Two future Aggies sign with men’s soccer program

The UC Davis men’s soccer team received national letter of intent commitments late last week from Logan Magonigal, out of Pleasant Grove High in Elk Grove, and San Diego native Justin Kitts.

Magonigal and Kitts are seniors at their respective high schools and are expected to join the Aggie program in the fall.

“I’m excited to add two young, athletic and fast attacking players to our team,” said UCD head coach Dwayne Shaffer. “I believe they have qualities that fit in perfectly with the type of student-athlete we recruit here at UC Davis and I look forward to coaching both of them for the next four years and seeing the impact they will make on the program.”

Magonigal was Pleasant Grove’s goals and assists leader as a freshman, sophomore and junior. As a 10th-grader, he led the Eagles to a second-place finish in the Delta River League and an appearance in the Sac-Joaquin Section quarterfinals. Through eight games of his junior season, he led the Delta River League in goals (12) and points (27) and was selected to join the U.S. Development Academy. He was named the team’s Most Valuable Player and was selected as Elk Grove Athlete of the Week.

The 6-foot-1 forward has trained with the U18 San Juan Academy for the past two years, scoring eight goals in his first season. He is one of just two players to have appeared in all 13 games this season, making eight starts with one goal.

“Logan is an athletic winger with very good speed and soft feet,” Shaffer said. “He is good at dribbling and running at defenders in a 1-on-1 situation and I’m looking forward to his physical growth as the years go by. I think he’ll end up being a very strong, physical player to go along with his excellent speed and soft feet.”

With just three games left in his senior campaign at Westwiew High, Kitts has scored 11 goals and recorded six assists to lead his team in both statistical categories. In his junior season, Kitts scored six goals and and registered a league-leading 11 assists to help take the Wolverines to the semifinals of the San Diego Section Championships. That followed a quarterfinals appearance during his sophomore season.

Kitts also trained with the San Diego Soccer Club and was voted the club’s Men’s Player of the Year after leading the team in goals and assists as a junior. With eight goals and eight assists, he is the top scorer in the Southern California Developmental Soccer League and was recently selected to compete in the Western College Development Association Senior All-Star Game in Las Vegas.

“Justin mainly plays as a true target striker and he is a strong young man,” Shaffer said. “He holds the ball up well and plays well with his back to the goal, but he’s at his best when he can turn and run it at a defense. Every time I’ve watched Justin play he’s scored a goal.”

In 2012, UCD advanced to its first-ever Big West Conference Tournament championship game after winning the league’s North Division with an 8-3 record in conference play.