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Grant Signs 9 For CSUB Men's Soccer Program

Men's Soccer

Men's Soccer Adds Three for 2020

High-Scoring Garces Memorial F Among Those Joining CSUB for Inaugural Big West Campaign



Bakersfield, Calif. – CSU Bakersfield Men's Soccer Head Coach Richie Grant has announced the signings of three student-athletes to letters of intent for the 2020 season. Freshman Ebubechukwu Ekpemogu and Tyler Ohman will join the Roadrunners line-up next fall, while junior college transfer Juan Pablo Alvarez is already on campus and will train with CSUB throughout the Spring.
 
"We are pleased to announce our first class for the Big West," said Grant. "This is an exciting time for our program and we have identified scholar athletes that prepare us well for the challenges ahead."

Ekpemogu, a forward, attends Garces Memorial High School in Bakersfield, Calif., where he is coached by Robbie Gouk and Hassan Halevy. A physical and gifted finisher, Ekpemogu scored 43 goals as a junior for the Rams in earning the 2019 GMHS Golden Boot Award. He was also named Bakersfield Player of the Year, Southwest Yosemite League Player of the Year and earned recognition as a 2019 All-American. 
 
Born in Jos, Nigeria, Ekpemogu led Garces Memorial to league, section and state championships last season.
 
"Ebube was one of our primary recruiting targets and we're pleased he has chosen to stay home to represent Bakersfield and CSUB," Grant noted. "It has always been a priority for us to target the best local players and Ebube has great physical strength and tremendous ability. He is Big West ready and his skill-set and desire to impact the game should make him an immediate factor on the attack."
 
Ohman, also a forward, hails from Sunnyvale, Calif., and attends Homestead High School where he is coached by Luis Comesaña. In his junior season he broke the school's single-season scoring record when he netted 24 goals and lifted the Mustangs to a second-place finish in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League standings. For his efforts he earned Team-MVP honors and was named First-Team All-SCVAL.
 
Ohman led his club team to back-to-back US West Regional Championships and, in their most recent season, a third-place finish at USA Nationals.
 
He was also named an HHS Academic Scholarship Award winner in 2019.
 
"Tyler is a special young man and an intelligent player who fits our culture and system well," said Grant. "He has great maturity and his eye for the goal is exceptional. Tyler's skillset and willingness to improve make him a consistent offensive threat and we expect him to bring a lot to our team in the attacking phase of the game."
 
While Ekpemogu and Ohman bring dynamic offensive and scoring ability to the Roadrunners' roster, Alvarez is a tactically mature defender capable of slowing down opposing forwards and keeping goals at a minimum.   

Alvarez graduated from Carpinteria High School in 2016, where he played for Warriors head coach Leonardo Quintero. In 2015 he led CHS to a share of the Tri-Valley League title, scoring the game-winning penalty kick goal in the final game of the regular-season to lift his team to an 8-1-1 league mark.
 
Alvarez also played at the club level for the Santa Barbara Soccer Club, and coach Rudy Ybarra, leading the team to national championships at the U-14, U-15 and U-18 levels. At the U-18 tournament he was awarded the Golden Ball, as the championships' MVP, when his stout defense and key semi-final, free-kick goal lifted SBSC to the title.
 
He spent the last two seasons at Santa Barbara City College.
 
"JP has a good tactical understanding of the game and is ready to compete at a high level," said Grant. " He made great academic commitments so he could get on campus this spring and we're looking forward to seeing him build chemistry and familiarity with our other defenders as we prepare for the fall."
 
The `Runners will compete for the first time as a member of the Big West Conference in the fall of 2020. Bakersfield wrapped up its final season in the Western Athletic Conference with a trip to the 2019 WAC Tournament semi-finals, while doubling overall and league win totals from the 2018 campaign.
 
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