FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Wednesday, April 12, 2017 Balog adds 2 more recruits for 2017 fall season
Adding two more players to his roster for the 2017 fall season, MSUB men’s soccer head coach Alex Balog welcomes letter of intent signees Agust Hallsson and Guillaume Marneau. BILLINGS, Mont. – Head coach Alex Balog announced the latest two additions to the Montana State University Billings men’s soccer team Wednesday, as two more freshmen have signed letters of intent to join the Yellowjackets’ roster in the fall of 2017. Agust Hallsson, a striker from Reykjavik, Iceland, and Guillaume Marneau, a midfielder from Lake Forest, Calif., will be the newest members of the Yellowjackets’ squad. The two additions push Balog’s total list of recruits for the fall season to seven.
MSUB Men’s Soccer 2017 Recruiting Class Name Position Shantik Bedrosian Winger Agust Hallsson Striker Kyle Kellogg Goalkeeper Dana Kowachek Midfielder Guillaume Marneau Midfielder Sam Phillips Defender Christian Thode Midfielder
Hometown Doetinchem, Netherlands Reykjavik, Iceland Roseville, CA Missoula, MT Lake Forest, CA Bozeman, MT Stanwood, WA
Previous School Ulenhof Borgarholtsskoli Roseville HS Fort Lewis College El Toro HS Humboldt State Skagit Valley CC
Class (Fall 2017) Freshman Freshman Freshman Sophomore Freshman Sophomore Junior
Playing in the top division in the Icelandic league, Hallsson’s promise as a player began to show when he was picked as the top attacker at the N1 Tournament as a youth player over a decade ago. Since then, he led his youth team to a pair of undefeated seasons and a national championship and has played for various Icelandic clubs through his prep seasons. “I think MSUB will be a perfect fit for me, and a great place to grow as a soccer player and a person,” said Hallsson. “Coach Balog is a great guy, and he was a big part of my decision. I can’t wait to be a part of MSUB.” Hallsson is expected to apply his significant skill as an attacking player towards MSUB’s offensive lineup during his career. “We knew that after the 2016 season, we had big Agust Hallsson. shoes to fill with Julian, Thiago, and Julien moving on,” said Balog. “After seeing Agust play while recruiting, I was sold right away. His technical ability, strength, and speed are assets that will be invaluable for us offensively. Defensively, Agust displayed ardor and a strong will to get the ball back. I’m very much looking forward to seeing Agust in an MSUB jersey this coming fall, because I’m convinced that he has what it takes to help us take the next step with our program.” Also expected to make an immediate impact is Marneau, who comes to the ‘Jackets after a prep career at El Toro High School in Southern California. In addition to leading the Bulls to a 14-1 record under head coach Shawn Watts, Marneau also competed for United F.C. and helped the squad to a pair of regional championships. During his high-school career, Marneau helped his team capture the California Division I title. “I began looking into the MSUB program and I saw all of the different international players that were there,” Marneau said. “From the time I was on campus, I knew this was the perfect fit for me. The camp in which I got recruited was the point where I fell for the college. I loved the environment among the coaching staff and players.”
Guillaume Marneau.
Marneau has appeared on the Top Drawer Soccer regional rankings as an individual player since the 2012 season, and has been involved with state and regional Olympic Development Program teams. “We are very pleased Guillaume decided to commit to MSUB,” Balog said. “He got on our radar during one of our ID camps, where he performed at an outstanding level. Having gone through the Irvine Strikers Academy, Guillaume brings a very good background of the game to MSUB. We believe that Guillaume’s quality vision and technical ability will be assets to our program, and that he has what it takes to digest the jump from high-school and club soccer to one of the premier NCAA DII men’s soccer conferences.”
The Yellowjackets finished in fourth place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference in 2016, posting an overall record of 9-6-3 and a league mark of 5-4-3. --@MSUBSports | #JacketNation--