BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Gardner-Webb men's soccer coach Tony Setzer announced the addition of 16 new players to the Runnin' Bulldogs soccer program for the 2018-19 season today.
 
"We're very excited that these young men have chosen to come to Gardner-Webb," said Setzer. "I'd like to thank our coaches, Bradley Morrison and Ali Al-Gashamy for their efforts in the recruiting process. We strive to recruit not only great soccer players but also outstanding men. These players fit both criteria, and we cannot wait to welcome them to Gardner-Webb and get the season started."

Sam Catherall – Defender – Renton, Wa.

Catherall, a 5'11" defender from Renton, Washington played at O'Dea High School and with the Seattle Sounders FC Academy. Catherall made the ODP Region IV team and was a member of the Washington state travel team. His club team advanced to the national semifinals during his junior year. He plans to major in exercise science.

James Cooper – Defender – Johns Creek, Ga.

Cooper played at Chattahoochee High School, where he saw action at center back for coach Les Meenan. The 6'2", 175-pound defender helped Chattahoochee to the Georgia High School Association 6A State Championship. He competed with the Alpharetta Ambush club soccer team.
 
Grant Glorioso – Goalkeeper – Wexford, Pa.
 
Glorioso, a 5'11" goalkeeper, comes to the Runnin' Bulldogs from Wexford, Pennsylvania. He has started at the varsity level for North Allegheny High School the past three seasons and led his team to two sectional runner-up finishes before capturing the championship last season.  Glorioso was named first-team All-WPIAL each of the past two seasons and helped North Allegheny win the WPIAL title in 2016 and 2017. In 2016, he was the championship MVP with 10 saves. At the club level, he played for North United 99 Premier (U18) last season. His club team was ranked as high as No. 2 in the country and advanced to the semifinals of the FC Delco Cup.
 
Chris Gooding – Midfielder – Houston, Tx.
 
Gooding, a midfielder from Texas, played high school soccer at Cypress Creek High School, while competing at the club level for the Texans SC Houston. He was a two-year varsity letter winner and captained his club squad to the 2015 state tournament finals, while leading them to the Round of 16 in 2017. He also led his club in assists and minutes played last year.

Jalen Henderson – Forward – Fort Mill, S.C.

Henderson, a 5'10" native of Fort Mill, S.C. played for Coach John Jarrett at Nation Fort High School and won three varsity letters in the sport. On the club level, Henderson played for the Discoveries Soccer Club, playing both premier and NPL. He plans to major in accounting at GWU.

Edin Hernandez – Midfielder – Holiday, Fla. 

E. Hernandez has seen time on the pitch for a variety of teams, including the Clearwater Chargers USSDA, St. Petersburg College, Palm Harbor University HS and Tampa-USA. In high school, he once scored the game-winning goal to send his team to the regional finals, while also helping his team advance to the academy playoffs at the club level. Hernandez also played in the Iber Cup in Lisboa, Portugal. He intends to major in mathematics. 

Ricardo Hernandez – Defender/Midfielder – Fort Myers, Fla.

R. Hernandez played for both Estero High School and the Boca United Academy soccer club. In high school, he played under the direction of coach Abiodun Adeyemi and won a varsity letter his freshman year. He was a member of the All-Florida State ODP team in 2017 and a member of the Region III ODP squad in 2014 and 2015. In 2015, Hernandez traveled to San Jose, Costa Rica with the Region Three team for an international soccer trip.
 
Collin Innes – Forward – Currituck, N.C.
 
Innes played high school soccer at Currituck County High School (NC) where he starred as a forward. He was named the Northeast North Carolina Player of the Year and also earned first-team All-Conference honors. He was a varsity athlete for three seasons and was named the team's Offensive Player of the Year.

Hendrik Kortgodde – Midfielder – Dusseldorf, Germany
 
The 19 year-old German native played club soccer for Fortuna Dusseldorf based out of Dusseldorf, Germany. Kortgodde served as a captain of the team and primarily played defensive midfield, while also seeing time at the center back and central midfield positions. He first joined the club in 2015 and appeared in 35 contests with 33 starts. In those 35 matches, Kortgodde played over 2,000 minutes and received the honor of being a captain four times. Over the past two seasons, he netted four goals while registering 15 assists. Kortgodde plans to enroll in the spring of 2019.

Giovanni Lagnerini – Midfielder – Greensboro, N.C.

The 6'0", 160-pound Lagnerini comes to Gardner-Webb from Page High School, where he played under the direction of head coach Mike Demara. As a midfielder, Lagnerini earned All-Conference honors his junior and senior seasons, leading his team to the third round of the state playoffs both of those seasons as well. At the club level, he competed for NC Fusion Elite '00. He plays to major in business administration. 
 
Joseph Little – Forward – Charlotte, N.C.
 
Little, a Charlotte, North Carolina native, stands 5'7" and played forward for Zebulon B. Vance High School, while competing at the club level for the Revolution Futbol Club. He spent multiple years as a varsity starter and was Vance's Player of the Year his senior season as he set a school record with 28 goals in just 20 games. He also earned first-team All-Conference and All-Region honors this past season, while garnering All-Conference recognition in 2016 as well. At the club level, in 2016 and 2017, he led the RFC to the SC State Cup championship, which earned them a berth to regionals in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In 2016, the Revolution captured the James Island Tournament title.

Luis Ortiz – Midfielder – Naples, Fla. 

Ortiz comes to Gardner-Webb from Gulf Coast High School in Naples, Florida, where he played for coach Alan Scott. At Naples, Ortiz, a 5'7" midfielder, helped lead the team to three district championships (2016-2018), a conference championship (2017) and a both a region and state title in 2018. At the club level, Ortiz played for the Stovi Stars and led them to three championships and a runner-up showing. In 2016 and 2018, the Stars were the Disney Showcase champions. The team also won the 2018 CASL championship and two years prior were the state runner-ups.  

Zachary Pierce – Midfielder – St. Cloud, Fla.
 
The Floridian midfielder played at Clover HS and competed at the club level with '00 Region III Gold and '99/'00 NPL. Pierce was invited to play with the academy UE Cornella in Spain and also played in the Mediterranean Cup and the 5A State Championship.
 
Luis Rivadeneria – Midfielder – Westampton, N.J.
 
Rivadeneria played high school soccer at Rancocas Valley High School and most recently competed at Rowan College at Burlington County. He was a two-time Burlington County All-Star and made first-time All-South Jersey in high school on two occasions. As a prep star at RVHS, he scored 30 goals to go along with 31 assists. Additionally, he was a Regional All-America and NCSAA All-America selection.
 
Benjamin Schade – Goalkeeper – Cary, N.C.
 
Shade competed on the pitch for the Panther Creek High School Catamounts as a goalkeeper. He won three varsity letters and received an invitation to the Olympic Development Program (ODP) regional camp in North Carolina. He won the Coaches Award his junior year. For the 2017-18 season, Schade logged over 1,000 minutes on the field and made 75 saves. He finished the season with six shutouts and a 1.509 goals against per game average. Schade played club soccer with NCFC Premier B.
 
Manual Torres – Defensive Mid – Cramer, N.C.
 
Torres, a Cramer, N.C. native, prepped at Stuart Cramer High School in North Carolina, while competing at the club level for the Carolina Rush. The 5'11" defensive midfielder was a varsity starter and captain in high school and led Cramer to a third-place finish in its region. He played for head coach Matthew Robinson.
 
The Runnin' Bulldogs soccer program looks to improve on a 2017 campaign that saw them finish 8-7-2, including a 4-2-1 mark in Big South Conference play. The team finished fifth in the Big South regular season standings and fell to the Liberty Flames, 3-0, in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament.
 
More information on the 2018 season will be announced at a later date.