OMAHA, Neb – Head men's soccer coach Donovan Dowling has announced the first six signees of his inaugural recruiting class. Four players are from Nebraska, one from Kansas, and one from Spain. The class is made up of three freshman and three transfers.
 
"I am excited to announce the first six members of our 2023 recruiting class," said Dowling. "We have made it a priority from the beginning to recruit the top players from Nebraska and the surrounding region. This class is built on high-character individuals, who have shown to be winners everywhere they've been. We are excited to get each one of these guys on campus, and are confident they have a bright future ahead in Omaha."
 
Junior Casillas | Forward | Junior | Lexington, Neb.
Casillas joins the Mavericks following a two-year stint at Iowa Western where he helped the Reivers capture the 2021 NJCAA Division I national championship. In his freshman campaign, Casillas scored 10 goals and added four assists, and followed up with six goals and three assists as a sophomore. Casillas is a letterwinner out of Lexington High School. He was named a First Team All-Super State honoree.
 



Carson Chochon | Defender | Freshman | Elkhorn, Neb.
Chochon is a two-sport athlete out of Elkhorn where he plays soccer and basketball. Following his junior season, Chochon was tabbed an All-State honorable mention. He was also named a 2022 Academic All-State selection. Chochon was a member of the Gretna Elite Academy and helped his team to a 2022-23 Nebraska State Cup. As a member of the basketball team, he also helped his squad to the 2022 Class A State Tournament.
 


Gage Daniels | Defender | Freshman | Olathe, Kan.
Daniels is a captain at Olathe West under head coach Matt Trump. He led his team to a 2021 Kansas 6A State Championship and runner up finish in 2022. Daniels was the 2021 Kansas 6A Defensive Player of the Year and collected First Team All-State honors. In 2022, Daniels was tabbed Kansas 6A Forward of the Year, while also earning a spot on the United Soccer Coaches 2022 All-American team. Daniels most recently competed in the 2022 High School All-American Game in Panama City. On the club level, Daniels plays for TOCA FC. 
 

Martin Lago | Defender | Junior | Vigo, Spain
Lago has started the last three seasons at Davis & Elkins helping his squad to a 41-5-3 record during his tenure. He is a three-time All-MEC selection and took his team to the NCAA DII Sweet 16 two seasons in a row. This past fall, Davis & Elkins ranked as high as No. 1 in the regional ranks. Through his three-year career, Lago has tallied three goals and eight assists. Lago also played this past summer with TX United in the USL League Two where he helped TX United to a 9-0-5 record, ultimately reaching the USL2 playoffs.
 


Wawa Palga | Forward | Junior | Omaha, Neb.
Palga played the last two seasons at Iowa Western under head coach Mike Brown. He helped the Reivers to a 2021 NJCAA Division I National Championship. He played all 21 games as a freshman finishing with six goals and three assists. This past fall, Plaga scored four goals and added three assists, once again helping IWU to the national tournament. In high school, Plaga played for Omaha South where he was named Nebraska Player of the Year. Palga also spent time with Real Salt Lake Academy.
 


Brett Perkins | Midfield | Freshman | Gretna, Neb.
Perkins is a four-year letterwinner out of Gretna. He was named the 2022 Nebraska Gatorade Player of the Year after helping lead Gretna to the 2022 Class A Championship. He finished his junior season with 14 goals and 14 assists as the team captain. He's a two-time All-State selection and earned 2022 United Soccer Coaches All-North Region honors following the 2022 season. Perkins also plays for Gretna Elite Academy. He helped them to the 2022-23 Nebraska State Cup and earned ECNL First-Team All-Conference honors in 2021-22.