The UC Santa Barbara men’s soccer program continued its tradition of signing a student athlete from Dunn School in Los Olivos.
The latest signing is Manu Duah, a midfielder who earned all-CIF Southern Section honors at Dunn as a senior and played for the Santa Barbara Soccer Club, helping it reach the MLS NEXT National Finals.
“Manu would be considered one of the top 10 recruits in the country, if not probably the best player from the ’24 class,” UCSB Coach Tim Vom Steeg said. “He has all the components of a great college player and beyond: size, athleticism, great feet, really smart. He is a player that can make an immediate impact when he steps on the field.”
A native of Ghana, the 6-foot-4 Duah joins an illustrious list of talented players to come out of Dunn. They include Waid Ibrahim, Michael Tetteh, Sahid Conteh, Fifi Baiden, Rodney Michael and Rene Pacheco.
Vom Steeg will be looking for Duah and returning All-Big West first-team honoree Mikel Goeling to help fill the gap left by the graduation of Lucas Gonzalez, who was the Gauchos’ top creative midfielder last season.
UCSB takes the field at Harder Stadium for an intrasquad scrimmage on Aug. 10 followed by an exhibition match against San Diego State on Aug. 17. The Gauchos kick off the regular season on Aug. 22 at home against Missouri State.
