YUMA, Ariz. - In front of teammates, coaches, administrators and friends, 12 members of the Arizona Western men's soccer program were honored with a university signing day on Thursday. The players were addressed by Athletic Director Jerry Smith and future Arizona Western College President Dr. Reetika Dhawan. Head Coach Kenny Dale put some of the players on the friendly "hot seat" as he shared with the crowd how each member was recruited and what he likes about each of the individuals. 

"It's very exciting to me," Dale said. "A lot of my players are surprised that I follow their careers after they leave here. That's the exciting part for me. This is all the preparation and the hard work to get them ready to go on and live thier life."

The players at the signing ceremony and moving on include:

 Aiki Sadaoka - Indiana Tech

Justin Vallelian - Indiana Tech

Milton Kapaya - Lindenwood University

Ziad Barakat - Merrimack University

Christopher Gonzalez - Oral Roberts University

Ishmael Mensah - Westminster University

P.J. Dannenmuller - Eastern Illinois University

Enzo Manga - Maryville University

Players not on campus or already with their news teams include

Lucas di Almeida - Catawba College  

Daniel Coke - St. Mary's San Antonio  

Abdou Moursali - University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee  

Nicolas Cervantes - Harris Stowe State University

The 12 signings are just short of the program record of 15 but shows the kind of impact Arizona Western academics and athletics provide for student-athletes. 

"I enjoyed the diversity of this group, we always have a lot of diversity on our teams," Dale said. "I enjoy that everybody brings a little something different to the table. They all come from different playing traditions and if we can blend that, we can have something special. I have an incredible staff of coaches which include Bello Alhassan, Admir Balicevac, Ernie Garza and Adrian Luna, all of my former assistant coaches, they make everything possible. When I present to the crowd, I always feel like I'm talking for all of us in the program. I don't always mention them, but they are always with me and do a fantastic job and are really important."

Coach Dale said it's moments like the signing ceremony his players and all players will remember. Not the number of wins or minutes played. 

"I always have a great time coaching," Dale said. "I still love it. I like being on the field and in the classroom. It's inspiring to be around young people and see them succeed like we're seeing today. It's also a challenge, sometimes more than we want but that's what is so great about it."