Bryan-College Station, Texas (April 19, 2022)- The Brazos Valley Cavalry FC welcomes five accomplished footballers to the 2022 roster. These five come from all parts of the world, one of which being a College Station local, and are coming to the Brazos Valley to help bolster the 2022 Cavalry FC lineup. 

First up, the Cavalry FC welcomes a sophomore forward for Butler University, Henri Kumwenda! Kumwenda was originally born in Malawi but later moved as a child with his family to England. In the UK, Kumwenda shined as a talented young prospect in the Leeds United Academy from age 10 to 18. The 6-foot forward finished his first season on the U18 team 2nd in both goals scored and assists. The following year Kumwenda’s attacking skills only got better, finishing as the teams’ top goal scorers and leading the club to a league title. Kumwenda then spent a year playing for the Hull City U23 team before coming to play at Butler University in 2021. Kumwenda made an appearance in all Bulldog matches in his 1st season, starting 15 out of 19 of them. The Cavalry are thrilled to have such a skilled footballer with professional-level experience leading the charge!

Next, the Cavalry welcomes British midfielder from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Jago Lott! The sophomore has ingrained himself as a vital part of the Retrievers’ rotation, starting 17 games during the 2021 season. Lott had 2 goals and 4 assists on 10 shots throughout those 17 games for UMBC. Before his U.S. college career, the 20-year-old UK native played and trained with numerous teams. Lott played for Southampton Football Club for 3 years from 2009 to 2012 before signing with Bristol City Football Club for almost 8 years until 2020. Lott captained the Bristol City U-16 team leading them on to win the FA Peoples’ Cup in 2018. Lott’s time in these professional organizations has allowed him to compete all over Europe, in countries such as Germany, Spain, Scotland, Sweden, Norway, and Portugal! Lott also has experience playing in the USL2, playing 12 games for Virginia Beach United last summer. This brilliant young Brit is sure to make an impact on every aspect of the game for the Cavalry this summer.

The Cavalry FC bring on an extremely versatile and experienced defender to the roster, Jan Engels. Engels, who is originally from Andernach, Germany, has spent the last 3 seasons playing at the University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley where he has spent time playing on both the attacking and defending ends. Last season, Engels started 13 out of the 15 games he appeared in, scoring 4 goals with 11 shots on goal and collecting 2 assists. Since 2014 the 24-year-old has worked his way up through numerous German youth teams and plays for SG 99 Andernach during the summer season when Engels is out of college.

The Cavalry are excited to welcome back the lockdown defender and hometown hero, Alex Acton-Petronotis! The Bryan-College Station native has recently transferred to play at Oregon State. The 5th year senior has spent the majority of his college career at Seattle University where he solidified himself as a major asset to their defense since 2018. In ‘19 Acton-Petronotis started 22 matches for the Redhawks, finding one assist and claiming 10 shutouts on the defensive side. Acton-Petronotis is also a 2x All-WAC Second Team defenseman. The club is ready for Alex “Action” Acton-Petronotis to come back to Cavalry FC and hold the defensive line this season.

Lastly, the Cavalry FC brings on Midfielder Ander Etxaniz. Etxaniz, a Spanish graduate student at Longwood University, has been a centerpiece of the Lancers’ game plan for the past 4 years. The 23-year-old started in 59 games, finding the back of the net 8 times, 3 of which being gamewinners. In 2021, Extaniz was selected to the Big South All-Tournament team as well as All-Big South Second Team. Extaniz had a dominant freshman season at Cayuga Community College, tallying up 40 points on 13 goals and 14 assists through 17 games and being named a first-team NJCAA DIII All-American.

The Brazos Valley Cavalry FC is excited to provide these players with an opportunity to continue to develop their skills and compete throughout the summer. Come to Edible Field on May 26th for the Cavalry FC home opener against AC Houston Sur at 7:30 PM CDT!

For tickets and information on the Cavalry 2021 season, go to https://www.bvcavalryfc.com/ or call (979) 779-PLAY. To follow all upcoming news and developments for the Cavalry, follow the team on social media at facebook.com/BVCavalryFC, Twitter @BVCavalryFC and Instagram @bvcavalryfc.

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