Sea-Hawks Add Five New Recruits for the 2017 Season

Head coach Jake Stanford has been busy this offseason, and is pleased to announce five new recruits for the upcoming 2017 AUS Soccer Season. The new players are all local, including one from Labrador.  Stanford is excited to see the new recruits join the team and feels they will help the program find success in the upcoming seasons. 

"I am thrilled to add such quality local talent to our program. I believe that these young men will be excellent additions which each player brining his own strengths that will make us stronger and deeper with our lineup."

Thomas Osmond

Thomas is a towering 6'5 centre back from Prince of Wales Collegiate High School. He is a product of the Feildians Athletic Association, where Thomas helped his team to three Club Soccer Provincial Championships. He has also been selected for the NLSA U18 team, as well as the Canada Games squad.

No mere brute, Thomas boasts academic achievements to match those on the pitch. He maintains an academic average in the 90s, and plans to pursue an engineering degree at Memorial. When asked, Thomas told us that he is excited for the opportunity to become a member of the university, saying "I chose Memorial to pursue my goals. I am fortunate that I can get a high-quality education at a university with a great reputation, close to home."

Thomas also spoke about the opportunity to learn and grow his game under his new coaching staff. "I am most looking forward to the competitiveness of University soccer, the professionalism of it, and developing under the coaching staff at that level." He follows in the footsteps of his father and Sea-Hawks alumni, Ian Osmond, as well as his cousin, Greg Reid. Both were members of the Memorial Sea-Hawks Men's Soccer Team.

David Goulding

David, a 5'11 centre back, comes to us from Holy Heart of Mary High School. Like Thomas Osmond, David was a member of the Feildians Athletic Association that won three Provincial Championships. David was MVP of the tournament in 2015, and has three silver medals as a member of the NLSA Provincial Team.

David is planning on pursuing an engineering degree here at the university. He told us that the best part of coming here, aside from athletics, is that the university is close to home for him.

David was simple and straightforward about his excitement in joining the Sea-Hawks. He said he looks forward to "Travelling with the team and winning games." Coach Stanford will no doubt be a fan of David's all business mentality.

Riley Bennett

Riley is a 5'11 defender, who attends school at O'Donel High. He plays for the Mount Pearl Soccer Association, and while with MPSA, Riley competed at the highest levels from U12 onward. He's also played in the Challenge Cup, where his team went to the Club Nationals. Riley has also competed with NLSA in the Atlantics, taking home silver several times.

Riley plans on entering the commerce program here at Memorial. He joins a bevy of other Memorial athletes pursuing this field, including several current members of the Men's and Women's basketball programs.

Riley is a proud Newfoundlander, and he is excited for the opportunity to represent his province at the highest levels. Riley had this to say about the upcoming season, "[I'm looking forward to] the travel during the season along with the opportunity to continue to represent my home province at a high level of soccer, and working towards winning a championship."

Being the proud Newfoundlander that he is, Riley loves that Memorial gives him the opportunity to stay at home while he pursues both academic and athletic excellence. He reiterated that playing for this province is important to him, and that passion is surely appreciated within the program.

Jack Haywood

Jack is a keeper hailing from Gonzaga High School. He is 6'2, and he played his soccer for St. John's Soccer. Jack says he became a keeper because "honestly because I wasn't a great out field player". Well, that seems to have been the right choice, as Jack will now be joining the Sea-Hawks.

Jack is planning on taking kinesiology at Memorial, like so many of the athletes before him. He is an honours student, and has been since the seventh grade.

As for his athletic aspirations, Jack was clear about his hopes for the team over the coming years. "I'm looking forward to working with Jake [Stanford] and working towards winning championships." Coach Stanford surely appreciates the drive and lofty goals from his young keeper.

A St. John's native, Jack says he's looking forward to being able to stay near home while he pursues his athletic and academic goals. His father, Richard Haywood, is a Sea-Hawks alumnus who also played for the soccer team.

Mitchell Barry

Mitchell is the only recruit from outside of the St. John's area for this season. The 6'0 striker comes from Mealy Mountain Collegiate in Happy Valley-Goose Bay. He played for the Happy Valley-Goose Bay association, as well as Mount Pearl's Challenge Cup team. Mitchell has recently been awarded Male Athlete of the Year honours at Mealy Mountain Collegiate.

Mitchell, who plans on entering the commerce program, tells us that Memorial was the right choice for him because, as he says, "I chose Memorial because it's close to home, and I have a lot of friends and family in the area."

With that, Mitchell also tells us that he is "looking forward to playing in the AUS and playing university level soccer." With his exploits as Athlete of the Year, Mitchell will be looking to further elevate his game against the bets Atlantic Canada has to offer when the 2017 season gets underway.