James Salazar
Staff Writer
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic may have cut some seasons short, but the Dons will return in the fall — and alongside our returning athletes will be a class of new recruits.
This week, the Foghorn will be reporting on the newest additions to the USF men’s and women’s soccer teams.
Hot off the heels of adding eight new players, the USF women’s soccer team strengthened their latest recruiting class with the signing of Ashley Jordan, a talented forward from the land Down Under.
Additionally, the USF men’s soccer team continues making waves with their recruiting class, expanding their pool of future Dons to three signees with the addition of goalkeeper Brandon Keniston.
Ashley Jordan — University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
During her freshman year at the University of Melbourne, Jordan racked up 20 goals in seven games. She led her squad to a third-place finish at the University Games and earned the Golden Boot, awarded to the top scorer in a competition. A club player for FC Bulleen Lions, Jordan scored 27 goals over the course of 39 matches, earning the Golden Boot three times and taking home a National Premier Leagues Under-19 Championship.
Women’s soccer’s head coach Jim Millinder said, “Jordan is an outstanding striker who scores goals and has outstanding speed. She will be someone we will integrate into our team immediately.”
Brandon Keniston — Chaparral High School, Scottsdale, Arizona
Keniston is a world-class talent whose prowess on the pitch has taken him from Spain, where he competed for FC Malaga City Academy, to Arizona, where he currently plays goalkeeper for Phoenix Rising FC in the United Soccer League (USL) Championship, the second tier of the American soccer system. Prior to going overseas, Keniston played with Phoenix Rising Youth in Scottsdale, Arizona. With this squad, Keniston won the 2017 National Premier Leagues (NPL) Southwest Region Championship and appeared in the 2017 NPL championship.
In an email, second-year men’s soccer’s head coach Leonard Griffin said, “Brandon has exceptionally high character that will seamlessly align with the culture of our program.”
TransferMarkt, an international database of professional and amateur soccer players, values Keniston at $28,000. Only two Dons players have a higher value on the site.
