DeKALB — The NIU men’s soccer team is set to welcome three midfielders to its ranks in 2024 after head coach Ryan Swan announced three signings in an NIU Athletics press release Tuesday.

The Huskies added two high school recruits in midfielders Martin Montoya and Grant Paskus while picking up former Clarke University sophomore midfielder Jose Gomez from the transfer portal.

Gomez is scheduled to arrive in DeKalb in January after two seasons with the Pride. The Honduras native finished the recent fall season with a pair of goals and five assists, good for Clarke’s runner-up scorer at 9 points. 

“Jose brings college experience and great composure and vision on the ball,” Swan said in the release. “He really impressed our staff every time we watched him as he controlled the tempo of the game and proved to be a goalscoring threat from midfield.”

Montoya comes to NIU after a three-year career at Hinsdale Central High School. He finished his senior season with 12 goals and 10 assists on the way to earning all-Sectional honors from the Illinois High School Soccer Coaches Association.

“Martin is an excellent one-v-one attacking player,” Swan said. “He is very comfortable receiving the ball under pressure and has a number of tools for beating defenders. I look forward to working with Martin throughout his college career.”

Rounding out the newest wave of recruits, Paskus will join the Huskies after aiding the Indy Eleven Pro Academy’s U20 squad to an undefeated regular season. He was part of the Indy Eleven team that made consecutive appearances in the MLS Next Playoffs in 2021 and 2022.

“Grant is a tough and hardworking central midfielder,” Swan said. “He has all of the physical attributes to compete at the collegiate level immediately. I believe he has the mentality and technical skillset to have an outstanding career at NIU.”

The trio of NIU newcomers will aim to help the Huskies return to the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament in 2024.