MADISON, Wis. – The first recruiting class for the Wisconsin men's soccer program under head coach
Neil Jones and his coaching staff is signed and set to make its Madison debut this fall.
"Our entire staff is extremely excited to welcome these nine young men, and their families, to the Wisconsin men's soccer program," Jones said. "Much credit must be given to Assistant Coaches
Andrew Bordelon and
Aaron Hohlbein for helping piece together this talented and well-rounded class of student-athletes. We feel we have addressed many of our roster needs, and have a nice blend of regional, national and international student-athletes.
"As these freshmen begin their careers here at Wisconsin, we anticipate that they will come in and work extremely hard both on and off the soccer field in order to compete for playing time and continue the program's pursuit of more Big Ten Conference championships, and our ultimate goal of another national championship."
Eight newcomers will join the fold, including two transfers. An additional transfer is set to join the Badgers next January.
Drew Brown
6-1, 175 lbs
Waukee, Iowa
Minnesota United
IG: @drew.brown12
Waukee High School graduate was named first-team all-conference and team MVP as a senior after putting up 12 goals and 17 assists in 14 games. The team won the class 3A state title both his freshman and sophomore seasons, going 22-0 during the second title run. He spent this past year as center back with Minnesota United in MLS Next.
Brown's brother, Alex, played tennis at Illinois, while his father, Alan, played tennis at Central College in Iowa.
"I really liked the coaches and players I met," Brown said. "I think there's a lot of potential with the program and I am excited to be a part of that.
"The city of Madison is beautiful and it's pretty close to home which was an important factor for me too."
Matt Chandler
6-6, 200 lbs
Toronto, Ontario
St. John's (NCAA)
IG: @chandler004
A graduate transfer from St. John's University after earning a degree in sports management, with a minor in business, Chandler was part of the Big East Conference All-Academic Team from 2018 through 2021. He started 47 of the 52 games he played on the backline for the Red Storm, helping the program to the second round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament and the round of 16 during 2019. His sophomore season in 2019 included a Big East Defensive Player of the Week honor. That helped the team to nine shutouts and top-30 national ranking in goals-against average and shutout percentage.
Prior to college, Chandler was a three-year captain for Lawrence Park Collegiate Institute in Toronto where he was team MVP as a junior and helped the school to the 2016 league championship. They took second in 2017 and 2018.
"I chose to attend Wisconsin because they checked all the boxes off my list," said Chandler. "They play in a very competitive conference, it's a top academic school in the country and a I really wanted to be a part of the project the coaching staff recently started.
"Wisconsin has all the resources a student-athlete needs to be successful."
Mitchell Dryden
5-11, 165 pounds
Milwaukee
Whitefish Bay H.S.
IG: @dryden.15
Dryden played in the 2021 High School All-American Game after he led his conference in scoring as a senior with 35 goals and 22 assists for 92 points in 22 games playing for Whitefish Bay High School. The 2021 Wisconsin Soccer Coaches Association Player of the Year was also named first-team all-conference and first-team all-state, as well as United Soccer Coaches First-Team All-Region and an All-American. He also led the conference in scoring as a junior with 27 goals and nine assists in 11 games to earn first-team all-conference, first-team all-state, first-team all-region and All-America honors. As a sophomore, he scored 19 goals in 22 games to lead the team in scoring and earl first-team all-conference and all-state honorable mention.
Dryden a player for Bavarian United SC, Dryden made two national tournament appearances with the squad that also won the 2019 Mid-West Championship.
"The academic department is outstanding, with the amazing academic support that you receive," Dryden said. "And having a top-class soccer program with some of the strongest coaches behind it. It just felt like home for me."
Ryan Gallagher
6-1, 175 pounds
Tampa, Fla.
Providence (NCAA)
IG: ryan_gallagher25
A transfer from Providence, the goalkeeper plays for Tampa Bay United in USL 2 and trains with the Tampa Bay Rowdies of USL Championship. Before college, Gallagher was the starting goalkeeper for the Clearwater Chargers Development Academy and helped the team make the Development Academy playoffs all three years with the team. He was the top-ranked goalkeeper in the Southeast Region coming out of high school.
During his two years at Providence, Gallagher's Friars reached the NCAA Sweet 16 and finished as Big East tournament runners-up.
Gallagher's brother, Colin, is a goalkeeper at Virginia.
"The reason I picked Wisconsin was the opportunity to be a pivotal piece in an outstanding program," Gallagher said. "I felt an immediate connection with Coach Jones and the entire coaching staff. I like what they are creating and the philosophy they are instilling in the team.
"I am looking forward to bringing titles to UW."
Shirzaad Ghadially
6-3, 170 pounds
Frisco, Texas
Torrent CF
IG: @shirzaadg9
Ghadially spent a gap year playing for Torrent CF in Valencia, Spain, in the U-19 Liga Nacional after high school. He played four years, including three years as captain, for Solar SC, a team that ranked as the No. 1 U-18 squad in the nation at the end of his senior year in 2021, according to US Youth Soccer.
His Frisco High School team won the Bi-District, area and region titles his senior year and Ghadially was named team MVP. He also earned academic all-state and academic all-district accolades while garnering 2021 First-Team All-Region 2 5-A and first-team all-district honors.
"I am most excited about the opportunity to build a winning culture with the new coaching staff," Ghadially said. "This year is going to be a great mix of quality established players and impactful incoming players. I am prepared to make an immediate impact and help take the program to the next level and compete for the Big Ten championship and the national championship."
Mason Henderson
6-1, 170
Franklin, Wisconsin
Indiana (NCAA)
IG: jamase10
Henderson is a transfer from Indiana after playing for FC Cincinnati Academy and Marquette University High School. As a junior, he was a top-10 scorer in the Development Academy and his high school won the state title his all-conference honorable mention season. He tallied 10 goals and seven assists that year. His club won the state title his freshman season. He also played with MNUFC. Was a Hutton Honors College member at IU and an honor roll student through high school.
"I chose the University of Wisconsin-Madison because I want my college experience to be the total package," Henderson said. "[That's] on and off the field, providing me with the tools and skills to develop a strong personal brand, develop as a player and find areas of growth as a person as well.
"I am extremely excited to work with Coach Jones and the rest of the staff. The team is in good spirits and I am excited to be a part of a culture change for UW men's soccer."
Ryan Quintos
5-10, 173
Glen Ellyn, Illinois
Chicago Fire II
IG: RyanQuintos
Quintos played his senior year for Chicago Fire II and ranked by Top Draw Soccer as the No. 61 overall player, No. 27 for his position and No. 7 in the Midwest. His junior year, his squad was MLS Next U-19 champions and he took part in the regional U-17 national team camp in Indianapolis. He was also invited to the U-17 camp as a sophomore but it was canceled due to the pandemic.
He traveled to Croatia in 2018 and played with the U.S. Youth National Team against Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as Serbia. He also played in Montreal in 2018 with Chicago Fire Academy and won the Bellsports Cup in Poland with the team that same year. Returned to Poland and played in Mexico in 2019.
Quintos is expected to join the Badgers in January 2023.
"Academically and athletically, Wisconsin has the best of both worlds," Quintos said. "It will help me develop both on and off the field and the environment with the players is one I want to be a part of."
Tobias Stirl
6-2, 198 pounds
Dreiech, Germany
TSV Havelse 1912
IG: tobiasstirl
Stirl played most recently for TSV Havelse 1912 at goalkeeper in German third division (3. Liga). He played for youth team Eintracht Frankfurt in U19 tournaments in Croatia in 2017 and 2018 with Real Madrid and Dinamo Zagreb. The team took training trips to the U.S. in the summer of 2017 and 2018 and one to northern Italy in 2018. Stirl also played in U17 tournaments in January of 2017 in Qatar and in the Dallas Cup in the U.S. in April of 2017 with teams like Real Madrid, AS Roma and RB Salzburg.
"With time I got a better and a better overview over both the academic and the athlete opportunities," Stirl said. "It did not take long until I realized that this is what I wanted and that there is no better option for me to take. I am very excited to join Wisconsin."
Nils Vallotto
5-10, 155 pounds
Stavanger, Norway
Vidar FK
IG: nils_vallotto
Vallotto plays his club soccer for Vidar FK after playing for Viking FK and Egerslund. He had trials with Fulham, Tottenham, Parma, Chievo, Genoa and Midthyllan between 2018-20 and represented Norway from 2018-20 including at Euro U17 in 2019.
"Wisconsin is an amazing school," Vallotto said. "It's great academically and it's located in a nice area."
