SPRINGFIELD - Missouri State men's soccer head coach Michael Seabolt announced an additional seven newcomers to its signing class for the 2023 season. The Bears have received commitments from: Alejandro Lopez, Gijs Hovius, Harris O'Connor, Kengo Ohira, Miguel Domínguez, Pedro Arcoverde and Sergio Del Castillo. 

"Alejandro, Gijs, Harris, Kengo, Miguel, Pedro and Sergio are all elite players, top students and quality individuals," Seabolt said. "They will be great additions to our Bears family, and we look forward to working with each of them. A special mention to the hard work led by assistant coaches Jordan Valentine, Danny Frid and Jake Buckle to recruit this group and I thank them for their tireless work. I am very excited about this recruiting class, and we will have a few more announcements in the coming weeks."

Seabolt, who will be entering his 17th season with the Missouri State program and second as head coach, boasts seven starters and 15 returnees in all from a 12-2-4 squad that won both the MVC regular- and postseason titles en route to the club's fourth straight NCAA Tournament appearance.

Joining the squad this fall will be: 

Alejandro Lopez (Midfielder, 5-10, 165, Heredia, Costa Rica, Lipscomb University) 
Lopez transfers to Missouri State after four strong seasons at Lipscomb University (2019-2022) where he was a first-team ASUN performer who played 55 games and started 36 times. He scored Lipscomb's final goal in each of the last two ASUN championship games en route to back-to-back conference titles and NCAA Tournament appearances. Lopez brings with him club experience after playing with Deportivo Saprissa (2011-15) and Club Sport Herediano (2015-19). He won the U12 national championship with Deportivo Saprissa and the U17 national championship and U17 Chicago Kicks Cup with Herediano.  

"Alejandro has great experience at the Division I level," Seabolt said. "His head coach at Lipscomb, Charles Morrow, and I have worked together on some national projects and he speaks very highly of Ale. We think his technical ability and winning mentality will fit us perfectly and he can make an immediate impact."

Gijs Hovius (Forward, 6-0, 174, Voorthuizen, Netherlands, Coffeyville Community College) 
Hovius joins the Bears after one season with Coffeyville (Kan.) Community College where he scored a team-high 12 goals on just 20 shots including a pair of hat tricks and three game-winners. The Red Ravens went 6-2-1 in games he scored a goal in. He was named to the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference (KJCCC) Division I East All-Conference first team.  

"Gijs is a top performer from the JUCO level," Seabolt said. "He is also having a good summer for Fort Wayne FC in USL2. He is a good student and a great young man. We look forward to what he can accomplish over the next three seasons as a Bear."

Harris O'Connor (Defender, 6-0, 165, West Kilbride, Scotland) 
O'Connor comes to Springfield after a stint with the development squads of both Rangers FC and Charlton Athletic FC. He has also made appearances for Brechin City in Scottish League Two. During his time with Rangers, the club won two league titles and one Scottish Cup. O'Connor has 10 international caps for Scotland's U16 and U17 teams, and most recently played for Hemel Homestead Town in the National League South.  
 
"Harris is a proven defender at an elite level. He has played at the top level in Scotland and England. He is also a very good student. We believe he can be an important part of our back line for years to come."

Kengo Ohira (Forward, 6-0, 165, Tokyo, Japan, University of Denver) 
Ohira comes to Missouri State from the University of Denver where he helped the Pioneers win the Summit League championship every year he was there. Ohira played 61 games and started 23 at Denver, scoring 13 goals and seven assists. He scored game-winning goals in each of the last two NCAA Tournaments to advance out of the first round against Grand Canyon (2021) and San Diego (2022). He made the United Soccer Coaches All-West Region second team and the Summit League first team in 2020 and also made the Summit League second team in 2021. Ohira has also played for Waseda United and FC Tokyo U18. 

"Kengo is a proven attacking player at the Division I level," Seabolt said. "He played against Missouri State in the 2019 NCAA tournament, in a match we won 1-0. Masaki "Mac" Hemmi whom we have known for a while was one of his coaches in Denver, before leaving for New Mexico United. Mac recommended Kengo to us and we believe Kengo will make an immediate impact on our team."

Miguel Domínguez (Defender, 6-1, 163, Córdoba, Mexico)
Domínguez joins the Missouri State Bears after playing for multiple club teams in Mexico including Atlas Fútbol Club in 2019-20, Chivas Gigantera in 2020, Club Deportivo Gorilas de Juanacatlán in 2020-21 and most recently with Club Deportivo Guadalajara in 2022-23.

"Miguel is a strong addition to our backline," Seabolt said. "He joins us after coming through the academy system at Chivas in Mexico. He is a talented and tenacious left-footed defender that can play as a left back or left center back. We are excited to work with Miguel over the next four years."

Pedro Arcoverde (Defender, 6-0, 165, São Paulo, Brazil, Cowley College) 
Arcoverde spent the past two seasons at Cowley (Kan.) Community College under head coach Ruy Vaz. He scored two goals in each of his two seasons with the Tigers, including a game-winner against Johnson County CC in 2021 to continue Cowley's perfect season as part of an 18-win campaign. Arcoverde was part of Cowley's back-to-back Plains District Championship teams and its 2022 trip to the NJCAA Division I National Tournament semifinals. He was the 2021 Jayhawk Conference Western Division Co-Defensive Player of the Year and made first-team all-conference and all-region in both years at Cowley.  

"Pedro comes to us from Cowley College and head coach Ruy Vaz," Seabolt said. "Ruy recommended him very highly and we had the chance to see Pedro play in person this year. Pedro is a proven winner and an elite technical defender. He will be a top performer for the Bears the next couple of seasons."

Sergio Del Castillo (Forward, 5-11, 165, Madrid, Spain, Gannon University) 
Del Castillo joins the Bears after a very decorated Division II career at Gannon University under coach Billy Colton. He amassed 5,364 minutes with the Knights and scored 52 career goals (sixth all-time in program history), 120 career points (sixth all-time) and 12 career game-winning goals (second all-time) including five game-winners each of the last two seasons. Del Castillo led all of Division II with 23 goals in 2022 and had a career-high 50 points. He totaled 16 career assists across his 69 matches at Gannon while earning Division II All-American honors. Gannon University went 50-15-5 during Del Castillo's time with the Knights. 

"Sergio has proven himself at the NCAA Division II level," Seabolt said. "We have had other players come to us from DII who have excelled, and we expect him to do the same. He can play several positions and that flexibility will be an asset for the team. Sergio is a top goal scorer and we expect him to get on the Bears scoresheet in the future."

The 2023 men's soccer season is set to begin on Aug. 9 with an exhibition match against Northeast Community College at Betty & Bobby Allison South Stadium. The regular season will start on Aug. 24 when the Bears visit the Maryland Terrapins.

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