CONWAY, Ark. – The University of Central Arkansas men's soccer program announces its 2021 signees, the first signing class that will compete in the Atlantic Sun Conference under new head coach Frank Kohlenstein and will build on what was already a very strong roster returning for the 2021 fall season.
 
"I am very proud of the group we have put together this year,' said outgoing head coach Ross Duncan. "We identified specific areas of need that we wanted to strengthen as well as areas to bring in depth and competition. (Assistant) Coach Matt Taphorn really worked hard as our recruiting coordinator to identify prospects who not only fit the athletic needs of our team, but also the character and academic needs as well. Each and every one of these student-athletes will bring quality to the UCA campus and community both on and off the field'



Sebastian Andreassen joins the Bears as a transfer student pursuing a Master in Business Administration. He hails from Ålesund, Norway where he attended Fagerlia Vidergående Skole high school and started his collegiate career at Young Harris College, where he was twice named to the D2CCA NCAA Division II All-Southeast Region second team, twice named to the All-Peach Belt Conference first team as well as the All-Peach Belt Conference preseason team. His family includes parents Bent Andreassen & Synnøve Longva Andreassen and siblings Christina, Marcus, and Adine Andreassen.
 
"Seba is a versatile forward with good experience in the NCAA, USL2 and internationally. He will help give our attack a focal point and connect our lines. He has the physical and mental characteristics to be our first line of defense and someone who can press and work for the team, which we are excited to add to our group." – Assistant Coach Matt Taphorn



Sohma Ichikawa comes to Conway from Tokyo, Japan, where he attended Teikyo High School. He played both at the academy and high school level and helped his high school team achieve second place in the very competitive all-Tokyo championship. Ichikawa's family includes father Takashi Ichikawa, mother Emi Ichikawa, and sister Shio Ichikawa. He plans to major in Business.
 
"Sohma comes from a training environment that has helped develop him into an incredibly technical player. That preparation will allow him to compete with what we consider one of the strongest areas of our team - the midfield. He will need to learn the tactical aspects and the specific roles of what we want from our midfield as well as what it takes to compete in our program but he certainly has the basis to help us out right away." – Taphorn



Jacob James joins the Bears as a central midfielder from Bridgeland High School in Houston, Texas, where he won almost every award there was to be won, including Texas Region 2-6A First Team All-State, District 16-6A Midfield Player of the Year (Unanimous), TASCO All-State Showcase Game MVP, Texas Region 2-6A Academic All-State, All-Greater Houston Team 1st Team (Houston Chronicle), District 16-6A First Team All-District, and District 16-6A Academic All-District. His family includes father Matt James, who played collegiate soccer at West Texas A&M, Kimberly James, and siblings Tanner and Kendall James.
 
"Jacob is a tall, rangy athlete that has a special ability to get out of tight spaces and running at defenders. He has won about every award possible in high school soccer and we can't wait to see the success he has here. The athletic demands are high in the college game and the amount of time you have to make decisions is short, so the sooner he can process that, the sooner he will be on the field." – Taphorn



Kris Naiker comes to Conway from Auckland, New Zealand, where he has proven himself at both the domestic and international level. He attended the prestigious Scotts College and played with the Wellington Phoenix Reserves. His domestic performances earned him recognition with the national program and was included in the New Zealand National Team at the U17 FIFA World Cup and the 2019 Panda Cup. Naiker's family includes parents Dana and Vikash Naicker and sibling Jia Naicker.
 
"Kris is a wingback who can cover the length of the pitch, create goals and be a lockdown defender. His experience at the international level will allow him to transition to the D1 level quickly. Kris has high expectations for himself and we can't wait to see him grow as an individual here." – Taphorn



Carl Owen Jr. joins the Bears from Columbus, GA, where he attended Columbus High School and put together a very impressive host of accomplishments. He was named as an All-American in both the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, All-Region in those same years as well as 2018-19 and freshman of the year in 2017-18. Academically he was named as part of the Beta Club National Honor Society Social Studies and National English Honor Society. His family includes parents Carl Owen, a wrestling state champion, and Royal Anderson, a collegiate track athlete and semi-professional football player, and siblings Nevaeh and Cartavious Owen.
 
"Carl is a great defensive player with a number of impressive attacking attributes. He is also a high-character athlete and someone who will be a fantastic addition to our locker room. We see Carl as a player that can challenge for spots in multiple positions and if he comes in with the right fitness base then he can carve out an important role within the team." – Taphorn



Jon Randall comes to Conway as a forward from Arvada, Colorado, where he played high school soccer at Faith Christian Academy and with the well-respected Real Colorado Academy. He earned first team All-State honors at Faith Christian along with first team all-conference honors twice. Jon's family includes parents Donna and Doug Randall and sister Julie Randall.
 
"Jon comes from a very strong academy program and is an exciting athlete who has the pace and strength to consistently win his matchups. We see him challenging in a number of different positions and, depending on his adaptation to the college game, being someone who can compete for minutes right from the start." – Taphorn
 


Daniel Shabani joins the Bears as a left wingback from the city of Borås, Sweden, where he attended the soccer school, Sven Eriksson Gymnasium, for his academics and athletics. He also competed for the highly-respected club Norrby IF in the top U19 league, where former UCA Bear Krystian Sarzynski also played. Shabani's family includes Mandana Sajadi and Sharokh Shabani.
 
"Daniel is an exciting player coming from a region that we have had success with in the past.  He is very comfortable on the ball in possession and he is a proper defender, so his style is going to be a great fit. The fitness levels we require from his position are extremely high and if he can exceed those then he will be pushing for time early on." –Taphorn
 
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