Missouri State

SPRINGFIELD -- Missouri State men's soccer head coach Jon Leamy announced the receipt of National Letters of Intent from a pair of New Zealand standouts who will be joining the Bears in the fall.

Izak Papa (F, Auckland, New Zealand) and Ben Mata (D, Auckland, New Zealand) will both be a part of MSU's freshman class of 2017. Missouri State received commitments from 11 incoming players in the current signing period which began on Feb. 1 and continues through Aug. 1 for the sport of soccer.

"We continue to add elite young men to our team for the 2017 season and beyond," MSU head coach Jon Leamy said. "We feel Izak Papa and Ben Mata will be very good additions."

Izak Papa (Fr. • F • Auckland, New Zealand • Auckland Grammar School)
Papa honed his skills at the Phoenix Academy in Auckland, where he won the "Exciting Talent" award in 2015. For two years Papa played with the U-19 reserves/seniors for Onehunga Sports Football program and won the Auckland Championship in 2015. He also played with New Zealand's Youth League Eastern Suburbs U-20 team in 2016.

"Izak is a technical attacking player," MSU associate head coach Michael Seabolt said. "He has played at a good level in New Zealand and has experience playing at the men's level. We feel he will immediately add to the strength of the squad and also develop into an even more elite player long term." 

Ben Mata (Fr. • D • Auckland, New Zealand • Saint Kentiyern College)
Mata played in the U-17 World Cup for New Zealand's national team where the team advanced to the round of 16. In 2016, Mata competed at Saint Kentiyern College, where he was the team's top goal scorer and helped the team take the title at the Knoiboit Cup. Ben currently is a member of the Wellington Pheonix youth side. 

"Ben is a strong defender. We are confident he can help lead our back line and shut down the opponent," Seabolt said. "He is also a technical player and will be strong in possession and starting attacks. Ben has experience playing at the men's level in New Zealand, as a youth for the Wellington Phoenix, and for the U-17 New Zealand national team. In fact, he captained New Zealand against Brazil in the 2015 youth world cup." 

"We are thrilled to add these two talented student-athletes to our already strong 2017 class," Seabolt said