SAN ANTONIO, Texas – The University of the Incarnate Word men's soccer head coach, Vince Martinez, has announced seven student-athletes - six signed to National Letters of Intent - will suit up in the red and black in fall, 2018.

"I personally want to thank Chris Fidler for his hard work during this entire recruiting process," said Martinez. "I feel this is one of our better classes in my time here at UIW."

Carlos Mercado – Goalkeeper – 6-3 – Laredo, Texas (Frisco HS)
Mercado played club soccer for FC Dallas. He is a three-time national champion: 2014 with Liga Mexico U-14 team, and 2015-16 with FC Dallas. In addition to the 2016 championship with FC Dallas, Mercado was a member of both the Mexican and U.S. National Team U-18 squads. He was a member of the Mexican National Team U-15 squad in 2015. Mercado competed in the Tri-Series Cup in Doha, Qatar, where he was named Best Goalkeeper. The son of Jose Mercado and Maria Gallegos, Carlos plans to major in international business at UIW.
 
Coach Martinez on Mercado: "We are extremely excited with the signing of Jose Carlos. He is one of the most highly touted goalkeepers in the country and, even as a freshman, we expect him to have an immediate impact on the team and help us reach that next level. He has played for one of the best academy teams in the country in FC Dallas and has represented the US and Mexico at a national level. He has worked with some excellent coaches throughout his years in Academy Soccer and expect him to develop even further under the tutelage of Coach Chris Fidler."





 
Maurits Gersen – Defender – 6-1 – Utrecht, the Netherlands (Het Nieuwe Lyceum/Missouri Valley College)
Gersen is a sophomore transfer coming from Missouri Valley College, an NAIA school out of Marshall, Mo., which was the national runner-up. He earned his VWO degree – the highest Dutch high school degree. The son of Gregor and Elke, Maurits plans to study business management at UIW.
 
Coach Martinez on Gersen: " Maurits is somebody that came to us after a tremendously successful first season in reaching the national championship final at the NAIA level. He has enormous leadership potential and we expect him to be a cornerstone of our defensive unit for the next few seasons."
 






Rob Lemmens – Forward – 6-1 – Utrecht, the Netherlands (Sint Bonifatius/VU Free University of Amsterdam)
Lemmens has had a successful collegiate soccer career. He was named the best player in a Christmas tournament in 2008. Despite an injury, Lemmens registered the most points for his team in the 2010-11 season. He repeated the honor in 2014-15 and had the most assists on the squad. He helped Hercules A1 team reach the semifinals of the playoffs in 2013-14. Lemmens is the son of Etienne Lemmens and Heleen Claringbould and will work towards his master's degree in economics.
 
Coach Martinez on Lemmens: "We had been working on Rob for a while and he had a lot of interest, but we are extremely excited that he decided to choose UIW. As a graduate student, he is physically ready for Division 1 soccer and has been very successful in his playing days in his native Netherlands. He provides tremendous quality and improving our attacking threat for next season."




 



 
Carlo Quesada – Forward – 6-2 – Las Vegas, Nev. (Cimarron-Memorial HS)
Quesada earned First Team All-Conference awards as a freshman at Cimarron-Memorial High School. He was the Key Club Vice President. Quesada, who was born in Costa Rica, is the son of Carlos Quesada and Kattia Salazar. He plans to study computer science at UIW.
 
Coach Martinez on Quesada: "Carlo is a fantastic soccer player and is a player we desperately needed last season. He has come from a fantastic program in Yavapai, Ariz., and has the college-ready experience we are looking for.  He has been very successful in his two years culminating with him being Yavapai's leading goal scorer in 2016 and rounding off his time there with 29 goals."





 
Antonio Savi – Forward/Midfielder – 6-1 – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – Colégio PH (Marshalltown CC/Harford CC)
Savi is a junior transfer from Brazil. He started his collegiate career at Marshalltown Community College in Marshalltown, Iowa, in 2016, then attended Harford Community College in Bel Air, Md., in 2017. While at Harford, he was named All-American, All-Region, and All-Conference. Savi is the son of Marcelo and Raquel and plans to study economics at UIW.
 
Coach Martinez on Savi: "Antonio has been very successful in his current college career. He had a fantastic season last year and was rewarded with the honor of being named All-American after scoring 23 goals for Harford CC. He is another player who we are expecting to have an immediate impact and taking us to the next level."






 
Lars Willems – Defender/Midfielder – 5-9 – Maastricht, the Netherlands (Stella Maris College Meerssen/Johan Cruyff University Tilburg)
Willems will be a junior transfer for the Cardinals in 2018. He has played in the Dutch pro club, MVV Maastricht, where the team reached the playoffs in 2014-15 and 2016-17. This season sees Lars being the team captain of U-19 MVV Maastricht, where they have already clinched a playoff spot and are in first place. Despite only being 18 years old, Lars has played games for the U-23 team. Lars is the son of John, Diana, and step-dad, Roger, and plans to study sports management at UIW.
 
Coach Martinez on Willems: "Lars is coming in as a captain of a very good Dutch Academy team and, not only that, can play a number of positions that makes him a very exciting addition to our 2018 class. A very technically gifted player, I am excited to see how he develops further at UIW and the success that awaits for him."





Guy Esquivel - Forward -  5-11 - Carrollton, Texas (R.L. Turner HS)
Esquivel played varsity soccer at R. L. Turner High School, was as a starter sophomore, junior, and named captain senior year. Throughout his time at Turner, he was awarded 2015-16 All-District Newcomer, 2016-17 First Team All-District, 2016-17 Academic First Team All-District, 2016-17 All-District MVP, and three-time leading goal scorer. Guy led his team to a District Championship in the 2016-17 school year. He has played club soccer since the age of 10 for FC Dallas, playing in different competitive leagues including CCSAI Classic League Division 1 & 2, Southern Regional Premier League, USYSA National League, North Texas State Cup, Dallas Cup, and USYS Region II Championships. The most goals scored in a club year was 54. Guy is the son of Rachel Vela and Armando Esquivel."

Coach Martinez on Esquivel: "We have been following Guy's progress for over a year now and have watched him a number of times. He comes to UIW from one of the top clubs in the US in FC Dallas Premiere and is currently leading the scoring in his high school team with over 20 goals."

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