By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
Fort Hays State men’s soccer head coach Gerry Cleary announced the signing of two newcomers on Tuesday, Nov. 12. Blake Arndt and Taisei Arima will join the Black and Gold in the spring of 2020.
Arndt, a native of Wichita, Kansas, joins the Tigers as a sophomore transfer from the University of Central Arkansas, who played in six matches during the 2018 campaign.
The 6-foot-3 forward reeled in two All-State forward selections, two first team All-City forward selections and one All-Metro nod during his tenure at Wichita Northwest High School. Prior to his senior season, Arndt was named one of the top 10 players to watch in 2017 by The Wichita Eagle.
He boasts a career stat-line of 56 goals and 16 assists through 62 matches played as four-year varsity starter for Wichita Northwest. Arndt also helped lead the Wichita Cyclones to a 2015 USYS National Championship.
“We are excited to give Blake a new home. He has played at Division I for two years. I was able to watch him play a lot with FC Wichita last summer,” Cleary said. “The experience he brings to our squad is unbelievable. He has three years to play as a Tiger and we expect great things from him.”
Taisei Arima will join the FHSU family as a freshman from Machida, Japan, where he played at Seiryo High School and with Yokohama Takeru FC.
During his time with Seiryo High School, Arima logged 335 total minutes in five matches, while recording one goal from the midfield.
For Yokohama Takeru FC, he recorded 391 total minutes in five matches and scored one goal.
Throughout his high school and club career, Arima has helped lead his teams to an overall record of 6-0-4.
“Taisei is coming in as a winger for us. We are excited for him to join us and add to the great culture that we continue to build as a program,” Cleary added. These two newcomers will join an already solid squad of Tiger veterans, who have reached a national ranking as high as No. 3. FHSU has recently locked up their third consecutive regular season title and is in the mix to make their eighth straight NCAA Tournament appearance.