This summer, The Mighty Oak will feature three players that will spend their fall on the campus of Marshall University.
Right winger JP Rylah from the 2016 team returns to Ann Arbor after a successful season at American International College. It was enough to catch the eye of Marshall University Head Coach, Chris Grassie. Rylah will join the Thundering Herd this fall before playing a key role in Ann Arbor attacking piece this season.
Rylah will also have a chance to gel with the top two standouts from Marshall’s 2017 Men’s Soccer Team, Lewis Knight and Carlos Diaz-Salcedo. Both Knight and Diaz-Salcedo are coming off stellar seasons earning them All-Second Team Conference USA honors. Impressive for a freshman and sophomore, respectively.
Knight is coming off one of the top performances in the country by a freshman. Leading his team with 9 goals and 21 assists on the season, he finished the regular season ranked in the top 50 in the country in goals, goals per game and points.
Diaz-Salcedo was huge for the Herd in his sophomore campaign. He played a key role in Marshall’s defense but showed his ability to create scoring chances for his teammates as he tied for top honors in assists.
If the name Chris Grassie rings a bell, you’re remember him from his time at the University of Charleston, a program that saw many players represent The Mighty Oak over the past two seasons. One of those players, Rafael Simaoes, is now a grad assistant under Grassie (who was his former coach at UC) giving the club even stronger ties to the Thundering Herd.
With the history between Rudland and Grassie working together and arguably his three best players spending their summer in Ann Arbor, the Thundering Herd will surely have deep roots with The Mighty Oak.