July 16, 2015

MADISON, Wis. -- Wisconsin men's soccer head coach John Trask announced Thursday the addition of six student-athletes who will join the Badgers for the 2015 season.

Sam Brotherton (Auckland, New Zealand), Elan Koenig (Los Angeles), Abdul Kooistra (Madison), Isaac Schlenker (Milwaukee), Sully Tesch (Park City, Utah) and Jack Wells (Milwaukee) will join the Badgers this fall.

"We feel this year's class, while small in numbers, addresses specific needs for a maturing team here at Wisconsin," Trask said. "The class is made up of three true freshmen and three players who joined us last spring through tryouts with the team. The addition of these players will factor in immediately as we look forward to the 2015 season."

Sam Brotherton
Hailing from Auckland, New Zealand, Brotherton joins the program having just played this summer in the 2015 FIFA Under-20 Men's World Cup for host country New Zealand. He started all four games for New Zealand at the U-20 World Cup and scored a goal in the team's decisive win that advanced them out of group play for the first time in history. Brotherton was among 22 players called up to participate with the full New Zealand National Team for its friendly against Korea this past March.  

A member of the New Zealand U-20 Extended Squad in 2014, Brotherton was the New Zealand Schoolboys vice-captain in 2013 and toured the United Kingdom and Ireland competing against all the home nation's national schoolboy teams. Brotherton scored goals in the team's wins over both Wales and Northern Ireland, while also helping the club to draws with Scotland and England.

Club team experience for Brotherton includes Wanderers SC 2014-15, Western Springs AFC Men's First Team 2014, Auckland City Football Club Youth Team 2013-14, Central United Football Club U19s 2012, Auckland City Football Club Youth Team 2011-12 and Forrest Hill Milford Football Club U15s 2011. On the Western Springs AFC Men's First Team, Brotherton helped the club to become NRFL Division 1 champions in 2014 en route to being named the Most Improved Player for that year. Brotherton was Sportsman of the Year as a member of the Auckland City Youth Team in 2013-14, as the squad was National Youth League Champions.

Brotherton attended Westlake Boys High School, where he played in a school-record 82 games for the First XI. A team captain as a senior at Westlake, Brotherton played in 27 games and had 15 goals for the First XI en route to earning school colors for soccer, the Golden Boot (First XI leading goal scorer), the Ken Armstrong Cup (greatest contribution to senior football) and the Colin Pascoe Cup (sportsmanship). Brotherton and Westlake earned a second-place finish in the Auckland Secondary Schools Premier League and a second-place finish in New Zealand. His junior season, Brotherton played in 24 games and had five goals for the First XI helping his team to become Auckland Secondary Schools Knock-Out Cup Champions. Brotherton tallied six goals in 30 games for the First XI, as his team finished fourth in New Zealand that season. As a freshman, Brotherton was named Second XI Player of the Year. He also competed in water polo.

Trask on Brotherton: "Sam's academic and soccer background make him one of the top players to arrive in college soccer this season. Sam is a dominant left-footed central defender who recently starred for the New Zealand Under-20 National Team in the World Cup this summer. Sam helped lead the All Whites to the knockout stages of the World Cup and even scored a very important goal in group play that allowed the team to advance. Sam will be a model student-athlete here at Wisconsin and will immediately be expected to solidify our backfield."

Associate Head Coach Keith Tiemeyer on Brotherton: "In addition to being an outstanding student, Sam will bring maturity to our backline. We expect Sam to be a factor in the back verbally, through his ability to win tackles, his passing ability and instigating our team's possession."

Elan Koenig
A center back from Los Angeles, Koenig was rated as a four-star prospect according to TopDrawerSoccer.com. Koenig has been a member of the LA Galaxy Academy since 2012 and was a member of the U.S. Soccer Academy U-15/16 2014 National Championship Team. He was called up to the U.S. Soccer U-18 National Team camp in October of 2014. As a freshman, Koenig played junior varsity soccer at Loyola High School and earned team defensive MVP honors after helping lead his team to an unblemished 26-0-0 record. In addition to the LA Galaxy, Koenig also played for the Chivas USA U-15/16 team during the 2011-12 season. Koenig's academy coaches were Mike Munoz and Ante Rozov.

Trask on Koenig: "Elan is a Los Angeles Galaxy Academy product who has won the USSDA National Championship with the club. Elan's qualities as a central defender will provide another great option in the center of defense. Elan has the ability to be a dominant force and combines athleticism and technical ability for a young defender, which is hard to find."

Tiemeyer on Koenig: "Elan is another center back that brings excellent strength and fight to the backline. He is the product of an outstanding academy, is an excellent student and will be counted on for his determination in the back."

Abdul Kooistra
Abdul joins the Badgers rated as a four-star prospect according to TopDrawerSoccer.com. A local product from Madison, Wisconsin, he has played midfielder and defender. He played club soccer with Rush Wisconsin U15-U17 and, most recently, a member of the FC Wisconsin Nationals U-17/18 as part of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy.

Abdul played high school soccer at Madison Memorial, where he was coached by Ben Voss. He also competed in junior varsity basketball.

Trask on Kooistra: "Abdul is a very versatile player who had an outstanding year with the FC Wisconsin nationals in the USSDA. Ben Shepard and Bill Solberg have done a great job preparing Abdul for the next step of his career here at Wisconsin. Abdul ended up as the second-highest scorer on the FC Wisconsin team and will be looked at in a number of roles."

Tiemeyer on Kooistra: "Abdul is a local product from Madison who made the trek to Milwaukee this past year to play at the academy level. He is a very versatile, left-sided player that shows prowess in front of goal, but can also play in the back."

Isaac Schlenker
Sclenker joins the Badgers following an impressive spring campaign with the team, which included a goal against I-94 rival Marquette in the spring season finale. A walk-on forward from Milwaukee, Schlenker spent the fall of his freshman year at UW as a member of the men's club soccer team. He played prep club soccer with the Bavarians, winning the Wisconsin State Cup a total of three times in his U-13, U-14 and U-18 seasons.

Schlenker played high school soccer at University School of Milwaukee. During high school years, he was named to the Midwest Classic Conference First Team for his sophomore, junior and senior campaigns. In addition, Schlenker was honored as the Midwest Classic Conference's Player of the Year following a 37-goal performance in his senior season. He also competed in baseball and basketball.

Trask on Schlenker: "Isaac is one of the two players who joined us this past spring through our tryouts here at Wisconsin. He impressed the coaching staff with his technical ability and range as an attacking option. Isaac capped off an impressive spring with a great goal against Marquette in our final exhibition. His background with the Bavarian Soccer Club in Milwaukee, along with his knack of being in the right place at the right time, is a rare combination in soccer. The coaching staff of the Bavarian Soccer Club did an excellent job preparing him for the rigors of college soccer. Isaac also epitomizes what we look for here at Wisconsin, highlighted by his cumulative GPA being over a 3.75."

Tiemeyer on Schlenker: "Isaac is a student-athlete that we had been aware of for a couple years. He was provided a tryout this past spring and performed at a very high level. Isaac is potent in front of goal and his timing of runs is excellent. He will serve as a very dangerous scoring threat."

Sully Tesch
Tesch comes to Madison from Park City, Utah, where he attended Park City High School. He played for coach Jake Jobe at Park City and was highly regarded among his teammates, being named Team MVP as a sophomore, junior and senior. As a team captain during his junior season, Tesch made the all-state team and helped Park City finish runner-up at the state championships. As a senior, Tesch again served as team captain and made became an all-state honoree.

Tesch has played for club teams Park City Soccer Club, La Roca and Westside Timbers. In addition to soccer, he has also competed in baseball and football. He was a state cup winner with La Roce three times and once with the Westside Timbers. A Schwan's Cup winner with La Roca, Tesch was chosen to travel and play against Newcastle United's Under-17 academy team in England.

An Honor Roll member in high school, Tesch intends to study civil engineering at Wisconsin. He is the son of Joe and Carol Tesch, and he has one brother, Grady, and two sisters, Sydney and Sophia.

Trask on Tesch: "Sully is another member of our tryout class in the spring of 2015. He impressed the coaching staff with his positive play and extremely high work rate. Sully will be looked at in the wide positions and could provide a spark for this team through his energy and commitment. Sully, like Elan Koenig, is another player who recognizes the quality of education and all that the University of Wisconsin can offer student-athletes."

Tiemeyer on Tesch: "Sully is a student-athlete that showed interest in us us during his senior year of high school. He performed well at his spring tryout and has been added to the team to provide depth out wide. He has boundless energy and is solid technically, particularly in his ability to serve the ball. Sully is versatile and can play as a wide midfielder or outside back."

Jack Wells
Wells is a goalkeeper from Milwaukee. He attended University School of Milwaukee in River Hills, where in addition to soccer, he competed in basketball and baseball. As a sophomore, Wells was a first team all-conference and all-area second team player in soccer. As a junior, Wells earned first-team all-conference and all-area first-team nods in soccer. His senior season, Wells was a team captain and led his team to a state championship. His final season, he earned first team all-conference, all-area first team and all-state honors in soccer. He also plays for the Bavarian Soccer Club.

Trask on Wells: "Jack is a goalkeeper product of the Bavarians Soccer Club in Milwaukee and (assistant coach) Stan Anderson's Camp Shutout. He impressed us in his spring tryout and will add depth to our goalkeeping corps."

Tiemeyer on Wells: "Jack is another excellent student and a goalkeeper that we have known about for some time now. He was awarded a spring tryout and he performed at a high level. We are excited to have Jack join the team this fall."