Eight Newcomers Set to Join Men’s Soccer this Spring – West Virginia University Athletics

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University men’s soccer coach Dan Stratford has announced the addition of eight student-athletes for the 2025 season set to join the team this spring.
 
The group includes seven transfers – defender Oscar Emilio Trujillo Lizárraga (San Diego, Calif./UC Riverside), forward Pablo Pozos (Madrid, Spain/Wingate), defender Nicolas Scargle (Clearwater, Fla./South Florida), defender Bryce Swinehart (Charlotte, N.C./Liberty), midfielder Tiago Barriguinha (Lisbon, Portugal/Franklin Pierce), midfielder Antonio Lima (Lisbon, Portugal/Franklin Pierce), and forward Braedon Smith (New York, N.Y./Syracuse) – and one freshman, midfielder Tyler Londono Zapata (Toronto, Ontario, Canada/Toronto FC).
 
“We couldn’t be more pleased to add so many high-level additions this spring,” Stratford said. “It has taken an incredible effort from the staff since the conclusion of our season to vet both the player and the person, to ensure that the quality and the culture are maintained amongst the program. The early indications this spring are that we’ve made some really positive additions. With ten graduating seniors and the volatile nature of the transfer portal, it was important to replenish the squad and get to work with these 22 players, in what will be the most competitive spring season the program has experienced. Our entrance into the Spring Cup comes at a great time for the program to test ourselves against the best of the rest in the country and see what this team is made of. I couldn’t be more excited entering the new year!”
 
Trujillo Lizárraga comes to Morgantown from UC Riverside where he played one year for the Highlanders, earning a spot on the Big West All-Freshman Team. He started all 16 games for UCR, tallying three assists. He was also part of six shutouts on the back line and played all 90 minutes in 10 contests.
 
Pozos joins the Mountaineers after playing two years for Wingate University where he played in 29 career games, all starts. As a freshman, he scored six goals and had five assists before following that up with a nine-goal sophomore campaign, the most on the Bulldogs. Pozos was a two-time All-SAC selection and was named D2CCA All-Region in 2023.
 
Scargle transfers to WVU after playing at USF, appearing in 40 games with 34 starts over three seasons. He played in over 3,000 minutes and tallied two assists in his career with the Bulls and helped lead USF to the NCAA Tournament in 2022.
 
Swinehart joins the Mountaineers after playing three seasons at Liberty where he made 49 starts. He scored eight goals and had three assists with the Flames while contributing to 12 shutouts over the last three years. He was named All-OVC First Team in 2023 and ASUN All-Freshman team in 2022 in addition to being a two-time College Sports Communicators Academic All-District selection.
 
Barriguinha comes to Morgantown after playing two years at Franklin Pierce, scoring five goals and tallying eight assists in 40 matches. He helped lead the Ravens to a Division II National Championship in 2023. As a sophomore, he was named to the D2CCA All-America third team, All-Northeast 10 first team, and United Soccer Coaches All-East Region first team.
 
Lima also joins the Mountaineers from Franklin Pierce where he played in 42 games with 22 starts over the last two seasons, scoring 17 goals and collecting nine assists. He scored a goal in the National Championship game as the Ravens won the Division II title in 2023. Lima led FPU with seven goals in 2024 as he was named United Soccer Coaches All-East Region first team.

Smith comes to West Virginia after playing his freshman campaign at Syracuse. He appeared in 17 matches, making six starts, totaling four points with two assists and a goal. Prior to his time with the Orange, Smith played for New England Revolution Academy of MLS Next.

 

Londono Zapata joins the Mountaineers from Toronto, Canada, enrolling early at West Virginia as a freshman. He attended Father Henry Carr Catholic Secondary School and played for the Toronto FC Academy as a midfielder.

 

For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUMensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.