The 2025 Houston Christian University men's soccer recruiting class grew to fourteen on Thursday afternoon as
Ryan Pratt announced the inking of Ben Calder to the roster.
A 6'1 defender from Liverpool, England, Calder prepped at St. Mary's College while spending time with the Crewe Alexandra U18 academy, helping them to the fifth round of the FA Youth Cup.
PRATT ON CALDER:
"Ben is a talented and experienced central defender. He is a very good leader that reads the game well. He is a good passer of the ball and can break lines well, fitting our style of play nicely. We are thrilled to have him joining the HCU family!"
Calder becomes the eighth first-year player of the group. He will begin in the Fall, joining 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
⚽️ Santiago Maynez – Defender / Austin FC Academy
⚽️ Ben Thirkill – Midfielder / Beckfoot School
⚽️ Harvey Heeps - Goalkeeper / Cedar Upper School
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.
HCU will open it's 2025 campaign on Saturday, August 9 with the first of two exhibition matches. The Huskies will take on North American University at Sorrels Field at 7 pm. The Huskies then travel to SMU on Friday, August 15 for a 7 pm kick-off against the Ponies before starting a four-match homestand on August 21. The entire schedule will be released soon.
#DawgsUp
