JMU men’s soccer aims to build on Sweet 16 run with strong 2024 recruiting class

HARRISONBURG, Va. – Looking to build off of a run to the Round of 16 in the NCAA Championship, head coach Paul Zazenski has announced the addition of seven members to the James Madison University men’s soccer program for the upcoming season.

“We are excited to announce a strong incoming class for the 2024 season,” said Zazenski. “This class has seven traditional freshmen and one transfer. There is a wide range of talent and positional flexibility associated with this group. The class has a great mix of Virginia based players, domestic MLS Next players and international players. Two players have represented their countries (U.S. and Chile) and the majority of the group has played at the highest of levels of youth soccer across the globe. Charlie Hubbard and Nick Melville did a great job piecing together this class and we are excited about the future with these players in a JMU uniform.”

Jackson Carlyon

Position: Defense
Height: 6-1
Weight: 165 lbs
Hometown/High School: Richmond, Va./Saint Christopher’s School

Accolades: Played club ball with Richmond Kickers U20 United Soccer League Academy… Multiple selections to ECNL Boys Mid-Atlantic All-Conference First Team… Was an ECNL U17 2023 national champion his junior year… First Team VISAA All-State honors in his senior season… Listed as three stars from TopDrawerSoccer.

Coach Zazenski’s Thoughts: Jackson is a local Virginia product that is very controlled with everything he does on the pitch. He carries a strong technical foundation and makes good decisions whether in possession or in defending moments. We always want to make sure we are bringing in top in-state players, and Jackson is certainly one of those guys. Jackson fit exactly what we were looking for with his versatility and we can’t wait to start bolstering his development as he makes the jump to the Division I game.

Agustin Donoso

Position: Defense
Height: 6-0
Weight: 165 lbs
Hometown: Talca, Chile

Coach Zazenski’s Thoughts: Agustin is a versatile player coming to us from Chile and was teammates with fellow incoming Duke, Manuel Lolas at Rangers De Talca for many seasons. He is a strong player that will combine his abilities on the defensive side of the ball with his quality in possession to impact our team and can feature at multiple positions, including center back and defensive midfield. Agustin will be a true freshman and we look forward to integrating him into our team once he arrives on campus this fall.

Justin Enamorado

Position: Defense
Height: 5-10
Weight: 165 lbs
Hometown/High School: Richmond, Va./Richmond Virtual Academy

Accolades: First place in MLS Next Fest table in his junior season… reached the quarterfinals in the U16 MLS Next Cup.

Coach Zazenski’s Thoughts: Justin is a Virginia based player who has spent a large portion of his youth career playing for Atlanta United MLS Next. He has a strong presence as a defender both centrally and in wide areas if needed. Justin possesses a technical foundation paired with an ability to tackle. We are confident Justin will continually get better each season and we are excited about his trajectory as a college soccer player.

Smith Halloran

Position: Forward
Height: 6-0
Weight: 170 lbs
Hometown/High School: Fairfield, Conn./Fairfield Ludlowe

Accolades: Began high school career by being named Beachside Offensive Player of the Year… Competed in MLS Next his sophomore and senior campaigns.

Coach Zazenski’s Thoughts: Smith is a dangerous and direct attacking player coming to us from Beachside SC in Connecticut as well as an overseas experience in Germany, which will translate quickly to the Division I game. He is constantly putting opposing back lines under pressure and can create goal-scoring opportunities in a blink of an eye. He likes to take players on and does well in combination moments and we are sure that he will have lots of goal involvement here in Harrisonburg over the next four years.

David Lee

Position: Forward
Height: 5-11
Weight: 170 lbs
Hometown/High School: Seoul, South Korea/Woodstock Academy

Accolades: Named All-State his senior season… Earned NXT LEVEL Best 11 honors… back-to-back prep national champion.

Coach Zazenski’s Thoughts: David comes to us from South Korea by way of Woodstock Academy in Connecticut. He has a proven track record at the prep level in New England and he is a player that impressed us greatly with his drive and determination to constantly become better. David’s high soccer IQ and ability to be involved in the final third will surely translate well to how we like to play, and he has a very high ceiling. We look forward to David’s arrival to Harrisonburg and for what’s to come for him in a JMU shirt!

Manuel Lolas

Position: Midfield
Height: 5-9
Weight: 150 lbs
Hometown: Talca, Chile

Accolades: Played on the Chilean U20 National Team.

Coach Zazenski’s Thoughts: Manu is an experienced player coming to us from a high level in Chile, where he was a member of the U20 National team. He is an attacking player that likes to go 1v1 and can impact the final third. He is dynamic and creative in nature. Manu arrived this past spring and we look forward to his development as we head into the fall season.

Aidan Melville

Position: Midfield/Forward
Height: 5-11
Weight: 165 lbs
Hometown/High School/Former Schools: Portland, Maine/Greely/Providence/Coastal Carolina

Accolades: Played for the academies of DC United and New England Revolution… Twice named to the Big East All-Academic Team.

Coach Zazenski’s Thoughts: Aidan is a grad-transfer who was most recently with Coastal Carolina this past year. He has experience from his time already spent in Division I and will be a strong veteran addition to our squad for the next two seasons. He is a technical midfield player that can play in several different roles and is eager to join our winning culture here at JMU.

Milo Wray

Position: Midfield
Height: 5-7
Weight: 140 lbs
Hometown/High School: Portland, Oreg./Baker Web Academy

Accolades: U17 US Youth National Team call up… Played with Portland Timbers 2 and Lane United FC.

Coach Zazenski’s Thoughts: Milo is a very technical and smart midfield player with high levels of experience for his young age. He has all the tools that we look for within our midfield group and we’re confident that he will fit in well to our style and how we like to play. He was called into the US U-17 National team camp and has featured with the MLS side Portland Timbers in multiple preseason matches. He also has been involved in the Timbers 2 set up for an extended time. Milo’s character and professional mentality is also a big component for us and will add to our culture here at JMU.

The Dukes kick off their season on Thursday, Aug. 22 when they take on CSUN at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT as part of a two-match West Coast swing to begin the season. They’ll take on UCLA to conclude the opening weekend on Sunday, Aug. 25.