 seasons, IMG named him a top-150 player. The Holmdel, N.J., native played his club soccer for Cedar Stars USSDA 16 after playing for NJCSA USSDA 14. From 2013-15, he was chosen for the ID2 Olympic Development team and camps.

Grant Nawoichyk | Goalkeeper | 6-3 | 210 | Tuxedo Park, N.Y.
Nawoichyk is the lone incoming player from New York, but played his high school soccer at Don Bosco Preparatory in New Jersey. He was named Second Team All-League and served as a varsity captain in 2017. He also was a four-year thrower on the track and field team, competing in the shot put, discus and javelin. Nawoichyk was the Big North Champion, Bergen County Non-Public champion and the New Jersey Non-Public Group A champion in the javelin in 2018. In all four years at Don Bosco, he was named to the Academic Honor Roll. He additionally received the Ironman Award in 2018, awarded to the most outstanding student-athlete. Nawoichyk was a member of the Model UN at Don Bosco. He played club soccer for Cedar Stars and Quickstrike Football Club. In 2019, he was a captain of the QSFC squad.

Wes Rideau-Winds | Defender | 5-9 | 187 | West Orange, N.J.
Rideau-Winds played his high school soccer at West Orange High School in New Jersey where he was a three-year varsity starter. The West Orange, N.J., native received all-area and all-conference honors during his junior and senior seasons. He additionally was named Second Team All-Group 5 and All-State in 2018 after earning all-sectional honors. He played Club Soccer for the TSF Academy team that won the state championship in 2019.

Josh Taylor | Goalkeeper | 6-2 | 200 | Minneapolis, Minn.
Taylor was a four-year varsity starter at Breck School in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He helped his team claim conference championships in 2015, 2017 and 2018. As a team captain, he received First Team All-State, First Team All-Conference and Second Team All-Metro in 2018. He additionally earned all-conference honors during his sophomore and junior seasons. Taylor also was on the track and field team and competed in numerous events including the 200m, 400m, 4x100m, high jump, long jump, triple jump, discus and shot put. He additionally was a competitive power lifter and was a national qualifier after being crowned the Minnesota state champion in 2018. At Breck, he was a part of the Cum Laude Society. Taylor also received National Merit Scholar Honorable Mention and was named to the Headmaster's List during each semester. He played club soccer for Minnesota Thunder (DA) from 2018-19 and for Minneapolis United from 2015-18.

Cooper Warren | Midfield | 5-8 | 155 | Auburndale, Fla.
Warren made the trip up north from the Sunshine State, where he was a midfielder on the Lakeland Collegiate High School soccer team. As a senior, the Auburndale, Fla., native helped his team win their conference. He served as a senior ambassador and was a member of the Interact Club during his time in high school. He played club soccer for five years at the Orlando City Development Academy.

Men's Soccer Inks 11 to Class of 2023

Players Mentioned

Melic Belong

D'Anthony Brown

Luke Doyle

Linden Eberle

Sam Epitime

Eromose Iyoriobhe

Justin McStay

Grant Nawoichyk

Wes Rideau-Winds

Josh Taylor

Cooper Warren

Army West Point Athletics