Bowling Green State University Athletics
Nichols, Falcons Add Eleven to Program
February 14, 2014 | Men's Soccer
LINK: BGSU Men's Soccer 2014 Newcomers Photo Gallery
Nine of the 11 have signed National Letters of Intent and will enroll at BGSU in the fall of 2014. The other two, Flynn and Grothaus, are transfers who are already enrolled at the University for the Spring 2014 semester.
"We graduated a large class which leaves obvious voids, so our 2014 class is big in numbers and in potential," said Nichols. "There are some exciting and talented players in this class and that will have an immediate and prolonged impact on the program. We are happy to welcome this group into our family and eager to get to work with them."
Betensen is a senior at Twinsburg H.S., where he earned OSSCA All-State First-Team honors as a senior after being named to the second team the previous year. Betenson led the Tigers in both goals and assists in all four seasons, helping the team post a combined record of 37-11-19 in that time. He had a total of 52 goals 37 assists during his four years, earning All-Northeast Ohio Conference honors in each season. The Tigers captured the NOC championship in 2012, when Betensen had a career-high 17 goals to lead the team to a 13-0-3 overall record. He has played club ball for Everest Soccer Club and Twinsburg AC.
Flynn, a native of Naperville, Ill., will be a sophomore in the fall of 2014 and have three years of eligibility remaining. A product of Naperville Central H.S., he joins BGSU as a transfer from DePaul University. As a freshman in the fall of 2013, Flynn played in 15 matches, starting five, for the Blue Devils. His total of five points included a pair of goals and an assist. Flynn scored in his collegiate debut, vs. Green Bay, and he also found the back of the net in a win over UIC. His assist came in another win, over Loyola (Ill.). Flynn earned All-America honors as a high-school senior, after recording 30 goals and 10 assists to lead the Redhawks to a state runner-up finish in Class 3A. Flynn set school single-season and career records for points scored. He has played club ball for the Galaxy Soccer Club, as have current Falcons Max Auden, Danny Shea and Joe Sullivan and former Falcon Michael Wiest, who was a senior on last year's BG team.
Grothaus, a native of Cincinnati, will be a junior in the fall of 2014, and will have two years of eligibility remaining. A graduate of Milford H.S., he played two years at Cincinnati State CC, helping the Surge to a two-year record of 36-8-3. Grothaus led the team in scoring in 2013, with 15 goals, and he was named to the NSCAA All-Ohio First Team as well as the All-Ohio Community College Athletic Conference (OCCAC) First Team. The Surge won the NJCAA Region XII title for the second time in his two years there, and the team captured the OCCAC crown for the ninth time in 11 seasons. Cincinnati State was ranked sixth in both national polls in 2013. The 2012 club went 18-6-1 overall, and advanced to the NJCAA national tournament in Grothaus's freshman year.
Haskin, a native of Chesterfield, Mich., is currently a senior at Anchor Bay H.S. He scored six goals as a freshman to lead the team, and had eight goals for the Tars over the next two seasons, despite playing in a combined total of just 10 games during his sophomore and junior years. Haskin also was a kicker on the Anchor Bay football team. He plays club soccer for WAZA FC.
Jina, a native of Aurora, Ohio, is a senior at Aurora H.S. He helped the Greenmen to three consecutive district championships, including a regional championship and a state semifinal appearance in 2012. Jina had nine goals and 35 assists for AHS, and earned All-Chagrin Valley Conference, all-district and All-Greater Cleveland honors during his career. He has extensive Olympic Development Program experience, having played on the ODP Region II team for four years, and he also was invited to the US Soccer ID2 Camp under the direction of the US National Coaching staff. A National Honor Society member, he played club ball for Everest Soccer Club, helping that team to a state championship in 2013.
Larsen, who hails from St. Charles, Ill., is in his senior year at St. Charles North H.S. He was an All-Area First-Team selection for the North Stars in 2013, and he earned Academic All-Upstate Eight Conference honors in each of his final three years. Larsen was a two-year captain for his high-school team, and has played club soccer for Campton United. He helped that team to a pair of State Cup semifinal appearances along with an Illinois state championship in 2013.
Macomber, a native of Muskegon, Mich., is a senior at Reeths-Puffer H.S. He earned three letters for the Rockets, and was an all-state honorable-mention selection as a junior in 2012. He earned all-district and all-region first-team honors that season, helping the team to a 15-6 record. Macomber did not play high-school soccer, as a senior, instead playing for Alliance Academy.
Martin, a native of Maumee, Ohio, will be a junior in the fall of 2014, and will have two years of eligibility remaining. He comes to BGSU after two years at Owens Community College, where he helped the Express to a 15-6-1 record in 2013. Martin led Owens with 13 goals last fall, adding four assists en route to earning All-OCCAC First-Team accolades. The team's total of 15 wins was the third highest in program history, and Owens advanced to the Region XII championship game for the first time since 2007. Martin spent two years of high school at St. Francis before graduating from St. John's Jesuit. He earned four letters in both soccer and wrestling, and played for former BGSU men's soccer standout Tim Concannon in his final year at SJJ. He played club ball for the Pacesetter Villa Super 20s.
Nebergall, a native of Geneva, Ill., is in his senior year at Geneva Community H.S. He earned four letters for the Vikings, picking up All-Upstate Eight Conference honors in each of the last three seasons. Nebergall played club ball for Campton United, where he was a teammate of fellow Falcon newcomer Billy Larsen. That duo helped the team to an Illinois state championship in 2013.
Reynolds, a native of Noblesville, Ind., is a senior at Noblesville H.S. He earned four letters for the Millers, helping the team to three sectional championships and one regional title. Reynolds had 15 career goals, including eight as a senior, when the team advanced to the regional finals. He earned all-county and all-conference honors last fall. Noblesville made it to the state semifinals in his sophomore campaign, finishing with a record of 15-4-2. The Millers went a combined 32-12-13 over the last three seasons. Reynolds played club soccer for Carmel United Elite, helping the team to the State Cup finals in 2013.
Smith, from Brooklin, Ontario, is in his final year at Donald A. Wilson Secondary. He captained the Gators in his final year, and was named to the Honor Roll. Smith also was an Ontario Scholar. He has played club ball for Sigma FC for the past seven years.
Nichols and his staff, assistants Eric Reed, Greg Hennelly and Zach Lemke, lose the services of 10 seniors from the 2013 team that finished 6-7-6 overall and 2-2-2 in Mid-American Conference play.
BGSU MEN'S SOCCER NEWCOMERS
Name – Pos. – Hometown (Previous School[s])
Chase Betenson – F – Twinsburg, Ohio (Twinsburg)
Pat Flynn – F – Naperville, Ill. (Central) (DePaul Univ.)
Kyle Grothaus – M – Cincinnati, Ohio (Milford) (Cincinnati State CC)
Ian Haskin – M – Chesterfield, Mich. (Anchor Bay)
Prayag Jina – M – Aurora, Ohio (Aurora)
Billy Larsen – GK – St. Charles, Ill. (North)
Bradley Macomber – F – Muskegon, Mich. (Reeths-Puffer)
Jake Martin – M – Maumee, Ohio (St. John's) (Owens CC)
Beck Nebergall – M – Geneva, Ill. (Geneva)
Keaton Reynolds – F – Noblesville, Ind. (Noblesville)
Ty Smith – F – Brooklin, Ontario, Canada (Donald A. Wilson SS)
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