The men's soccer team at Montreat College is celebrating commitments from new recruits as the spring semester winds down. Among the most recent additions to the already strong squad is Paul Connell of Maitland, New South Wales, Australia. Paul is the son of Stephen and Fiona Connell, and over the years he has played for  the Belconnen Blue Devils, Northern Spirit and Manly United (Australian clubs) and the Under-21 team of Cork City (Ireland).Connell was the recipient of the Golden Boot Award at the National Championships in 2002, he was a high school team captain three years running, and was the league's top scorer for Manly United in 2004 and 2005. In addition to playing, he has served as the full-time coach at Celtic FC in Glasgow, Scotland, for an Under-9 team.

When asked why he has chosen to study at Montreat College and bring his soccer career to Western North Carolina, he says, "Montreat is a beautiful place. I am determined to excel both on and off the field. I hope to help the team make it to the National Championships by banging in a few goals and working well with the great bunch of lads that will be around me."

Head Men's Soccer Coach Brenton Benware says of Connell, "Paul is an excellent guy that will bring some excitement to our team.  On the field, he's an addition to our offense that will make us more of a threat. He's a natural goal scorer that I think will help us through some big games this coming year.  We can't wait to have Paul in our line-up!"