Men’s soccer: Pitt announces recruiting class

Pitt men’s soccer head coach Joe Luxbacher announced the addition of some new talent for the… Pitt men’s soccer head coach Joe Luxbacher announced the addition of some new talent for the program Wednesday as he officially released the names of the 2011 recruiting class.

The class is comprised of five new student-athletes who signed National Letters of Intent and will be the first group of players to compete at the new Petersen Sports Complex for their entire Pitt careers.

Outside midfielder Julian Dickenson (Augusta, Ga.), midfielder Alexander Lowman (Douglasville, Ga.) and forward Chukwudi Onyeukwu (Austell, Ga.) will all come to Pittsburgh next year from the Peach State.

Meanwhile, goalkeeper Lee Johnston III (Newberry, Fla.) and midfielder/forward Ryan Myers (Wallingford, Pa.) round out the Panthers recruiting class.

“This is a very versatile and accomplished class,” Luxbacher said in a statement. “The five young men possess the qualities my staff and I look for when recruiting: commitment, competitiveness and leadership skills.”

Dickenson, Lowman and Onyeukwu were all teammates on Cobb FC, based out of Atlanta. The trio led the team to two Atlanta Cup Championships while also helping the Chiefs win the prestigious Disney Soccer Showcase in December.

Johnston served as the goalkeeper of the Leg-A-Z elite club team that held the No. 1 ranking in Florida club soccer last year.

Myers, out of Strath Haven High School, collected 23 goals and 15 assists during his three-year career on the Panthers’ varsity team and helped them advance to the district quarterfinals each year.

He was also a key member of the Brandywine United Galaxy club team that won the Pennsylvania State Championship in 2008.

“I believe this group will set an established foundation for the future of the Panthers program,” Luxbacher said.

The new recruits will look to help the team improve on last year’s performance. Last season the Panthers finished with a 6-9-2 record, narrowly missing qualifying for the Big East Tournament.