Tulsa Men’s Soccer Teams Inks Eight to National Letters-of-Intent

Tulsa signed seven players for the 2016 men's soccer freshman class, including Ryan Alpers, Alejandro Chavez, Aidan Dunne, Garrett Garwood, Matthew Puig, Casper Venstad and David Viox, as well as sophomore-transfer Vincent Pedace, as announced today by head coach Tom McIntosh. Pedace and Venstad are spring enrollees.

"I am very pleased with the group as a whole," Head Coach Tom McIntosh said. "We needed to address immediate needs at center back, as well as left sided players that can play in midfield or at the back. In addition, we added a forward, as well as depth in midfield. This group compliments a strong group of returners who comprised the youngest team in the country last year."

A 6-5 defender from Broken Arrow, Okla., Alpers plays club soccer for Blitz United, a team he has helped lead to the Oklahoma Premier League Championship in 2013 and 2014, and a 2015 Showcase of the South Championship. He has also assisted the Blitz to three-straight State Cup semifinal appearances. Alpers also plays for Union High School, where he is a three-year letterwinner and starter. He has tallied eight goals and five assists for 21 points, and has been tabbed to the all-conference and all-district team as both a sophomore and junior. Alpers has helped UHS record a three-year 30-9 mark and advance to the Class 6A State Championship quarterfinals each year.

Chavez, a 6-0 midfielder from Broken Arrow, Okla., plays club soccer for TSC Hurricane 98 and for Broken Arrow High School. He is a three-year letterwinner at BAHS, and has helped his team advance to the Class 6A State Championship semifinals as a sophomore and junior, and to the quarterfinals as a freshman.

Dunne, a 6-0 defender from Chesterfield, Mo., plays club soccer for St. Louis Scott Gallagher for the past three years. He has helped SLSG win a division championship twice, while scoring five goals and three assists last season.

A 5-10 defender from Fort Worth, Texas, Garwood plays club soccer for Solar Chelsea, where he has started over 200 games as a midfielder or defender, including a 2014 game against AS Roma in the Disney Showcase. Garwood has led his club team to the 2012 Disney Showcase finals and to a 2013 Dallas Cup quarterfinal appearance. He was a member of the USCS U15 Pre-Academy, as well as the USSF U16 and U18 Development Academy.

A 5-8 midfielder from Riverside, Calif., Pedace played for the University of San Francisco as a true freshman. At San Francisco, he played in 14 games and earned four starts, while tallying two assists. Pedace played club soccer for Pateadores Academy U18 (2013-15) and Arsenal Academy U16 (2012-13), as well as for Martin Luther King High School.

Puig, a 6-2 forward from Edmond, Okla., plays club soccer for OFC 98 'A', a team he has helped lead to four-straight state championships (2011-14), while tallying 33 goals and 29 assists for 95 points. Puig also plays for Deer Creek High School, where he is a three-year letterwinner. He has led DCHS to 30 wins in the past three years, while scoring 43 goals and 27 assists for 113 points, including 22 goals and 14 assists and a Class 5A State Championship as a junior. Puig is a three-time all-district performer, two–year all-state selection and one-time all-conference honoree, while earning his team's Golden Boot Award all three years.

Venstad, a 6-0 defender from Skjetten, Norway, played club soccer for Lillestrom SK. He helped his team finish as the runner-up in the 2014 U19 National Championship, capture a third-place mark in the division for the 2014 LSK Reserves and won the regional championship with the 2013 U19's. Venstad served as team captain in 2015 U19s and scored four goals.

A 5-10 midfielder from St. Louis, Mo., Viox is a Top Drawer Soccer and College Soccer News top-150 recruit. He plays club soccer for SLSG Metro Academy, where he is currently the captain of the U18 IL Academy Team and has scored 10 career goals. Viox also participated in trainings and friendlies with the USL team, Saint Louis FC.

2016 Tulsa Men's Soccer Signees
Name                          Pos.     Ht.       Wt.      Hometown
Ryan Alpers               D         6-5      165     Broken Arrow, Okla.
Alejandro Chavez      MF       6-0      165     Broken Arrow, Okla.
Aidan Dunne             D         6-0      170     Chesterfield, Mo.
Garrett Garwood       D         5-10    160     Fort Worth, Texas
Vincent Pedace          MF       5-7      155     Riverside, Calif.
Matthew Puig            F          6-2      175     Edmond, Okla.
Casper Venstad         D         6-0      182     Skjetten, Norway
David Viox                  MF       5-10    155     St. Louis, Mo.

Tulsa Men’s Soccer Teams Inks Eight to National Letters-of-Intent

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