George Washington men’s soccer unveils 8-player recruiting class

WASHINGTON – George Washington University men’s soccer head coach Craig Jones has announced the addition of eight student-athletes to the Colonials’ roster for the 2019 season.

The incoming class features six first-years in Ryan Cedeno (Coconut Creek, Fla.), Tom Cooklin (Lewes, England), Liam Emson(Arlington, Va.), Justin Grady (Wyncote, Pa.), Jin Kim (Glen Allen, Va.) and Carlyle Smart (Brooklyn, N.Y.), in addition to graduate students Sandro Weber (Ettlingen, Germany) and Matt Sipowicz (Portland, Ore.).

“We are excited about working with these student-athletes and the potential that they have to make a positive impact to our program,” said Jones, who is set for his eighth fall leading the Colonials. “We look for players who represent what being a GW student-athlete is all about, and we’re pleased to add a group that’s truly committed to excellence both on and off the field.

“We are looking forward to getting started with them in August as we pursue our goal of an A-10 Championship.”

Ryan Cedeno
Defender
Coconut Creek, Fla.
Cardinal Gibbons High School/South Florida Football Academy

Was a four-year starter and captain with South Florida Football Academy on the U.S. Development Academy circuit…Started all 26 games on backline for club’s U-18/19 squad in 2018-19…Earned the President’s Award for academic excellence and was a member of the National Honor Society at Cardinal Gibbons High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Tom Cooklin
Midfielder
Lewes, England
Varndean College/Newhaven FC/Whitehawk FC

Helped Varndean College win their first ever U-19 Sussex Schools title in April 2018, earning Man of the Match honors in the final…Selected to Sussex Schools U-18 Representative Side and England Colleges squad, which traveled to Italy in February 2019 to compete in international Caput Mundi tournament…Also represented Newhaven FC and Whitehawk FC…Named Manager’s Player of the Season for Whitehawk FC’s U-18 squad in May 2019.

Liam Emson
Forward
Arlington, Va.
Yorktown High School/Arlington Soccer Association

Earned First Team All-Liberty District and Second Team All-Northern Region honors after posting 14 goals and 10 assists as a senior at nearby Yorktown High School…Scored 25 goals during junior season to break the school record…Tallied 30 goals over 31 games in final club season representing Arlington Soccer Association…Shined in the classroom at Yorktown, earning induction into the National Honor Society.

Justin Grady
Goalkeeper
Wyncote, Pa.
Cheltenham High School/FPA Premier

Started four seasons in net on varsity squad at Cheltenham High School…Named to All-Suburban One League First Team as a junior and senior…Won 2018 Eastern PA State Cup championship with FPA Premier…Also represented Hunter Soccer Club and played with Eastern Pennsylvania ODP…Garnered all-league honors as a kicker/punter in football and also played baseball…Member of honor roll each semester at Cheltenham…Nominated for Dannehower Scholarship Award for top scholar athletes.

Jin Kim
Midfielder
Glen Allen, Va.
Mills E. Godwin/Richmond Strikers

Led Mills Godwin to a Virginia 5A state title as a senior, posting 18 goals and 14 assists…Earned State Player of the Year honors, as well as repeat First Team All-Region and All-State honors…Named All-Metro Player of the Year by the Richmond Times-Dispatch…Posted 20 goals, 12 assists as a junior to help Eagles take regional title…Named First Team All-Region and All-State after junior season, in addition to First Team All-Metro…Also played with Richmond Strikers on the U.S. Development Academy circuit…Was an honor roll student in the Todd Allen Phillips Center for Medical Sciences.

Matt Sipowicz
Midfielder
Portland, Ore.
Oregon Episcopal School/FC Portland/Santa Clara University

Graduate transfer who saw action in 19 games with five starts at Santa Clara from 2015-2018…Member of WCC All-Freshman Team in 2015 and All-Academic Team in 2016…Named Student of the Year by the Accounting Department in Santa Clara’s Leavey School of Business…Led Oregon Episcopal School to a pair of state titles during prep career…Named Oregon 3A/2A/1A State Player of the Year as a senior…Named Player of the Match in state title victory as a junior…Played for FC Portland Academy on the club circuit…Also won three consecutive state tennis titles to close career at Oregon Episcopal School.

Carlyle Smart
Midfielder
Brooklyn, N.Y.
NYC Museum School/Met Oval Academy

Played two club seasons with Met Oval in the NPL Division of the New York Club Soccer League…Spent 2017-2018 season studying abroad in Norway where he trained with Rosenborg Ballklub before seeing game action with Byasen Toppfotball on its U-19 and Fourth Division squads.

Sandro Weber
Midfielder/Defender
Ettlingen, Germany
Heisenberg-Gymnasium/FC Noettingen/1. SV Moersch

Played 25 games for 1. SV Moersch in Germany’s top amateur league Verbandsliga in 2018-19, tallying three goals and two assists…Set to represent Germany in July at the European University Championships in Madrid…Represented FC Noettingen from 2012-2018…Served as team captain of its U-19 Oberliga squad in 2016-17 and earned a spot on the state all-star team, which competed in the German National Championships…Won a title in the U-19 Verbandsliga in 2015-16, scoring six goals in 18 games…Participated in the U-19 South-German Championship in 2016 with the state all-star team.