WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – Eight Hawks will be joining the University of Hartford men's soccer team for the upcoming 2016 season, as announced by head coach Tom Poitras. Entering his sixth year at the helm of the Hawks, Poitras has led the program to a trio of America East Championship appearances.

In addition to local recruits Kelechi Akujobi (North Babylon, N.Y.) and Jimmy Slayton (Wethersfield, Conn.), a pair of Minnesota natives in Christian Deaconson (Bloomington, Minn.) and Sean Teske (Apple Valley, Minn.) will join the Hawks for preseason training in August as true freshmen. In addition, Poitras continues to highlight his global reach this offseason by landing Christoph Am Ende (Burgstadt, Germany), Fredrik Ekman (Lerum, Sweden), Gael Kisombe Samuna (Uccle, Belgium) and Bastian Stech (Burgwedel, Germany).

The incoming recruiting class features a pair of keepers, three midfielders, one forward and a defender. The septuplet will look to fill the void left by five graduating seniors, including top-scorer and four-time America East All-Conference and NSCAA honoree Javoni Simms, starting midfielders Anthony LoBello and Rohan Roye, and starting defenders Jhamie Hyde and Blake Jones.

Akujobi will vie for time on Hartford's back line as a 5-foot-9 defender. A four-year member of the soccer team at North Babylon High School, he is coming off a senior campaign that saw him earn a spot on Suffolk County's Top-10 Players list, according to the publication Newsday. Scoring two goals as a senior captain while leading his team to a semifinal appearance in the county tournament as a junior, Akujobi was a senior all-star who earned three nods to the All-League, All-Conference and All-County squads.

"Kelechi is a tough, hard-nosed defender who possesses great leadership qualities," explained Poitras. "He is used to winning at all levels, and will have an immediate impact on our program."

A 5-foot-10 forward, Am Ende comes to Hartford from Sportgymnasium Chemnitz. In his last two seasons, the Burgstadt, Germany, native was an attacking presence as he totaled 43 points, including 10 goals and five assists in 2015-16.

"Christoph is a very smart and quick attacking player who will be a major threat for us," Poitras said. He continued, "It will be very exciting to see him in a Hawks uniform. He makes great runs and has a really good awareness in the final third."

One of four midfielders in the incoming class, Deaconson, who stands at 5-foot-8, is a native of Bloomington, Minn., who played soccer at the Academy of Holy Angels. An All-Conference, All-Metro and All-State selection as a senior, he capped off his career by leading the team to an undefeated regular season and a section championship appearance as a team captain. In addition, Deaconson was nominated for Minnesota's Mr. Soccer award after scoring five goals and adding 11 assists last season.

"Christian is a very determined and tough midfielder, who will compete every day to make himself and his teammates better," declared Poitras. "We know he will push for playing time upon his arrival in August."

Ekman, a 6-foot-1 midfielder, started every game for Lerums Gymnasium last season. A native of Lerum, Sweden, his U19 team was a finalist in the Swedish Cup in 2014, a season in which he helped lead the team to the Swedish championship.

"Fredrik is a very calm, strong midfielder, who is strong on the ball and can cover some ground in the midfield," said Poitras. "He is a good passer and will be a major impact from day one."

Samuna is a 6-foot-1, defensive midfielder from Belgium who attended high school at KTA Brugge. He is coming off a three-year stint playing soccer for KV Oostende, where he scored a pair of goals and added 10 assists in his most recent season. During his time at KV Oostende, he helped lead the team to a tournament title in Eernegem. Samuna also spent one year with OH Leuven and two years with R Union St. Gilloise.

"Gael is a very strong, athletic center midfielder who is very comfortable on the ball and will organize the team," commented Poitras. "He has a great physical presence in the middle and is very good in the backle and with his distribution. We look forward to him having a major impact on our team."

Posting 16 shutouts and an 0.52 goals-against average as a senior, Slayton, a 6-foot-2 goalkeeper, proved to be one of the top players in Connecticut as he capped off a standout career at Wethersfield High School by earning high school All-America honors. That final season was also highlighted by NSCAA State Player of the Year, Hartford Courant Player of the Year and All-New England honors. A three-time All-Conference honoree during his career, he was also named All-Courant and All-State in both 2014 and 2015. He finished his career with 20 clean sheets while posting an impressive 0.81 goals-against average.

"Jimmy is a very good goalkeeper who comes in as a high school All-American," stated Poitras. "He played high school soccer under Hartford All-American Rob Jachym, and will compete for playing time with our current keepers right from the start."

Stech, a 6-foot-1 midfielder, comes to Hartford from Burgwedel, Germany, where he attended Gymnasium Groayburgwedel. He captained the U19 Bundesliga team and was a member of TSV Havelse in 2015 and 2016 and Heesseler SV U19 Verbandsliga from 2013-15.

"Bastian is an athletic and hard-working midfielder, who is great on the ball, has good vision and is both a solid leader and competitor," Poitras explained. "His fight and competitive edge really stood out to the coaching staff. He will be a leader from the moment he steps foot on campus."

Rounding out Poitras' Class of 2020 is Teske. A 6-foot-0, four-year starting goalkeeper at Eastview High School, he collected a slew of accolades at the conclusion of his career, including All-Conference, All-State First Team, and Star Tribune All-Metro First Team honors. That season, Teske registered 135 saves in 16 games for an .871 save percentage. In addition, he spent three seasons with the Minnesota TwinStars Academy.

"Sean is a very good goalkeeper," commented Poitras. "He will add to a very strong group of keepers, and will push for time along with our current goalkeeping group."

Two of the team's top scorers from 2015 return to the pitch for Poitras in 2016. Jeff Tryon compiled 10 points on four goals and two assists during his junior season while Mikkel Song proved to be the Hawks' top play-maker a year ago, handing out a team-high seven assists to earn America East All-Rookie Team status a year ago. Also returning to the offense is another All-Rookie Team pick in Andri Jonasson. A forward, he totaled four points on one goal and a pair of assists.

The defense will be highlighted by the return of goalkeeper David MacKinnon. In three years, he has amassed 20 shutouts.