USF Athletics
Joe Gorby, Director of Athletic Communications
JOLIET – The University of St. Francis (Ill.) men’s soccer program has signed three individuals – Fabian Alvarado (Plainfield, Ill./South), Leonardo Haro (Joliet, Ill./West), and Will Martinez (Romeoville, Ill.) in an announcement made Tuesday by USF head coach Dan Cross.
All three will begin play for the Saints with the start of the 2020 season.
Alvarado, a 2020 graduate of Plainfield (Ill.) South High School, was selected the Cougars’ Offensive Player of the Year during his sophomore season. Alvardo was coached at PSHS by Bryant Williams.
The son of Lucia Rivera of Plainfield, Ill., Alvarado plans to major in marketing at USF.
“Fabian joins us from Plainfield South High School where he was a standout performer,” said Cross, who will enter his fifth season at USF this fall. “Fabian will bring his athleticism and skill to the Saints’ defense. Fabian is fast, aggressive, and has good game awareness. I look forward to seeing what he can achieve here at St Francis.”
Haro, who arrives to USF from Joliet (Ill.) Junior College, was a 2019 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-Region IV second-team performer and a two-time (2018-19) North Central Community College (NC4) All-Conference Second-Team honoree at JCC under head coach Cris Trillo. A 2018 graduate of Joliet (Ill.) West High School, Haro achieved all-conference laurels for two seasons and was an all-sectional selection for one season.
Haro, who’s the son of Oscar andAna Garcia Haro of Joliet, Ill., is presently undecided about his academic major field of study at USF.
“Leonardo Haro is a intelligent defender who joins us from our neighbors at Joliet Junior College,” Cross said. “When I saw Leo play I knew he would fit in well with out program. He’s a hard worker, strong in the tackle, reads the game well, and is technically sound. We will be looking for Leo to come in and play center back for us.”
Martinez served as a team captain at Romeoville (Ill.) High School and helped his team register an 11-9-2 record for the 2019 season under head coach Nick Cirrincione. A 2020 RHS graduate, Martinez graduated among the top 15 percent of his graduating class.
The son of Porfirio and Carolina Martinez of Romeoville, Ill., Martinez plans to study biology at USF.
“Will Martinez is a player that we as a coaching staff have had our eye on or a while,” Cross said. ” We watched him play a lot and we are happy that he signed with us. Will will be coming in to play at the center back position, which is a position with a lot of competition this fall.
“As a freshman, Will will have the opportunity to fight it out for a starting spot at center back but will face some tough competition. Will is physically strong, reads the game well, and has very good technical ability. He has a range of passing and is able to play the ball out the back,” Cross said.
USF tallied a 9-6-5 overall record for the 2019 season, which included a sixth-place tying 6-4-2 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) ledger. The Saints made their third consecutive CCAC Tournament appearance this past fall and advanced to the conference tourney’s semifinal round.