St. John’s University men’s soccer program signs two European recruits

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The St. John’s men’s soccer program has announced the signing of two Scandinavian standouts to National Letters of Intent for the Fall 2021 season, as Filip Kangeman and Waldemar Kattrup have pledged to begin their collegiate careers in Queens this fall.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Filip and Waldemar to our soccer program here at St. John’s,” said Dr. David Masur, the owner of more than 400 wins in 33 years as a collegiate head coach. “Both of these young men are very talented and have the potential to make an immediate impact for us.”

A native of Karlskrona, Sweden, Kangeman competed for his hometown club FK Karlskrona, helping the top team win a Division 2 Ostra Götaland championship in 2019.

“Filip brings an attacking prowess that will fit in nicely with our style of play,” said Masur. “He’s a very hard worker with a great understanding of the game and a superior mentality. He has great technical ability and should provide quality in the attacking third.”

Kattrup hails from Copenhagen, Denmark, and has been a mainstay in the youth system of Lyngby Boldklub 1921, playing for the organization from the U15 to U19 levels. In 2017-18, he received the team’s Talent of the Year award.

“Waldemar is a very technical, yet energetic two-way player who can lead us on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball,” said Masur. “Like Filip, he has a great soccer IQ and will be an ideal fit for our program. He has great passing range and is used to playing in a high-tempo environment that requires quick decision making.”

Kangeman and Kattrup will look to leave their marks on one of the nation’s most successful programs. Since 1992, the Red Storm has appeared in the NCAA Tournament 21 times with four berths in the College Cup and a national championship in 1996. In the fall of 2019, St. John’s rose as high as no. 4 in the United Soccer Coaches rankings and no. 1 in the RPI. The Johnnies were rewarded with an NCAA Tournament national seed for the ninth time in program history and advanced to the round of 16 for the 12^th time before falling to eventual national runner-up Virginia.

Six players were named to All-BIG EAST Teams while Tani Oluwaseyi earned BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year honors, Jan Hoffelner was tabbed as the conference’s co-goalkeeper of the year and Masur led the BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year for the fourth time.