Houston Christian University's 2025 recruiting class reached a dozen on Tuesday afternoon as Head Coach
Ryan Pratt announced the signings of Santiago Maynez and Ben Thirkill.
A 5'10 defender from El Paso, Maynez has most recently been with Austin FC II while finishing up his high school studies in their academy program.
PRATT ON MAYNEZ:
"Santiago is a fullback who possessed great technical ability and quickness. He loves the 1 v 1 duels and the defensive side of the game but is also very good at joining the attack and getting forward creating opportunities in the final third!"
Thirkill is a 5'11 midfielder who comes to HCU by way of Bingley, England and the Beckfoot School. He has spent time with the U18's of both the Blackburn Rovers FC and Bradford City.
PRATT ON THIRKILL:
"Ben is a winner who will be great compliment to our midfield group. He moves the ball quickly with simple passing yet has the ability to play penetrating passes as well as the long diagonal. Coming out the academy set up in England, he will have the professionalism piece and the leadership qualities we are looking for as well! "
Now at a dozen, the class is now split in half as Maynez and Thirkill are the fifth and sixth first-year players to be added to the group. They will hit campus in the Fall when they join previous signings:
⚽️ Marcos Moore – Forward / St. Louis University
⚽️ Kacey Parrish – Midfielder / Lake Erie College
⚽️ Jace Starling – Forward / Paris Junior College
⚽️ Nico Kross – Defender / East Tennessee State University
⚽️ Angel Jaimes – Goalkeeper / Houston Dynamo Academy
⚽️ Nygel Jobe – Midfielder / Defender / Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College
⚽️ Chris Grote – Defender / Hamilton High School
⚽️ Aidan Lopez – Midfielder / Chicago State University
⚽️ Anis Harrar – Defender / ZAVO Secondary School
⚽️ Joby Reid – Forward / Tauranga Boys College
HCU ended its second season in the Ohio Valley Conference with an 8-7-5 overall mark and 5-2-3 ledger in league play. Seven players earned postseason honors for the Huskies, including outgoing seniors
Sam Zeeman, who was chosen OVC Defensive Player of the Year and named to the United Soccer Coaches All-Region team, and
Ethan Giwa-McNeil.
Ryan Okerayi and
D'Alessandro Herrera were each named to the All-Conference team for the second straight year, while goalkeeper
Alex Aitken earned All-Conference honors for the first time.
The Huskies finished ahead of Liberty, UIW and Western Illinois in their four-team pod and earn a first-round bye in the conference tournament where they handled Lindenwood in the semifinals 2-0 before falling in a heartbreaking 3-2 double-overtime loss to two-time defending champ SIUE in the title match.
The third-place finish in the league overall came one season after not qualifying for the tournament in the OVC's first season. HCU's eight wins overall were the most since 2015 team won nine matches, and also the first winning record in a season since that 2015 club. The five conference victories were the most since going 5-6 in the WAC during the 2019 season.
#DawgsUp
