Liza Kaufman, Photography Editor

This year, the men’s soccer team brought in seven new players, all hailing from different hometowns. 

To bolster the backline, Caleb Layton ’29 from Virginia and John Hampel ’29 of Georgia joined the team as defenders. Layton, whose parents both played soccer at Johns Hopkins University, grew up with a soccer ball at his feet and lives and breathes soccer. 

“He is a versatile defender that can play anywhere across the back line,” head coach Kylie Stannard said of Layton. “After taking a gap year and spending time in Finland and Belgium, he is even more prepared for the rigors of Division I soccer.” 

Hampel, who will also participate in Naval ROTC on campus, was the team defensive most valuable player of his high school and enjoys being on the defensive side of the ball. 

Filling the center of the field are midfielders Billy Altirs ’29 and Angelo Zhu ’29. 

With two siblings playing in collegiate athletics at Penn and Dartmouth, Altirs also comes from a soccer family. 

Zhu brings experience from all around the world, having lived in China for 8 years and Canada for 10. Before joining the Bulldogs, he played for the Vancouver Whitecaps for six years and was selected for the provisional squad of the Canadian U-17 national team. After taking a gap year to play in Spain, Zhu is fitting in well with the Bulldogs. 

“The team is a great group of players and most importantly, a great group of people. Having them take us in, be all inclusive, and not single any one of us out, and being able to merge and join the group very quickly, was a very good thing for us,” Zhu said. 

Nathan Harmon ’29 adds depth to both offense and defense, his versatility allowing him to play as both a midfielder and a defender. The St. Louis, Mo. native started playing soccer when he was 3 years old, he said, and going DI felt natural.  

“I like how you get to play in the middle of the field, and when you get the ball you have a lot of options on where you can pass, where you can dribble, and you get to dictate how the game is played as a whole,” Harmon told the News. 

Moving up the field, Sebi Roy ’29 joined the Bulldogs as a forward. Originally from Michigan, the Gatorade Player of the Year also comes from a family connected to the sport: his father and sister both played soccer collegiately. Bringing size and physicality to the team, Stannard and his team have tracked Roy for several years for his ability to work with both feet and will to score.

Rounding out the first-year recruits is Josh Linebaugh ’29, the newest goalkeeper on the team. The South Carolina native started off on the offensive side, but fell in love with goalkeeping for its tight-knit community. 

“Before games, I like to listen to calm music to try to calm my body and brain before I get really amped up. Our body can do it, it’s our mind that we have to train,” Linebaugh said.

Although just a few weeks in, the new recruits are fitting in well both on and off the field. After a month of intense preseason training, the Bulldogs took part in a team bonding trip as a way to rest and recharge. 

“It was a great trip to go to, at the end of our preseason. Preseason was hard, we had lots of double practices, so being able to have two days off, recharge and make some special memories definitely helped the team bonding and chemistry, and we all got closer for sure,” Zhu said.  

Many of the new players are already starting in games, racking up minutes and making impactful plays. Even with frequent practice sessions, the Bulldogs still find time to hang out outside of the soccer world, and several players have attested to the warm and familial nature of the team. 

“Everyone on the team is super nice, super welcoming, we’ve gelled really well, everyone has bought in on what we’re supposed to be doing. As a group, we’re really optimistic, really driven on accomplishing our goals this year,” Harmon told the News. 

The Bulldogs will return to the field to play UC Irvine on Friday, Sep. 12.