Soccer Welcomes Five Newcomers

Bradley Soccer announces five additions to the roster as the Braves near closer to the start of preseason training camp

Bobby Parker, Associate AD for Communications Soccer 7/27/2018 10:00:00 AM

PEORIA, IL - As Bradley Soccer prepares for its 32nd preseason training camp, veteran head coach Jim DeRose welcomes the addition of five newcomers to his 27-man roster. The quintet includes incoming freshmen forward Nick Feeney (Park Ridge, IL/Notre Dame College Prep), goalkeeper Nick Gasperi (Leawood, KS/Shawnee Mission East H.S.) and defenders Brady Mulligan (Arlington Heights, IL/Saint Viator H.S.) and Malte Winkler (Eppingen, Germany/Privatgymnasium St. Leon-Rot), as well as Saint Louis transfer midfielder Saadiq Mohammed (Mogadishu, Somalia/Lift for Life Academy).

"As we begin to prepare for the 2018 season, we are excited to welcome this class to The Hilltop as we believe they will add depth and competition to our returning core," said DeRose, who is beginning his 23rd year leading the Braves. "One of our primary focuses was to bolster the depth and versatility of our group, while creating a competitive training atmosphere each day, a philosophy that has always proved to be a key ingredient in our team's success.

"The addition of this group, coupled with the return of redshirted players who missed the entire 2017 season, we believe meets that goal, essentially giving us nine new additions to our roster from 2017," DeRose added. "The incoming class addresses the team needs throughout the field to include goalkeeper, back line, midfield and in attack and certainly will push to earn starting positions or significant reserve roles."

Nick Feeney, Fr., F, 5-8, 148, Park Ridge, IL (Notre Dame College Prep/Sockers FC)
Born in Bulgaria, Feeney joins the Braves from Notre Dame College Prep in suburban Chicago, where he scored a school-record 48 goals in three varsity seasons. A two-year team captain and three-time team MVP, Feeney twice earned All-Sectional honors. In addition to his high school accomplishments, Feeney has started every game the last three years for Sockers FC Chicago, helping his squad to three consecutive National Premier League finals.

Nick Gasperi, Fr., GK, 6-3, 174, Leawood, KS (Shawnee Mission East H.S./KC Fusion)
A two-year varsity player, Gasperi posted a .301 career goals against average between the pipes for Shawnee Mission East squads that qualified for the Kansas high school state tournament semifinals in 2016 and quarterfinals in 2017. In addition to his high school play, Gasperi was a member of the KC Fusion club program and was selected for the ODP Region II squad each of the last three years. He helped KC Fusion to Kansas State Cup championships and Midwest Region League titles in 2016 and 2017, while putting up 15 shutouts for his ODP squad during the 2017-18 season.

Saadiq Mohammed, Jr., MF, 6-2, 185, Mogadishu, Somalia (Lift for Life Academy/Saint Louis)
Mohammed transfers to Bradley from Saint Louis University, where he scored 12 points on five goals and two assists as a midfielder the last two seasons and was a member of the 2016 Atlantic-10 Conference All-Rookie Team. Mohammed earned A-10 Rookie-of-the-Week honors in consecutive weeks in 2016 after scoring game-winning goals for the Billikens in three consecutive games. All five of his career goals at SLU came in victories.

Born in Kenya and raised in Somalia, Mohammed is a primary subject in the documentary "Men in the Arena" and several feature stories in national media outlets. Having played for both the Kenyan and Somalian Senior National Teams, Mohammed won the East-African Award for Best Somali Athlete in 2012 and 2013. He also received the 2016 Carl O. Bauer Award, which is presented annually by the Missouri Athletic Club to the top amateur sports figure in the St. Louis area.

Brady Mulligan, Fr., D, 5-10, 152, Arlington Heights, IL (Saint Viator H.S./Sockers FC)
A two-year varsity player at Chicago high school power Saint Viator, Mulligan scored the match-winning, sudden-victory penalty in the 2017 regional championship match. His Saint Viator squad also participated in the New Balance International Cup in Huddersfield, England, as well as friendly matches in Dublin.

Malte Winkler, Fr., D, 5-11, 152, Eppingen, Germany (Privatgymnasium St. Leon-Rot)
Winkler comes to Bradley from Germany, where he attended Privatgymnasium St. Leon-Rot and played for club programs FC Astoria Waldorf and SV Sandhausen. An outside back, Winkler's FC Astoria Waldorff II squad played in his home region's top amateur league, Oberliga Baden-Württemberg, during the 2017-18 season.

The five newcomers join 17 returning lettermen and five redshirts on a Bradley squad that equaled SMU as the most-improved teams in the nation last season. The Braves finished the 2017 campaign with an 11-7-3 overall record and third in the Missouri Valley Conference with a 4-3-1 league mark. Bradley will open its 32nd season as a NCAA Division I program Aug. 24 by hosting Gonzaga in a 7 p.m. kick off at Shea Stadium.

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