4 From Galesburg, 3 From Monmouth-Roseville Among New Sandburg Soccer Signees
Aaron Frey
Friday, May 11, 2018 11:04 AM
Athletics
Galesburg, IL
Carl Sandburg College men’s soccer coach Kevwe Akpore has announced several signees as part of his initial recruiting class, including seven incoming Chargers from area schools. The group features four players from Galesburg High School and three from Class 1A state runner-up Monmouth-Roseville High School.
The quartet from GHS includes Ezechiel Biamungu, Steven Lessi, Merdi Mfutila and Gedeon Mbiya. Biamungu was a three-year starter with the Silver Streaks and led the team in goals as a junior and senior. He was named to the All-Western Big 6 Conference team last season and was an Illinois High School Soccer Coaches Association All-Sectional pick. Lessi earned three varsity letters with the Streaks, while Mfutila and Mbiya were both two-year starters for GHS.
The trio from M-R includes Kyaw Thang, Grego Massengo and Eric Suarez. Thang’s 21 goals last season was second on the team, and he also had six assists for the Titans. Massengo scored 20 goals for M-R last fall and added seven assists. Suarez, a center midfielder, had six goals and a school-record 24 assists for the Titans as a senior. His 38 career assists are also an M-R record.
The Chargers’ recruiting class also includes Jose Castro of Sterling, Benjamin Zambele of Beardstown and Giovanni Rodriguez of Columbia (Tenn.) Central.
Castro had six goals and eight assists for the Golden Warriors in 2017, earning him honorable mention All-Northern Illinois Big 12 honors a year after being named to the first team and IHSSCA All-Sectional team. Zambele was a four-year letter-winner and three-year starter at defensive midfield for Beardstown, finishing his career with seven goals and seven assists. He won the team’s Leadership Award as a senior and was an IHSSCA All-Sectional selection. Rodriguez comes to the Chargers as a high-energy outside midfielder after helping the Columbia Central to a 10-10-1 mark as a senior.