Director of Soccer Bill Irwin

PORTLAND, Ore. --- The University of Portland men’s soccer team has signed four high school seniors to National Letters of Intent, announced Portland Director of Soccer Bill Irwin. The incoming class includes an all-America goalkeeper, the reigning Oregon state player of the year and two Pacific Northwest prep standouts.

Incoming freshmen Austin Guerrero (Chula Vista, Calif/Otay Ranch HS/San Diego Surf Soccer Club), Frankie Lopez (McMinnville, Ore./McMinnville HS/Westside Metros), Ryan Luke (Bothell, Wash./Inglemoor HS/Crossfire Club), and Jarad vanSchaik (Tualatin, Ore./Tualatin HS/FC Portland) have signed letters of intent and will join the Pilots next fall.

“We’re very excited about this class,” Irwin said. “It’s a very talented group of players and we’re looking for each one of them to challenge the players that are here. Bringing in four quality players makes us stronger and gives us more depth immediately.”

Austin Guerrero (5-11, 170), the No. 16 recruit in the country according to Rise Magazine, was named an adidas Youth All America goalkeeper for his performances at Otay Ranch High School and with his San Diego Surf Club Team. In 2007, he recorded 13 shutouts in 23 games to help lead Otay Ranch to the Mesa League and CIF Championships, while also being named to the Union Tribune All-San Diego First Team, the Mesa League First Team and the All-Section Division 1 First Team. In 2006, Guerrero was an adidas ESP Camp participant, made the ESP All-Star team and claimed the adidas ESP Golden Glove Award. His San Diego Surf Club team, which was ranked 10th nationally in 2007, won a U.S. Club Regional Championship in 2006.

A member of the Cal South ODP team since 2002, Guerrero has competed with the Region IV ODP team since 2003. He landed the Region IV camp golden glove in 2003 and competed with the squad in Argentina and Germany. His Cal South ODP team won three straight regional championships (2004, 2005 and 2006) and won the ODP national title in 2006.

Guerrero will join the mix on The Bluff trying to replace four-time All-West Coast Conference keeper Luis Robles, who is currently playing professionally in Germany.

“I think Austin is one of the top goalkeepers in the country,” said Irwin. “He knows what each and every one of our goalkeepers has done in the past 20 years, so he knows about the tradition of quality keepers at the University of Portland.”

Frankie Lopez (5-10, 160) was named the Gatorade 2006-07 Oregon Boys’ Soccer Player of the Year after a stellar year playing for the McMinnville Grizzlies. Lopez, a forward, scored 34 goals and handed out 15 assists last fall, giving him a school-record 84 goals for his career. Lopez led the Grizzlies to a 17-1-1 season and the Class 6A state championship. He was The Oregonian’s 6A Player of the Year in 2006 as well as a two-time Pacific League Player of the Year and a two-time member of the all-state first team.

A member of the West Side Metros Club team, Lopez recently helped his squad win the 2007 Oregon State Cup to advance to regionals. Lopez is also a member of the National Olympic Development Program Select team.

“Frankie is an exciting player who will be a play maker for us,” Irwin said. “He plays with flair and has a lot of experience. He brings something different to this program, so we’re looking for him to come in and be an integral part of this team.”

Ryan Luke (6-0, 190) was a two-time All-KingCo First Team selection while playing forward at Inglemoor High School. In 2005, Luke helped lead the Vikings to a league title and a third place finish in the state. Despite missing most of this year due to an injury, Luke was named as a Seattle Times Player to Watch, while landing on the Greater Seattle Top Soccer Player list in 2006 and 2007. A member of the Washington ODP team since 2002, Luke has competed with the Super-Y Regional Team since 2002. While with the Crossfire Club team, Luke helped his squad win a regional title in 2006. He netted seven goals with three assists during the 2005 San Diego Surf Cup and scored the golden goal to help his team win the tournament title.

“Luke is a goal scorer,” said Irwin. “He’ll join Christopher Sanders and Alex Elliott up top as another player who can score goals for us. He’s just one of those players who seem to find the back of net.”

While recently competing at DECA Nationals against 13,000 participants, Luke took home a silver medal.

Jarad vanSchaik (6-1, 185), a midfielder, was named to the Oregon 6A First Team as a senior and landed on the Pac-6 First Team all three years he competed on the varsity squad for the Timberwolves. Voted team MVP as a senior, vanSchaik helped lead the Timberwolves to three straight postseason berths and a league title in 2006. A member of the Oregon ODP in 2003, vanSchaik won state titles with the Southside Soccer Club (2000) and FC Portland (2002, 2006).

“Jarad may be a bit of a sleeper, but he’s a talented player,” Irwin said. “We’ve known about him for a while and he’s come on by leaps and bounds during the past year. He has a tremendous left foot and will give us balance on that side of the field.”