Men's Soccer Announces Six Signees for 2015 Incoming Class

PHILADELPHIA - Head coach Doug Hess and the Drexel men's soccer team recently announced the additions of six student-athletes for the 2015 fall season. Hess and the Dragons, who have captured two of the last three Colonial Athletic Association regular season titles, will be bringing in a large and diverse class to help the Dragons return to the top of the conference table.

Three of the incoming players - Armin Efendic, Christopher Haskins and Alejandro Quinonez - hail from the Mid-Atlantic region, though Efendic was born in Immenstadt, Germany. The other three - Ilai Shvika, Aymen Ben Hadj Slama and Lorenz Walbert - come to Drexel from overseas, joining an already culturally diverse squad which included five international players in 2014.

"We are very pleased with the signing of these six young men," Hess commented when asked about the class. "The group is of strong character and answers a lot of questions that were left in our team after the 2014 season. They have some fantastic experiences through their clubs and a few of these guys have international experience. My staff and I worked hard on this group throughout the recruiting process, and believe wholly that their abilities and attitudes will help as we re-establish ourselves in the ever-competitives CAA and beyond."

Hess on Efendic: "Armin is a solid student both in the classroom and of the game. He is constantly wanting to learn and advance himself. I have been impressed by his ability to link the game between the midfield and front-line as well as his abilities to strike set pieces. Armin has a knack for rising to the occasion when his team plays against top clubs as well."

Born in Germany, Armin Efendic has spent his formative years in Lititz, Pa., where he attended Warwick High School. He spent just one year on the team there due to his involvement with USSF Academy soccer, where as a freshman he helped lead the team to an LL League championship in 2011.

Efendic has been a member of the PA Classics USSF Academy club team over the past two seasons. In 2013-14, he was the second leading scorer on the Classics as he played in all 24 games that season. Prior to his time with PA Classics, Effendic played with FC Delco in 2011-12, leading his team in scoring from the midfield position. As he enters college, Efendic is ranked as one of the top midfielders in the nation by TopDrawerSoccer.com, and is among the top five prep players in Pennsylvania.

A National Honor Roll and German Honors Society member, Efendic is the son of Svetlana and Samir Efendic. He intends to major in mechanical engineering.

Hess on Haskins: "Chris first caught our eye at our summer ID Camp. He is such a simple player that he may go unnoticed, connecting passes and going about his business. He has the ability to play in a variety of rolls in midfield, as well as an outside back. Chris plays with tempo and composure, and reads the game quite well."

Christopher Haskins will arrive at Drexel in the fall after completing his high school career at the McDonogh School in Maryland. A native of Ellicott City, Md., Haskins currently plays club soccer for Bethesda-Olney's USSF Academy team, a group that one year prior made it to the USSF Academy Championship game.

Prior to his current team, Haskins played three seasons with the Baltimore Bays Chelsea USSF Academy where he was a part of two teams qualifying for the Academy play-offs. His Under-16 Bays Academy team finished second in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference placing them as the 5th overall seed in the Academy play-offs for the 2012-13 season.

The son of Sujee and David Haskins, Christopher intends to enroll in the engineering program at Drexel.

Hess on Quinonez: "Alejo is a player of solid character and quality. He reads the game well from a central back position and possesses exceptional timing in his stepping ability. Additionally, Alejo is solid in competing in the air, an area we need to improve in as a group."

Alejandro Quinonez is a Virginia native who will attend Drexel after graduating from Wakefield High School in Arlington. A center back, Quinonez spent four years with Team America FC in Springfield, Va., where he helped the team to the 2012 Fall National Capital Soccer League championship. Starting that season, Quinonez has anchored a club defense which allowed the fewest goals in its league for three-straight years. His 2013 Team America club was undefeated, as was his 2014 Sterling FC Elite team. That squad, one of the top-40 club programs in the country, won the 2014 CASL and Bethesda championships. Recently, he was selected to the Northern Virginia District ODP team for a second-straight season.

A center back at Wakefield for four seasons, Quinonez was the captain of the varsity team by his junior campaign. As a sophomore in 2013, he was named an All-District Honorable Mention performer.

Quinonez is the son of Sonia and Jose Quinonez. He intends to major in health sciences and sport management at Drexel.

Hess on Shvika: "Ilai possesses a strong ability to bring the ball out of the back regardless of where he is playing. He is unique in that he has the ability to play both inside and outside of the field, and still be a crucial component in his team. Likewise, Ilai reads the game extremely well and knows precisely where and when to break up play."

The first of three international players who will be joining the Dragons in 2015, Ilai Shvika comes to Drexel from Israel. Shvika, who will turn 20 early in his freshman season, graduated from the Ort Yad Leibovich School in Netanya, Israel, where he spent three seasons as a left back and center midfielder. Shvika was named to the Israeli National High School team in 2012, the same year he led his high school team to a league semifinals appearance.

Shvika also played for Maccabi Netanya youth from 2009-13 and currently plays for Beitar Naharia where he has started 17 games this season scoring one goal and assisting on four others thus far.

The son of Karoly and Guy Shvika, Ilai is undecided on his major at Drexel.

Hess on Slama: "Aymen is a player of strong commitment and leadership. He sees the game well from the back and has the ability to link the ball into midfield, as well as to switch the fields of play. Aymen is competitive in the air, combative in the tackle, and has a strong game sense in defending."

Aymen Ben Hadj Slama is the first Drexel student-athlete known to have come from Tunisia. A native of Tunis, Tunisia, Slama comes directly from Dodge City Community College, where he started 18 games last year and scored one goal as a center back. Slama captained and played with Sportive de l'Ariana in Tunis, a club team with which he participated in the Jean Michelle Larque Tournament in France. At that event, Slama was named the best defender in the tournament.

Slama attended Ennaser High School in Tunis, where he also played varsity soccer and earned the league's award as the top defender. Additionally, Slama spent time in the U-16 Tunisia national team set-up as he spent time in a two week player pool camp and played friendly matches.

The son of Ilyes Ben Hadj Slama and Lamia Ben Amar, Aymen intends to major in international business at Drexel.

Hess on Walbert: "Lorenz is a player of high quality and tremendous personality. He possesses the ability to play multiple positions and still effect the game regardless of where he is on the pitch. We have been extremely impressed with Lorenz through this process in his ability to connect and set play for his team. Lorenz brings a wealth of soccer experiences to our program."

Finally, Lorenz Walbert will begin his collegiate career at Drexel after coming from Germany, where he attended Theodolinden-Gymnasium in Munich. A native of Vohenstrauss, Walbert has spent time on the U15-U17 German national teams as well as the U19 team for 1860 Munich, an academy powerhouse in Germany. He also had a successful stint with FC Nuremberg, with whom he won the U17 Bundesliga title in 2012 and finished sixth in Bundesliga the following year.

Walbert, a midfielder and center back with his club teams, also spent three years playing soccer for Theodolinden-Gymnasium. He helped that squad to an unofficial German Indoor League championship.

The son of Christine and Harold Walbert, Lorenz is undecided on a major upon enrolling at Drexel.

Drexel University Athletics

Men's Soccer Announces Six Signees for 2015 Incoming Class

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