SAN DIEGO – San Diego men's soccer added nine scholar-athletes to its roster with the 2020 class of incoming freshmen and transfers, head coach
Brian Quinn announced.
The group of nine includes Alex Greive, a two-time all-conference performer at Northern Kentucky; two international products in Rhys Gourdie (Scotland) and Ross Johnstone (England); two products of MLS team academies in Owen Wiebe and Michael Wilkerson; three southern Californians in Kai Peterson, Creighton Braun and Robert Webb; and a goalkeeper transfer from South Florida (USF) in Berk Watson.
The class includes four defenders, two forwards and midfielders, and a goalkeeper.
The Toreros are looking to build upon last season in which they had their most wins (12) in a campaign since 2012 and move up from back-to-back top-four finishes in the WCC standings.
A complete breakdown of each newcomer, with quotes from Quinn, is below.
Creighton Braun, Fr., D/M
From Foothill Ranch, Calif., Braun attended JSerra Catholic High School and also competed for the West Coast FC club team. As a senior, the team captain helped JSerra capture the school's first Trinity League title in seven years, reach the quarterfinals of the CIF playoffs, and rank eighth in the state. The 6-3 defender was named All-CIF in the CIF Southern Section Division I as well as All-Trinity League First Team.
In his junior year, Braun was named an Allstate All-American and participated in the 2019 Allstate All-America Cup as one of the top 40 high school-playing boys in the country.
Coach Quinn about Braun…
"Another standout from West Coast FC who we have tracked for several years and has an immense upside because of his physical attributes and winning mentality."
Rhys Gourdie, Fr., M/F
Originally from Gourock, Scotland, Gourdie is a product of Del Norte High School in San Diego County and tallied more than 25 career goals in two seasons. The midfielder moved to the 4S Ranch community prior to his junior year of high school.
As a junior, Gourdie scored 14 goals in the regular season and helped lift the Nighthawks to the San Diego Section playoffs.
In his senior season, Gourdie and Del Norte reached the quarterfinals of the playoffs after going 13-5-5 and 4-1-3 in league play. He had 11 goals and eight assists and averaged nearly two points a game in his final high school campaign on his way to being named All-CIF First Team.
While growing up in Scotland, Gourdie played for the Rangers FC soccer academy teams.
Coach Quinn about Gourdie…
"A standout at Del Norte High School, Rhys has soccer in his blood and will bring a dimension to our team that will enhance the quality of our squad and his ability to create and score goals will be a welcome addition to our program."
Alex Greive, Sr., F
A two-time All-Horizon League second team selection, Greive will transfer to USD from Northern Kentucky. Last year, he led the Horizon League in goals (15) and tied for 11th in the nation in goals and tied for 14th in points (32). This was after his junior senior season when he ranked fourth in the country in assists (11).
In 48 career matches at Northern Kentucky, he had 20 career goals over three seasons.
A native of New Zealand, Greive earned the opportunity to train at the New Zealand U20 National Team camp in February 2019 to prepare for the 2019 U20 World Cup.
Before Northern Kentucky, he attended Sacred Heart College in New Zealand and was a member of the school's Auckland Secondary Premier Championships in 2015 and 2016. In club soccer, Greive helped his teams win the national tournament championships in 2015 and 2016 while he was the tournament MVP in 2016.
Coach Quinn about Grieve…
"Alex is a big pickup for us after scoring 15 goals for Northern Kentucky. He was looking for a new opportunity in an environment that can prepare him for the challenges of vying for a conference championship and his future as a player."
Ross Johnstone, Fr., M
Johnstone, a midfielder out of England, played for the Kent FA Representative Team before earning a spot on the England Schools FA National Team when he was 16. A native of Kent, England, he helped Kennington Juniors FC win the Kent U16 Boys Youth Cup and attended Hartpury College in Gloucester to academically prepare for an opportunity at a college in the United States.
Coach Quinn about Johnstone…
"A talented box-to-box player who we feel will compete for a starting position as a freshman. Talented in respect to his understanding of the game, and I feel he will be a player that follows in the great Torero tradition of midfielders who can do it all -- Toby Taitano, Scott Burcar, Kevin Legg, Darragh Vieyra and Leighton O' Brien, to mention a few."
Kai Peterson, Fr., D/M
A 6-0 defender/midfielder from Edison High School in Huntington Beach, Calif., Peterson played club for OC Surf Armour and West Coast FC and was a teammate of fellow 2020 signee, Creighton Braun.
In his high school career, Peterson was a three-time All-Surf League First Team selection and helped Edison win league titles in each of his three varsity seasons. In his junior year in 2018-19, Peterson helped Edison reach the CIF Southern Section semifinals and qualified for the CIF State Southern California Regional Division I Playoffs.
In addition to his distinguished career at Edison, Peterson spent three years at the LA Galaxy and Pateodores academies of the US Soccer Development Academy system.
Coach Quinn about Peterson…
"A standout for his club team for the last several years - West Coast FC - and a player we feel will get better and better because of his athleticism and desire to improve on all aspects of his game."
Berk Watson, Jr., GK
An incoming junior originally from Roswell, Ga., Watson spent his first two years of collegiate soccer at USF. He did not see any action between 2018 and 2019 for the Bulls, but he is an experienced goalkeeper from the U.S. Soccer Development Academy program. He played for Concorde Fire U19 prior to enrolling at USF, where he started 23 of 24 games and had a .767 save percentage. In 2017, he was a member of the Atlanta United USSDA U16 squad that won the national championship.
Coach Quinn about Watson…
"Berk is a transfer that we feel will enhance our goalkeeping group and compete with Matt (Wiher) and Marley (Mascarenas) for minutes in the upcoming season. He has good footwork and a great physical presence in the net."
Robert Webb, Fr., D
A defender from El Cajon, Calif., Webb was a team captain for Granite Hills as a senior and was named the 2019-20 Grossmont Valley League Boys Player of the Year after helping lead the team to a league title. Webb, who was a first team all-league honoree and All-CIF Second Team, and Granite Hills also reached the Division III quarterfinals, winning 13 games along the way.
Coach Quinn about Webb…
"A local player who we have watched over the years with San Diego United F.C. and has amazing physical qualities in regard to speed, endurance and strength. Robert will be a player who will make everyone better on a daily basis."
Owen Wiebe, Fr., D
Wiebe has played the last three years for the San Jose Earthquakes Academy Team, appearing in more than 40 games with the U.S. Soccer Development Academy club. This past season, he helped the Earthquakes reach the U18/U19 playoffs.
Coach Quinn about Wiebe…
"A starter on a very, very good San Jose Earthquakes Academy team who can play in a number of positions. Owen has a very good soccer IQ and will be a player who will grow year by year within our program."
Michael Wilkerson, Fr., F
Wilkerson, who grew up in Asheville, North Carolina, joined Atlanta United FC for his senior year of high school and scored three goals in eight games.
With Asheville High, Wilkerson, a 6-0 forward, had 13 goals and 34 points in 21 career games.
Coach Quinn about Wilkerson…
"Could be the player we need to change games. Michael came on the scene late in our recruiting process but has been involved with one of the best programs in the U.S. (Atlanta United) and more importantly scores goals and has the hunger to be an impact player immediately."
