Five Domestic Players Join Mountaineers for 2020 Season

Newly hired head coach Dan Stratford was able to ink out five more newcomers for the 2020 season this week.

As the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out West Virginia’s spring soccer schedule in 2020, newly hired head coach Dan Stratford announced some good news this week about the commitment of five domestic newcomers to the Mountaineers squad for the upcoming fall season.

Stratford recently announced that defenders Zakariya Abdul-Jalil and Brian Brown, goalkeeper Marc Bonnaire, forward Nino Civitate and midfielder Aden Slifer will all join West Virginia in the fall.

"We're pleased to announce the signings and commitments of Aiden, Brian, Marc, Nino, and Zak," Stratford said in a release by the athletic communication department. "These five incoming freshmen will add quality depth to our returning group. It's the start of an amazing four-year journey for these young men, one our staff has experienced at WVU, and we look forward to facilitating an incredible student-athlete experience for them.”

Instate signee Zakariya Abdul-Jalil, out of Charleston, led George Washington High School to back-to-back triple-A championships the last two seasons while being named to the All-State first team and All-Mountain State Conference teams in the state of West Virginia.

Brian Brown hails from Lino Lakes. Brown played on the Minnesota Thunder Academy club team as well as Totino Grace High School. While playing for his club team, Brown totaled 13 starts on the U-16/17 team as well as playing on the U-18/19 squad later on in his high school career.

The lone goalkeeper of the commits, Mark Bonnaire is a native of Warrenton, Virginia where he spent four years on the Fauquier High School team and also played at the Virginia Development Academy where he started in nine out of 10 matches during the 2019-20 campaign.

Making his way from Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, Nino Civtate was named a two-time Big 56 team performer and a member of the All-WPIAL team as a junior and a senior while representing Canon-McMillan High. He was also a part of Pittsburgh's soccer club known as the Pittsburgh Riverhounds Academy under head coach Bryan Cartwright.

The midfielder of the newcomers in Aden Silfer from Douglassville, Pennsylvania. Silfer played at Boone Area Senior High and also played on the U.S. Soccer Development Academy’s squad where he led the team in goals, assists, and points as a junior and senior.

The newcomer squad joins 2020 spring enrollees to the program, Ryan Baer, Elijah Borneo and Ike Swiger who have already committed to the Mountaineers for the 2020 fall campaign. The program has made it clear they will announce its international signees at a later date. '

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