University of Rhode Island adds nine new players for 2022 men’s soccer season

KINGSTON, R.I. – Rhode Island men’s soccer head coach Gareth Elliott has signed nine new players for the upcoming season. The Rams will be adding a pair of sophomore transfers as well as seven true freshmen.

“This is a group of players that will have an immediate impact on our program,” Elliott said. “The blend of domestic and international experience will provide a great balance to our team.  This class is full of talented, high-character student-athletes and I look forward to begin working with them in August.”

Nate DiLoreto – Sophomore – GK – 6-1/178 – Bristol, CT/Bristol Eastern/Hartford – Farmington Soccer Academy

Chose to attend URI over Syracuse, UMass and Drexel… Selected Rhode Island for the opportunity to grow and chase his dream.

Before URI: Spent his freshman season at the University of Hartford… Appeared in three games for the Hawks, making three saves in 124:45 between the posts… Attended Bristol Eastern High School, where he served as captain of the soccer team as a senior… Also earned All-State First Team accolades his senior year.

Personal: Born July 13, 2003… Son of Debby… Enjoys FIFA, cars and playing basketball… Favorite athlete is Cristiano Ronaldo… Favorite team is Manchester City… Plans to major in Business with hopes of pursuing a career in sports.

Elliott on DiLoreto: “Nate is a University of Hartford transfer who joined us in January. So far, he has shown great athleticism and the ability to make world-class saves. Our staff believes Nate has the potential to be a high-level Division I goalkeeper and we are excited to see what he can accomplish in the Keaney & White in the coming years.”

Mesafint Ellingson – Freshman – Midfielder/Forward – 5-8/168 – Clinton, NY/Clinton High School – Empire United

Chose to attend URI over Dayton and DePaul… Selected Rhode Island because of the great facilities and family culture.

Before URI: Attended Clinton High School, where he was a member of the varsity soccer team… Also played club soccer for Empire United.

Personal: Born October 24, 2003… Son of Jennifer and Stephen… Has an older brother, Zach… Enjoys anime… Favorite athlete is Thiago Alcantara… Favorite team is Mayern Munich… Plans to major in Kinesiology with hopes to pursue a career as a strength coach or personal trainer.

Elliott on Ellingson: “Mesafint is our newest Empire United commit and will hopefully follow in the footsteps of our current captain Zach Drayer. An explosive attacking player who doesn’t mind pressing and putting in a real shift, we believe Mesafint will be a real threat for opposing defenses over the next four years.”

Dante Figueira – Freshman – Goalkeeper – 6-0/162 – Cumberland, RI/La Salle Academy – Bayside FC

Chose to attend URI over Bryant, Bentley and Franklin Pierce… Selected Rhode Island because of the the great soccer program, academics and campus atmosphere, the for the ability to live close to the beach and the opportunity to play close to home at his father’s alma mater.

Before URI: Was a four-year member of the soccer team at La Salle Academy… Captained his team and earned All-State First Team accolades as a senior… Also led the state in shutouts in 2021… Backstopped La Salle Academy to state titles in 2019 and 2021… Played club soccer with Bayside FC… Team won two State Cup titles and two NPL titles, as well as the 2021 Regional Cup… Also was a National Cup participant in both 2018 and 2021.

Personal: Born May 14, 2004… Son of Shawna and Richard… Has an older brother, Aidan… Enjoys boxing, the UFC, going to the gym and playing pickup basketball… Favorite athlete is Canelo Alvarez… Favorite team is Real Madrid… Will major in Nursing/Business with plans to one day take over his mother’s mental health practice.

Elliott on Figueira: “Dante joins us after leading his team to a state championship in fall 2021. Easily the best goalkeeper in the state of Rhode Island in the class of ’22, we are really excited about a lot of Dante’s characteristics and we can’t wait to start working with him in August.”

Pat Gryczewski – Sophomore – Midfielder – 6-0/170 – Plainville, CT/Plainville High School/Hartford – Ajax Connecticut

Chose to attend URI over UConn, UNH, Vermont and Quinnipiac… Selected Rhode Island because of the prestigious soccer program, the coaches, and academics to help him develop and succeed in life.

Before URI: Spent his freshman season at the University of Hartford… Appeared in all 17 games for the Hawks and made 16 starts… Finished the season with two goals and two assists, en route to earning America East All-Rookie Team honors. Was a member of the soccer team at Plainville High School… Captained his team as a senior… Was an All-State First Team selection, as well as a Connecticut All-American in 2020… Also played club soccer for Ajax Connecticut.

Personal: Born March 25, 2003… Son of Greg and Anita… Has two sisters, Victoria and Michelle… Enjoys soccer and cars… Favorite athlete is Lionel Messi… Favorite team is Barcelona… Will major in Business Finance with hopes of pursuing a professional playing career.

Elliott on Gryczewski: “Patrick was our first mid-year addition, joining us after starring for the University of Hartford in Fall of 2021. A pacey attacking player, he has a terrific left foot and professional mentality. We anticipate him having a big impact for us over the next three years.”

Max Hinke – Freshman – Goalkeeper – 6-1/180 – Marpingen, Germany/Carl-von-Wienberg School – TSV Schott Mainz

Chose to attend URI over Saint Louis and Indiana… Selected Rhode Island because of the great facilities and the ambition of the program.

Before URI: Played for Eintracht Frankfurt (Youth Bundesliga) from 2017-20… Played for TSV Schott Mainz (Men’s Regionalliga) from 2020-21… Was the starting goalkeeper for Professional Academy of U17s and U19s.

Personal: Born March 11, 2001… Son of Petra and Joerg… Has an older brother, Moritz… Enjoys playing sports… Favorite athlete is Ter Stegen… Favorite team is Eintracht Frankfurt… Undecided on a major… Hopes to pursue a professional playing career.

Elliott on Hinke: “Max is a highly-recruited goalkeeper with experience playing at a top level in Germany at both the youth & senior levels. An elite shot stopper with great distribution, he has very high expectations for himself & our program over the next four years.”

Michael Hofstetter – Freshman – Midfielder – 5-7/153 – East Greenwich, RI/La Salle Academy – Bayside FC

Chose to attend URI over Brown, Fordham and Boston College… Selected Rhode Island because of the campus location, the soccer program, and a gut feeling.

Before URI: Was a member of the soccer team at La Salle Academy, where he racked up 16 goals and 20 assists his senior year… Was a 2021 United Soccer Coaches All-American as well as the Rhode Island Gatorade Player of the Year… Also earned First Team All-Division, First Team All-State and First Team All-Region accolades… Helped lead La Salle Academy to a state championship title in 2021.

Personal: Born July 19, 2004… Son Alex and Nicole… Has an older brother, Max, who plays soccer at Wesleyan… Enjoys ping pong, cars, spike ball and stocks… Favorite athlete is Zlatan Ibrahimovic… Favorite teams are Chelsea and the LA Lakers… Will major in Business with hopes of owning his own business.

Elliott on Hofstetter: “Mikey is another member of the 2021 La Salle Academy state championship squad that we are thrilled about adding to the roster. He is a versatile attacking player with a real competitive edge and high ceiling of talent. We anticipate him to have an immediate impact on our already talented front line this fall.”

Carlo Kettig – Freshman – Defender – 6-1/182 – Friedberg, Germany/Hildegard-von-Bingen Gymnasium – FC Köln

Chose to attend URI over Boston College and Pacific… Selected Rhode Island because of the excellent and ambitious team with a high academic standard, as well as the ability to enjoy living by the beach.

Before URI: Played for FSV Frankfurt and FC Köln Pro Academy in Youth Bundesliga… Captained FSV U16 and FC Köln U17 Team… Team accomplishments include Hessenpokal (2017), German Champion (2018) and West-German Champion (2019).

Personal: Born April 10, 2003… Son of Gabriele and Oliver… Has a younger brother, Simon, and a younger sister Franka… Enjoys playing soccer, going to they gym and reading… Favorite athlete is Sergio Ramos… Favorite team is Bayern Munich… Plans to major in Business.

Elliott on Kettig: “Carlo joins us from one of the best youth academies in Germany – 1, FC Köln. A talented defender, we believe he will have an immediate impact on our defensive unit and we cannot wait to start working with him in August.”

Mathias Taylor – Freshman – Midfielder/Forward – 6-1/178 – North Easton, MA/Oliver Ames High School – New England Surf

Chose to attend URI over UMass, Northeastern and Tufts… Selected Rhode Island because of the beautiful campus and overall university atmosphere made him feel at home.

Before URI: Was a member of the soccer team at Oliver Ames High School… Captained his team as a senior and was named a League All-Star, League MVP, an Eastern Mass All-Star, All-State, All-Region, All-New England, All-Boston Globe and an All-American… Also was a League All-Star as a junior… Helped lead his team to league championships as both a junior and senior… Collected 16 goals and 22 assists throughout his high school career… Also played club soccer for Valeo (2015-20) and New England Surf (2020-22).

Personal: Born July 2, 2004… Son of Rikke and Stuart… Has two sisters, Madeline and Victoria… Enjoys hanging with friends, playing FIFA on PS4, and traveling with family… Favorite athlete is Lionel Messi… Favorite teams are Aston Villa and Barcelona… Plans to major in Business.

Elliott on Taylor: “Mathias is an exciting player from Massachusetts who starred at both the club and high school levels over the past few years. We view him as a powerful attacking player or midfielder with big upside that has all the qualities needed to be successful in the Atlantic 10 Conference.”

Joey Turco – Freshman – Defender – 5-10/165 – Kingston, RI/South Kingstown High School – FC Rams Arsenal

Did not consider going to school anywhere other than URI… Selected Rhode Island because it has always been a dream of his to play for this coaching staff and represent Rhody while winning championships.

Before URI: Was a four-year member of the soccer team at South Kingstown High School… Earned First Team All-State and All-Division honors while captaining his team as a senior… Helped lead SKHS to a state championship his junior year… Also played club soccer for Rams FC Arsenal under Rhody assistant coach Tony Bassett… Team won three State Cup titles, five Northeast League titles and one Jefferson Cup Championship.

Personal: Born April 2, 2003… Son of Cheryl and Vinny, who is a Rhody football alum and current Associate Athletics Director at URI… Has an older sister, Rae, who also attends URI… Enjoys playing the piano, watching basketball, playing soccer and going to the Final Four… Favorite athlete is Lamar Odom… Favorite team is Manchester United… Undecided on a major… Would like to pursue a career in coaching, or collegiate sports management.

Elliott on Turco: “Joey is a local product who has been playing for Rams FC and attending GESA youth camps since he was very little. A versatile wide player with immense passion and work ethic, we believe he represents the core values that URI Soccer is all about.”