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NCAA Jul 14, 2025

Penn men’s soccer program welcomes 8 recruits ahead of 2025 season

PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania men’s soccer James C. Gentle Head Coach Brian Gill announced the addition of Adam Ambrus-Aikelin, Dylan AuffretMax BohemierBecket Empson-SpeidenKalani KunimuraLincoln MatuskiewiczTheo Ottosson, and Phil Pak to the program.

“Our staff works incredibly hard to understand the areas that we feel need to be addressed within the team moving into the coming seasons,” said Gill. “I appreciate the efforts made by both Matt and Steve as we covered the ground together to evaluate and learn more about this talented incoming class.”

The Class of 2029 is made up of three defenders, three midfielders, a forward, and one goalkeeper.

“Certainly, with every year that comes and goes, we know that each departing senior class leaves a significant mark on the program as they graduate,” Gill went on. “While we are more than grateful for their contributions, we are equally as excited to see how the returning and incoming players will come together for this Fall.”

Adam Ambrus-Aikelin
Midfield
San Diego, Calif.
Torrey Pines High School (San Diego Surf ECNL)

Club/Academy: Joined San Diego Surf ECNL in 2019 … Won the Surf Cup in 2021 and 2022 … Dallas Cup Champions in the 2021 season … Named ECNL Southwest First Team All-Conference in 2021 and 2022 … Played for the Bayer Leverkusen team while living in Germany … Called up to the Hungarian U16 Youth National Team during the 2022 and 2023 seasons … Won the ECNL National Championship in 2024 … Featured in Boys National Finals Best XI by TopDrawerSoccer.

High School: Played varsity soccer at Torrey Pines High School … Earned First Team All-Coastal League in 2024 and 2025.

Personal: Son of Agnes Mogyorosi and Geza Ambrus Aikelin … Will enroll in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Why Penn? “Penn has a superb reputation for everything I value, and after visiting the campus and meeting the coaches and the team, I knew it would be the perfect place for me to thrive.”

Coach Gill on Adam: “As a player, Adam comes to Philly with a solid foundation as he has had a chance to play for Bayer Leverkusen’s Academy when his family lived abroad, then with the San Diego Surf Academy upon his return, where he helped the team win the ECNL National Championship. We think he is a player that has the technical and tactical skill sets we like in attacking midfielders. We are excited to have Adam joining the program so that we can continue to learn and work more with him.”

Dylan Auffret
Goalkeeper
South Pasadena, Calif.
Laurel Spring School (LAFC Academy)

Club/Academy: Played for the San Diego Surf from 2016-18 … Won the Carlsbad Premier Cup in 2017 … Joined Albion SC San Diego in 2019 … Played for the LAFC Academy from 2020-25 … Won the Orlegi Cup with the LAFC Academy in 2022 … Called up to the USYBT training camps at the Olympic Training Center in 2022 … Made his professional debut with LAFC 2 in 2024 … 2024 MLS Next Cup semifinalist.

Personal: Son of Cherie and Ivan Auffret … Will enroll in the Wharton School of Business.

Why Penn? “Penn offers a great combination of high-level soccer and academics. I enjoyed all my interactions with the players and staff, and Penn feels like a place that is consistently investing in improving its soccer program.”

Coach Gill on Dylan: “Dylan is a mature goalkeeper who possesses a lot of qualities that we feel round out this position well. He is a very good shot-stopper but is also confident with his distribution and ability to organize players in front of him. Dylan has had a fairly accomplished youth soccer career to date. We are excited to see how he transitions into our program. He has been able to develop in a high-level environment at LAFC, where he has the opportunity to train and play with both their MLS NEXT and MLS NEXT Pro teams.”

Max Bohemier
Midfield
Naples, Fla.
IMG Academy

Club/Academy: Played for Weston FC before joining the IMG Academy.

Personal: Son of Janelle and Joel Bohemier … Mom Janelle played soccer at the University of Manitoba … Father Joe played hockey and soccer at the University of Manitoba … Will enroll in the College of Art and Sciences.

Why Penn? “To further my academic and athletic career at a higher level.”

Coach Gill on Max: “While going through the projections for this class, we felt there was a need to provide balance in the center of the midfield, especially with some of the players graduating over the last couple of seasons. Max spent the last few years in different environments, but most recently at the IMG Academy, where he took positive steps in developing his game. He has an honest work rate and is able to use his physical presence along with his technical ability to be an important part of the lineup. We are interested to learn more about him and how he will continue to grow during his time here.”

Becket Empson-Speiden
Defense
Brooklyn, N.Y.
Saint Ann’s School (PDA MLS Next)

Club/Academy: Joined PDA MLS Next in 2021 … Started in all games with the PDA MLS Next from 2021-25 … TopDrawerSoccer U19 Player to Watch … Top goal scorer of 2024-25 season at wingback with 16 tallies … Attended Regional U.S. National Team Camps … Vice-captain of U19 PDA MLS team … Helped team qualify for MLS Next Cup in 2024 and 2025.

Personal: Son of Rachel Klauber-Speiden and Josh Empson … Grandfather George played football and ran track at Princeton … Will enroll in the Wharton School of Business.

Why Penn? “Penn offered me the opportunity to play for one of the best teams in the country, learn from a great coaching staff, and study at the premier undergraduate business school in the country.”

Coach Gill on Becket: “As a staff, we want to make sure that we have a good understanding of the personalities and talent in our general vicinity. Becket is a player that we have been able to see quite a bit over the last year and a half as a result of him being at PDA. During that time, we have learned about Becket’s mentality as he’s worked hard to come back from an injury to re-establish himself as a key member of his team. As a player, he has a good technical skillsets and a versatile game that we are interested in developing in the coming years.”

Kalani Kunimura
Defense
Huntington Beach, Calif.
Mater Dei High School (Pateadores ECNL)

Club/Academy: Joined the Pateadores ECNL in 2017 … Earned ECNL Secon Team All-Conference in 2021 … Played in the ECNL Selection game in 2022, earning ECNL First Team All-Conference … Won the Surf College Cup en route to ECNL First Team All-Conference in 2023 … Won the Porto International Cup for Portugal in 2023 … ECNL Conference Cup Invitee in 2024 … Helped team qualify for the 2024 and 2025 ECNL National Playoffs

High School: Played varsity soccer all four years at Mater Dei High School… Captain his junior and senior years … Won the CIF-Southern Section Open Division Championship and Trinity League Championship in 2024 … Trinity League First Team All-League honoree.

Personal: Son of Valerie and Shane Kunimura … Will enroll in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Why Penn? “I chose Penn for its prestigious academic reputation and the opportunity to be part of a top-tier collegiate soccer program. The unique combination of world-class academics and elite athletics allows me to grow both personally and athletically. I’m excited to contribute to the team’s future success and help win championships.”

Coach Gill on Kalani: “Kalani is another member of this class coming to Penn by way of the West Coast, who we learned a lot about when he attended one of our ID Camps over the last year. Right away, you were able to get a sense of both his motivation and competitive levels in both the training and game settings. As a player, he combines a handful of useful athletic qualities with his willingness to defend where needed and then flip the switch to become aggressive in his attacking moments as well. We are excited about the versatility that we have seen from him in both his Pateadores ECNL and Mater Dei High School Teams.”

Lincoln Matuskiewicz
Defense
Malibu, Calif.
International School of Los Angeles (FC Cincinnati Academy)

Club/Academy: Joined FC Cincinnati Academy UPSL/MLS Next in 2023 … Named UPSL Weekly Standout … UPSL Midwest Ohio Champions … Member of FC Cincinnati leadership committee … Invited to Trail with TSG 1899 Hoffenheim U19 in Germany … MLS Next Pro Eastern Conference Champions … Appeared in multiple professional matches with FC Cincinnati 2 … Selected for FC Cincinnati 2 preseason trips in 2024 and 2025.

High School: Played varsity soccer at International School of Los Angeles … Won the CIF Divisional Championship for the first time in school history.

Personal: Son of Peggi Jewell and Gregory Matuskiewicz … Mother Peggi played basketball at Georgetown … Will enroll in the Wharton School of Business.

Why Penn? “Penn provides the perfect academic and athletic environment for me to grow as both a player and a person. With a strong support system, high standards, and a competitive culture, I look forward to the challenge of a place that will push me to be my best.”

Coach Gill on Lincoln: “Lincoln has a lot of the qualities that we like in a center back here at Penn. His physical profile is one that lends itself well to the position, but he also offers a good deal in both his technical ability and tactical understanding of the game. Over the last two years, he made the move to Ohio in order to be a part of the FC Cincinnati organization and has had the chance to grow his game at varying levels within their setup. His calm yet competitive demeanor is one that we think will be important for this class and the program.”

Theo Ottosson
Forward
Los Angeles, Calif.
Harvard-Westlake School (LA Surf MLS Next)

Club/Academy: Played for LA Breakers ECNL from 2021-23, earning ECNL First Team All-Conference … Joined LA Surf MLS Next in 2023.

High School: Played three years of varsity soccer at Harvard-Westlake School … Won the State Regional and Section Championships … Earned League Champion twice during his three years on the team … Named Mission League Offensive Player of the Year during 2022-23 season … Landed Mission League Player of the Year twice in 2023 and 2024 … Named 2024 CIF Player of the Year.

Personal: Son of Karen Han and Paul Ottosson … Enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Why Penn? “I chose Penn because it perfectly combines an elite soccer program and a world-class education. I am excited to maximize my potential under amazing coaches and professors.”

Coach Gill on Theo: “Throughout this recruiting cycle, we’ve been able to learn a fair amount about Theo by seeing him with his former LA Breakers ECNL and now current LA Surf Club MLS Next teams, as well as having the chance to work with him in various camp settings. Theo is a versatile, attacking-minded player who has both the physical and technical qualities to be effective at this level. We are excited to add him to our attacking group to see what more he can add and how he develops within our program.”

Phil Pak
Midfield
Denver, Colo.
Regis Jesuit High School (Colorado Rapids Academy)

Club/Academy: Joined Colorado Rapids Academy in 2017 … Team captain of U17 and U18 teams … Won the 2023 and 2025 Frontier Divisions … Tallied over 100 starts in Pro-Pathway competition … Top-150 Class Ranking … Team qualified for 2024 MLS Cup playoffs … Helped team to reach the finals of the 2025 MLS Next Generation Adidas Cup … Was named to the MLS Next Generation Adias Cup U18 Best XI in 2025.

Personal: Son of Angela and Peter Pak … Sister Sara plays soccer at Davidson … Enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Why Penn? “I felt Penn provided me with the opportunity to pursue a world-class education while developing as a player in an elite program. I really connected with the culture and the people, and I knew Penn soccer was something I wanted to be a part of from day one of the process.”

Coach Gill on Phil: “Over the years, it has been important for us to identify central midfielders in our recruiting who we feel possess both the technical quality on the ball as well as the natural positioning instincts to connect the team from back to front. Phil has played a key role in the Colorado Rapids Academy setup over the last several years and has emerged as a key leader in his teams. He recently captained his team on an impressive run to the MLS Generation Adidas Cup Final. We hope that Phil’s combination of ability and experience will be useful qualities for the team during his time at Penn.”

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