NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A total of 12 newcomers to the Belmont University men’s soccer program will compete for the Bruins this fall. Comprised of seven true freshmen and five transfers, Belmont’s 2025 signing class was announced Thursday.
A trio of Bruins joined the team in January – Parker Forbes, Hayden Robinson and Lucas Wolthers – while nine will arrive at Belmont later this summer. Four defenders, four midfielders, a pair of forwards and two goalkeepers make up the Bruins’ new wave of players.
“I couldn’t be more excited to announce our class for this year,” commented seventh-year head coach David Costa. “Following last season, we had some major holes to fill from our graduating seniors. Our staff spent many hours identifying, evaluating, and building relationships with this group, and I feel that each of them will be strong contributors to our program in each area of the student-athlete experience. We look forward to integrating this group with our returning team and working toward many future successes.”
#2 Parker Forbes | Graduate | Defender | 6-1 | Cedar Park, Texas | Louisville | Cedar Park HS | Lonestar Soccer Club
- Joined Belmont in January and trained with the team throughout the spring.
- A graduate transfer from Atlantic Coast Conference member Louisville.
- Played in 42 matches and made 15 starts for the Cardinals after redshirting as a true freshman in 2021.
- Totaled 10 points over the last three seasons at Louisville with a trio of goals and four assists.
- Logged over 1,700 minutes on the pitch for the Cardinals.
- Scored two goals last season and assisted on a goal in two different NCAA Championship matches in 2023, including providing the game-winning helper in the first round versus Dayton.
- A three-time ACC All-Academic Team honoree and 2022 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District® Team member.
- Named all-region and offensive MVP after scoring 16 goals with eight assists in nine matches while leading Cedar Park High School to a regional quarterfinal appearance as a senior.
- Spent five years as a captain in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy.
- Attained his bachelor’s degree in business finance from Louisville.
#13 Hayden Robinson | Freshman | Defender | 6-2 | Charleston, S.C. | Oceanside Collegiate Academy | South Carolina Surf ECNL
- Arrived in Nashville in January and trained with the Bruins throughout the spring.
- Helped lead his high school team – Oceanside Collegiate Academy – to back-to-back state championships and a No. 1 national ranking according to MaxPreps.
- As a junior, Robinson was the leading goal scorer in the state of South Carolina and earned the “Best Offensive Player” award.
- Competed for South Carolina Surf ECNL in travel ball and won a national championship in 2021. He also reached the round of 16 in consecutive years with South Carolina Surf at the ECNL National Playoffs.
- Spent two summers in Brazil training with a professional academy.
#11 Lucas Wolthers | Redshirt Sophomore | Forward | 6-2 | Hendersonville, Tenn. | Indiana | Merrol Hyde Magnet School | Nashville SC Academy
- Began his Belmont career in January and trained with the team throughout the spring.
- Was a part of consecutive Big Ten Conference regular season championships and the 2023 Big Ten Championship title while at Indiana.
- Redshirted as a true freshman in Bloomington, Indiana.
- Named to the Fall 2024 Academic All-Big Ten Team.
- A three-star recruit according to Top Drawer Soccer and rated as the No. 128 overall recruit, No. 2 from the South Region and No. 34 forward in the 2023 class by Top Drawer Soccer.
- Led Merrol Hyde Magnet School to the state semifinals and was tabbed Sumner County Offensive Player of the Year in 2021.
- Earned first-team all-district honors and was selected to the Tennessee Sports Writers Association (TSWA) Division I Class A All-State Team.
- Led Merrol Hyde Magnet in scoring with eight goals and seven assists as a junior.
- Led the inaugural Nashville SC Academy U17 team with seven goals during the 2021-22 season.
- Tallied 23 goals and five assists for Tennessee United Soccer Club in the fall of 2022.
- A three-time state champion and two-time US Youth Soccer Mid-South Conference champion with Tennessee United.
#10 Nzuhri Biggar | Freshman | Midfielder | 6-5 | Spartanburg, S.C. | Oakbrook Preparatory School | Carolina Elite Soccer Academy ECNL
- Helped lead Oakbrook Preparatory School to three state championships.
- A two-time all-region performer and named player of the year.
- Made his professional debut in late April with the Greenville Triumph in the USL Jägermeister Cup.
- Won a national championship with Carolina Elite Soccer Academy of the ECNL and earned first-team all-conference honors.
- Also played varsity basketball for Oakbrook Prep.
- His brother, Jonah, was selected 70th overall in the 2025 MLS SuperDraft by D.C. United out of South Carolina.
#6 Louis Peña Christoffersen | Graduate | Midfielder | 6-1 | Copenhagen, Denmark | Copenhagen Business School | Niels Brock Copenhagen Business College | FA 2000
- Will arrive in the Music City as a graduate student.
- Spent the last two years with Frederiksberg Alliancen 2000 of the Danish 3rd Division.
- Joined FA 2000 from Hvidovre IF where he spent one and a half years after playing for Brøndby IF up to U19.
- Graduated from the Copenhagen Business School and Niels Brock Copenhagen Business College.
- A dual citizen of Denmark and Mexico.
#22 Palmer Hendrix | Freshman | Defender | 6-3 | Oviedo, Fla. | The Geneva School | Florida Kraze ECNL
- Starred at The Geneva School in central Florida.
- An all-district selection, Hendrix was named both district player of the year and Seminole County Private School Male Athlete of the Year.
- A three-time team MVP and regular captain, Hendrix also lettered in track.
- Competed for Florida Kraze Krush of the ECNL, the top-ranked team in the country.
- Collected first-team all-conference honors while playing for Florida Kraze.
#32 Adam Leonard | Freshman | Goalkeeper | 6-2 | Knoxville, Tenn. | Hardin Valley Academy | FC Alliance ECNL
- An in-state product, Leonard led Hardin Valley Academy to a state championship and a pair of region titles.
- A three-time all-district and two-time all-region selection in Class AAA, the largest and strongest class in Tennessee.
- Played for FC Alliance ECNL for 12 years and Nashville SC Academy as a freshman.
- Earned the starting keeper spot at Hardin Valley as a sophomore.
#18 Paul Claes Nielsen | Freshman | Midfielder | 6-2 | Copenhagen, Denmark | Rybners Gymnasium | Esbjerg fB
- One of two new Bruins from Copenhagen, Denmark.
- Competed for Esbjerg fB’s U19 team where he was an attacking midfielder.
- Also played for Lyngby Boldklub’s youth team before joining Esbjerg fB’s youth squad.
- Made 40 total match appearances for Esbjerg fB in the U19 league.
- Graduated from Rybners Gymnasium in Esbjerg, Denmark.
#33 Jack Roach | Redshirt Sophomore | Goalkeeper | 6-3 | Plymouth, Min. | Wisconsin | Wayzata HS | Minnesota United FC 2
- Spent his first two collegiate seasons at the Big Ten Conference’s Wisconsin.
- Played for Wayzata High School and Minnesota United FC 2 in the MLS NEXT Pro.
- Trained in the Minnesota United FC Academy system and most recently played for Minneapolis City SC of the USL League Two.
- Garnered all-state honors while at Wayzata.
#14 Rafael Sorter | Freshman | Midfielder | 5-11 | Baerum, Norway | Dønski videregående skole | Asker Fotball
- A native of Baerum, Norway, Sorter played for Asker Fotball of the Norwegian Second Division.
- Since 2023, he has made 47 match appearances for Asker and scored 17 goals.
- Prior to Asker, Sorter played for Bærum SK where he logged minutes in eight different matches while competing in the Norwegian Second Division.
- Graduated from Dønski videregående skole in Gjettum, Norway.
- Sorter is both Norwegian and Brazilian.
#15 Zach Stanton | Redshirt Freshman | Defender | 6-1 | Imperial, Mo. | Saint Louis | Seckman HS | St. Louis CITY SC Academy
- Began his collegiate career at Saint Louis University where he redshirted as a true freshman last fall.
- Was part of a Billiken squad that reached the Atlantic 10 Conference Championship title match and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Championship.
- Rated as the No. 7 player in the Heartland according to Top Drawer Soccer.
- Attended Seckman High School and played for St. Louis CITY SC Academy.
- Served as St. Louis CITY SC Academy captain for the U21, U17 and U16 teams.
- Participated in 2021, 2020 and 2019 U.S. Youth National Team Regional ID Camps.
#12 Jaxon Stokes | Freshman | Forward | 5-10 | Woodridge, Ill. | Naperville North HS | Eclipse Select ECNL
- Captained Naperville North High School in northeast Illinois.
- Named 2024-25 Gatorade Illinois Boys Soccer Player of the Year.
- A 2024 United Soccer Coaches All-American selection and the Illinois High School Soccer Coaches Association (IHSSCA) Player of the Year.
- A two-time IHSSCA All-State First Team pick and a member of the Chicagoland Soccer All-State Team.
- Tabbed United Soccer Coaches All-Midwest Region and chosen as the DuPage Valley Conference Golden Boot winner in 2023.
- A three-time unanimous DuPage Valley All-Conference performer.
- A three-time Daily Herald DuPage County All-Area Team and three-time Naperville Sun All-Area Team choice.
- Led the Huskies to a 20-2-1 record as a senior and back-to-back DuPage Valley Conference championships.
- Scored 19 goals and assisted on another six in his final prep season.
- Concluded his high school career with an impressive 61 goals, the third-most in Naperville North history.
- A member of the all-academic team all four years.
- Competed for Eclipse Select ECNL and was named to Top Drawer Soccer‘s ECNL Playoffs U17 Best XI.
- A 2023 ECNL national finalist with Eclipse Select, Stokes collected two first-team all-conference accolades and was selected to the 2024 ECNL National Training Camp Conference Cup.
Belmont will report for preseason training the first week of August.
In addition to the 12 newcomers for the 2025 season, the Bruins return 14 letter winners and seven starters from their 2024 campaign.
Belmont opens its season on Friday, Aug. 8 with a home exhibition match against Meridian Community College. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. from E.S. Rose Park. The Bruins’ regular season opener will also be held at Rose Park on Thursday, Aug. 21 versus Wright State.
How to Follow
Follow Belmont men’s soccer on social media – @BelmontMSoccer on X, formerly Twitter, @belmontmsoccer on Instagram and Belmont University Men’s Soccer on Facebook – for complete coverage of the Bruins. Stay up to date with all of Belmont’s athletic programs via the official app of the Belmont Bruins, available both in the Apple App Store and on Google Play.
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