By Nicholas Huenefeld/Owens Sports Information

York, England---Joe Adby, a 6'2" defender from England, has signed his letter of intent to play men's soccer for the Express next season.

"I expect Joseph to further solidify our central defense," said Express men's soccer head coach Art Johnson. "His physical presence and leadership qualities will be a great complement to our cohesive style of play."

In club soccer, Adby played in the Junior Masters Tournament (U11s-U16s) in the Newcastle Metro Arena. During that time, he also played against Estonia's U14 national team and helped his team win 5-2.

On his U14-U16 team, North Yorkshire County, his team won the Northern County League and Northern County Tournament, and his team was undefeated during his time.

Adby also played with Nike UST Academy's U19 team, where he competed against Leeds University and Premier League Academies. During that time, he played against England's U19 college team and won.

Adby holds his high school's 400 m record in track, while he's won events at the 200m, 400m and 1500 m. His high school coach was Mike Morton.

Adby joins the following six signees as members of the 2013-14 Express men's soccer freshmen class: Adane Spence (Coconut Creek HS/Margate, Fla.), Augustin Bonjour (Purificacion No. 28/Montevideo, Uruguay), Austin Combs (Anthony Wayne HS/Waterville, OH), Benjamin Rubin (Northview HS/Sylvania, OH), Samuel Miller (Northview HS/Sylvania, OH) and Ahmad Jarrar (Hendersonville HS/Hendersonville, NC).

The Express men's soccer team had one of their most successful seasons in program history last year. They captured the program's first Ohio Community College Athletic Conference (OCCAC) title with a 5-1 conference record, while also finishing 14-6-1 overall. Their season ended with a loss in the Region XII tournament semifinals. Their 14 wins was the fourth most in a single season in program history.