MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia men’s soccer coach Dan Stratford has announced that defender Zakariya Abdul-Jalil, goalkeeper Marc Bonnaire, defender Brian Brown, forward Nino Civitate and midfielder Aden Slifer will join the Mountaineers for the 2020 season.
The group joins 2020 spring enrollees Ryan Baer, Elijah Borneo and Ike Swiger as newcomers for this fall’s squad.
“We’re pleased to announce the signings and commitments of Aiden, Brian, Marc, Nino and Zak,” Stratford said. “In light of our current global crisis, this announcement only heightens our excitement for the beginning of the fall and the brighter future to come for everyone.
“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, resulting in a lot of success for the team.”
Abdul-Jalil hails from Charleston and played soccer for Erik Engle at George Washington High. He was the 2019 Class AAA State Player of the Year and named a Mid-Atlantic All-Region player by the United Soccer Coaches. He also was named to the all-state first team and All-Mountain State Conference team in each of the last two seasons.
Abdul-Jalil, who played his club soccer for WVFC, helped the Patriots to back-to-back Class AAA state championships in 2018 and 2019. The son of Anne Abdul-Jalil, he plans to major in exercise physiology at WVU.
Bonnaire arrives to Morgantown from Warrenton, Va., where he attended Fauquier High and played at the Virginia Development Academy for coach Matt Lacey. He played in 10 matches for VDA this past season, earning nine starts.
Prior to that, Bonnaire earned all-district honors at Fauquier in 2018. He also played basketball for the Falcons.
A native of Lino Lakes, Minn., Brown played at Totino-Grace High for coach Bill Vance. He also was a member of the Minnesota Thunder Academy (club) under coach Dusan Jakica.
Brown played in 22 matches, earning 13 starts for MTA’s U-16/17 team in 2018-19. He also spent time with the U-18/19 squad during the campaign.
Civitate arrives to WVU from Canonsburg, Pa., where he played for coach Larry Fingers at Canon-McMillan High. Additionally, he played his club soccer with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds Academy for coach Bryan Cartwright.
At Canon-McMillan, Civitate led the Big Macs to a 15-4-1 record and a WPIAL championship as a senior. He was a two-time Big 56 team performer and was named to the All-WPIAL team as a junior and senior. Additionally, Civitate helped his club team to a Pennsylvania Futsal State Cup title and U-19 national title in 2018.
Slifer hails from Douglassville, Pa., and attended Boone Area Senior High. He also played for coaches Jamie Scott and Mark Thomas for Penn Fusion at the club level.
Along with his contributions for the U.S. Soccer Development Academy squad, Slifer led Boone in goals, assists and points as a junior and senior. He also was the leading scorer at Berks Catholic High during his freshman campaign.
Along with WVU’s eight total U.S.-born newcomers, the squad will announce its international signees at a later date.
