UBC Okanagan Heat men's soccer head coach Dante Zanatta has announced seven new recruits set to join his roster for the 2023 season.
Striker Oliver Deveau, midfielders Rory Clements, Varun Kothary, Andrew Matsugu and Cole Lutz-Charlton, defender Harvey Holland and goalkeeper Mattias Ferraro will all don the blue and gold next season.
The seven athletes join Dario Fedele, who was announced as joining the Heat back in the Fall, to make up the 2023 recruiting class thus far.
Deveau, a 6-0 striker and native of Vancouver, joins the Heat after an accomplished career with Mountain United FC where was named his club team's MVP in 2022. The graduate of Notre Dame Regional Secondary also won the AA provincial championship last season with his high school team where he was the Golden Boot winner.
Deveau will study Management while attending UBCO.
"Oliver is a forward that can score goals, is very athletic and has a good frame on him," said Zanatta. "He's good in the air or on the ground and he has scored at every level that he has played at. We can see this continuing for him at this level as the future is bright for him."
Clements, the first of four midfield additions, is a 5-9 midfielder and native of Squamish, B.C., who has enjoyed a successful youth career that has seen him spend time playing in Canada and Germany. He spent six seasons with Mountain United FC and spent time training in two Vancouver Whitecaps combines. He's also spent time over the past two years training in Germany, most recently with SV Waldhof Mannheim U19.
An honour roll student at Howe Sound Secondary, Clements was named an All-Star while playing with the Senior Boys AAA team this past year.
Clements will be in the Bachelor of Management program at UBCO.
"Rory is an attacking midfielder with a good touch, a great soccer IQ, and a great amount of creativity," commented Zanatta. "We believe that he can help us once he picks up the speed of play of Canada West and after training with us in the preseason last year, we are happy that he selected UBCO."
Joining Clements in the midfield will be Kothary, a 5-7 centre midfielder and native of Burnaby, B.C. He played his club football with Coquitlam Metro-Ford where he was team captain and leading goal scorer, netting eight goals a season ago.
Kothary attended St. Thomas More Collegiate where he was a two-time honour roll student. He has applied to the Bachelor of Science program at UBCO.
"Varun is a box-to-box midfielder with an engine that does not stop," said Zanatta. "He's very good at linking the play together and isn't afraid to get into the tackle. We believe that he can push for minutes in his first year."
Matsugu, a 6-0 winger from New Westminster, B.C., brings championship pedigree to the Heat after winning the 2017 provincial championship with Coquitlam Metro-Ford. A graduate of New Westminster Secondary in 2022, Matsugu has been accepted into the Bachelor of Applied Science program.
"Andrew is a pacey winger with good height and good technical ability," commented Zanatta. "After taking a gap year he comes in a littler older than most first year players and we look forward to working with him."
Rounding out the midfield addition is Lutz-Charlton, a 5-9 winger and native of Surrey, B.C. Lutz-Charlton is a graduate of Elgin Park Secondary and played his club soccer with Coastal FC.
Lutz-Charlton will study Arts while attending UBCO.
"Cole is a very technical player who is good on the ball, has the ability to see the pass and loves to get forward," said Zanatta. "We are excited to see where he can take himself in our program."
On the backline, Holland is the only recruit from outside of B.C. as he comes to UBCO from Winnipeg and joins the Heat after a strong youth career. A member of the Vancouver Whitecaps Academy since 2019, Holland played for Team Manitoba at the 2022 Canada Summer Games while also captaining his U17 club team, the Bonivital Flames, to the national championship.
The graduate of Glenlawn Collegiate is a two-time Academic Excellence Award recipient and will study in the Arts program at UBCO.
"We first saw Harvey at the Whitecaps combine last year as he is from Winnipeg and have tracked him over the past year and are happy with his development," commented Zanatta. "We see Harvey as a holding midfielder or potential centre back and believe that over time he will be a large part to the program."
Rounding out the Heat's additions for next season is Ferraro, a 6-0 goalkeeper from Burnaby, B.C. Playing his club soccer with Surrey United, Ferraro is a two-time BCSPL provincial champion and two-time league cup champion. The honour roll student at Notre Dame Regional Secondary was a teammate with Deveau on their high school team that won AA provincial championship where he was named the best goalkeeper.
Ferraro has been accepted into the Bachelo of Health and Exercise Science program for the Fall of 2023.
"We have been tracking Mattias since he attended our ID camp," said Zanatta. "He is a keeper with good technical ability and a real desire to play at this level. Preseason will be fun to watch as we expect him to push the other keepers in camp."
Article provided by Jamie Howieson, UBCO
All seven additions will make their way to Kelowna towards the end of July when training camp gets underway for the Heat ahead of the 2023-24 season.