Penn welcoming five newcomers for fall season

Penn head coach Rudy Fuller announced a recruiting class of five on Thursday that will be joining the Ivy League program in West Philadelphia this fall.

The class includes a forward from Bryn Mawr who led PA Classics in scoring for two seasons, a midfielder from Orlando City’s Academy, a forward with experience playing for the LA Galaxy Academy and players from New York and Tennessee.

"This is a group we think can make an immediate impact on our program," Fuller said in a news release. "They are an accomplished group with a desire to continue the strong tradition we have built here. We are fortunate to have 10 starters returning for next season and those players will be a big part of getting the freshmen on board and ready to carry the banner of Penn Soccer forward."

Aramis “Arty” Kouzine is ranked No. 137 by CollegeSoccerNews.com for the class of 2016. The 6-foot-2, 170-pound forward led PA Classics in scoring in 2013-14 and 2014-15 and spent time in developmental training camp with Everton FC in 2011 and Glasgow Rangers in 2012.

He will be joined in the attack by forward Sam Hefter, a Real So Cal forward who led the LA Galaxy U16s in scoring in 2014-15 with 12 goals. Midfielder Brandon Bartel also has experience playing for an MLS Academy team. The Fleming Island, Florida native has started all but one of Orlando City Academy's 20 matches this season and is ranked No. 149 in the class by CollegeSoccerNews.com.

The other two newcomers include 6-foot-1, 165-pound defender Casey Barone, a Melville, N.Y. native who plays for BW Gottschee and Dami Omitaomu, a Nigerian-born midfielder who played high school soccer for Farragut in Knoxville, Tennessee and club soccer for FC Alliance.

The Quakers finished 3-11-2 and 1-5-1 in the Ivy League last season, their second straight losing season after making the NCAA Tournament in 2013.

Matthew Ralph

Matthew Ralph is the managing editor of Philadelphia Soccer Now. He's covered soccer at all levels for a decade in the Philadelphia region and has also written for TheCup.us, NPSL, PrepSoccer and other publications. He lives with his wife and two young children in Broomall, Pa., but grew up in South Jersey and is originally from Kansas.

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