Former B.M.C. Durfee High School student Wagner De Oliveira has been signed to play soccer for the Bulldogs of Union Baptist University in Jackson, Tennessee.

De Oliveira arrived in the USA in 2002, at the age of 18, enrolled as a senior at B.M.C. Durfee High School in Fall River, MA but did not play soccer as it was at the end of the soccer season. He returned to Brazil later in 2002 enrolling at the Federal University of Ouro Preto, majoring in Arts. He spent two seasons playing soccer at the University level in Brazil before transferring back to the Fall River area. Last year, De Oliveira competed in the Norfolk County Futsal League in Mansfield, Massachusetts in a Mens' division finishing in 2nd place at the Massachusetts State Cup as the Pride FC Mens Team from Fall River coached by Bill Sampaio. He went on to play at the United States Futsal Federation Regional Championship games held in Monroeville, PA as part of the Santa Clara Mens Futsal squad based out of the Fall River & Somerset, Massachusetts communities.

Coach Bill Sampaio says, "It was right away that you can see what a top caliber player Wagner De Oliveira is on the Futsal pitch. Futsal is a sport that he has played since he was 6 years old. This past May I encouraged him to consider playing for Union University and I contacted my friend Coach Clovis Simas at the University." Coach Simas is a World Futsal Champion playing for Brazil, capturing that title in 1996. Coach Simas was quickly impressed with Wagner's technique and his keen desire to score goals. Wagner was offered a full scholarship to attend Union University and will travel to Jackson Tennessee on August 7th to join a strong Union University Bulldog soccer squad.

Coach Clovis Simas of Union University & Head Coach Marcelo Galvao of Oklahoma Baptist University, have both urged coach Bill Sampaio to encourage more local players to consider their universities. Sampaio, the National Director of Coaches for the United States Futsal Federation expects to encourage and assist more local standouts to these and other universities as well in the future. Coincidentally, Coach Galvao, is a former futsal player and is currently the President of the Oklahoma Futsal Association.

Wagner's younger brother Victor is also a lefty, like his brother, and plays soccer for Coach David Plourde at B.M.C. Durfee High School in Fall River. "It will be nice to play with my brother on the same team in the near future... If he can make it", says Wagner, jokingly.

PLAYER BIO:
NAME:
WAGNER FREITAS FERNANDES DE OLIVEIRA IPATINGA, Minas Gerais, BRAZIL
CLUBS:
JABAQUARA FC, VENEZIANA FC
STARTED PLAYING FUTSAL WHEN HE WAS 6 YEARS OLD.
CONTINUED TO PLAY BOTH FUTSAL AND FUTEBOL SOCIETY.
STARTED PLAYING ORGANIZED SOCCER WHEN HE WAS 13 YEARS OLD,
PRACTICING 4 TIMES A WEEK AND GAMES ON WEEK-ENDS.
THOUGHOUT HIS CAREER, WAGNER HAS PLAYED LEFT WING, STRIKER, MIDFIELD
AND GOALIE.