Youthful roster includes heap of local college athletes

A new era for the Wilmington Hammerheads is just around the corner.

After a 20-year run in the United Soccer League, the Hammerheads will play their first match in the Premier Development League on Saturday when they travel to face the Charlotte Eagles.

Twenty-two collegiate soccer players have slowly trickled into Wilmington in the past week in anticipation of Saturday's opener. All but one are from North Carolina, and eight with UNCW ties, including five current players, make up the roster.

The club also has a new home. Games will shift from Legion Stadium to UNCW.

"We felt like this was a unique opportunity to provide Wilmington with a team they already have some level of familiarity with," said Carson Porter, executive director of Wilmington Hammerheads Youth FC. "We've got connections all across the state, and being able to bring in players from UNC and NC State to go along with some local Seahawks should only help progress the connection between the community and our team."

Porter, general manager Shawn Guderian and head coach Kevin Johnson put the roster together through discussions with the top programs across the state. Their trust and communication with the local college coaches helped expedite the process for a first-year team, and the Hammerheads held a pair tryouts in the spring for the final spots.

Porter estimates they are providing housing for 80 percent of the roster, with some UNCW soccer players who aren't staying in the Port City this summer sub-letting their on-or-off-campus apartments. There will be no host families, which was a personal preference for the Hammerheads' front office.

Mornings will serve as the players' time specifically focused toward training and development. In the afternoon, many will switch from player to counselor and help out with the Hammerheads' youth camps.

"For the kids in our youth system, getting a college scholarship to play soccer is the ultimate goal," Porter said. "What better way to surround them this summer with players who have actually achieved that goal and could set some positive examples for the kids?"

Below is a look at some of the highlights of the Hammerheads' roster:

Cameron Lindley - UNC

The 2016 ACC Freshman of the Year was ranked the No. 1 player in the 2016 recruiting class by College Soccer News. Lindley is also a regular for the U-20 U.S. Men's National Team and was recognized as a second team All-American by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America in 2016.

At Chapel Hill, Lindley started in all 21 matches in the midfield and dished out seven assists. The Tar Heels lost in the College Cup semis to Stanford, the eventual national champion.

David Lozano - UNCW

The Seahawks' midfielder started in 15 matches last year and was third on the team with three goals. He also provided two assists.

Lozano was named to the SpringHill Suites Classic All-Tournament team in 2016 and scored a goal in UNCW's 2-0 home victory over No. 5 Charlotte.

Tanner Roberts - NC State

The most prolific forward on the roster, Roberts was the Wolfpack's second leading goal scorer in 2016 with four goals.

In high school, he captained the Carolina Redbirds Academy program, which was coached by Johnson.

Sam Wancowitz - Penn

The lone member of the Hammerheads who plays his college ball outside North Carolina, Wancowitz was an electric attacking midfielder for the Quakers in 2016.

He tallied four goals and three assists, good enough for second-best on the team in both categories. Wancowitz played the full 90 minutes in nine of Penn's 14 matches.

Andrew Lawrence - UNC Asheville

The Bulldog midfielder was second on the team with eight points and produced a team-high four assists in 2016.

Lawrence started in all 19 games for UNCA and was named to the Big South All-Tournament Team.