ORLANDO SEAWOLVES SIGN DEFENDER RAPHA NASCIMENTO

by Austin David

ORLANDO, Florida (June 18, 2019) – Looking to add more depth to their defense, the Orlando SeaWolves have signed American-Brazilian defender, Rapha Nascimento, to a five-year contract. Per team and league policies, no further details were disclosed.

Nascimento joins Orlando having played most recently with the Florida Tropics. In his MASL career, he has seven goals and eight assists in 27 games played. The defender spent two seasons in Lakeland and one with the St. Louis Ambush.

Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Nascimento grew up primarily in Brazil, playing for local clubs America, Santa Cruz, and Clube Atletico Mineiro at the youth level. He came back to the U.S. and attended college at Marshalltown Community College before transferring to Grand View University. In his professional outdoor career, Nascimento has played with the Des Moines Menace and Tampa Bay Rowdies 2 organizations.

“Really happy to be here with the Orlando SeaWolves,” Nascimento said, “It’s a really happy moment for me. I’ve been talking to come back down to live here in Florida and I’m excited to be back.”

"Rapha is a player who brings experience, size, and athleticism to our back line,” SeaWolves General Manager Chris Kokalis said. “He's definitely a two-way defender and can impact the game offensively and defensively. He fits the mold with our ‘All In’ mindset for the 2019-20 season."

Season tickets are on sale now for the 2019-20 season for all Orlando SeaWolves home games starting as low as $10 per game. Go to http://www.orlandoseawolves.com/tickets to reserve yours today.