Sam Houston soccer signs seven
2/3/2010 12:00:00 PM | Soccer
Seven top high school seniors have signed letters-of-intent to attend Sam Houston State and play women's soccer for Bearkat head coach Tom Brown.
The seven players are:
Catherine Abitua - Houston, TX / Cy Creek High School
Emily Edenstrom - Wylie, TX / Wylie High School
Mallory Garthwaite - The Woodlands, TX / The Woodlands High School
Natalie Johnson - The Woodlands, TX / The Woodlands High School
Tricia Mallory - Spring, TX / Klein High School
Carly Rheman - Katy, TX / Katy High School
Gayle Ziegler - Richardson, TX / Pearce High School
"This is a great recruiting class," Brown said. "The members of this signing class have achieved high school and club state championships, participated in the top club programs and earned lots of individual recognition. I am excited about how this recruiting class will continue the successful rebuilding of the Sam Houston State soccer team."
Brown, who begins his third year at Sam Houston in 2010, has directed the Bearkat program to its two most successful seasons and its highest Southland Conference finish. Sam Houston won nine matches in both 2008 and 2009 and finished fourth in the league last fall. The 2009 team reached the Southland Conference post-season tournament semifinals.
"We are setting our goals for next season very high," Brown said. "We return a high number of starting players and add a great recruiting class. We will be very young but we will be very talented."
Career highlights for each of the seven soccer signees:
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CATHERINE ABITUA "Cat has terrific speed and is very gifted at serving the ball. She will be a terrific flank player for us." Club Team: Challenge 92 Blitz (Current): Coach Ashley Smith |
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EMILY EDENSTROM Club Teams: High School: Wylie (Wylie, TX): Coach Chris Bezner
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MALLORY GARTHWAITE "She is one of the hardest working goalkeepers I have seen. Mallory is a very good shot-stopper and great leader from the back." Club Team: High School: The Woodlands (The Woodlands, TX): Coach Dina Graves
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NATALIE JOHNSON "She is a very good forward with quick speed who can finish very well. She is also versatile enough to play as a wide defender." Club Team: High School: The Woodlands (The Woodlands, TX): Coach Dina Graves
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TRICIA MALLORY "Tricia is a very good ball winner in the midfield who can play the simple forward pass to get the attack going. She can score equally well with her head or foot." Club Team: Challenge 92 (2001-current): Coach Pat O'Toole High School: Klein (Spring, TX): Coach Kit Miller
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CARLY RHEMAN "Carly is a great defender who can play central or wide. I believe she is a tough tackler who also possesses the skill to join the attack." Club Team: High School: Katy (Katy, TX): Coach Dianne Loftin
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GAYLE ZIEGLER "Gayle plays as a wide defender. She has had success with a state championship in high school last year. She is a strong tackler, good crosser of the ball and has a long throw-in." Club Team: Solar 92 (2002-current): Coach Fleur Benatar High School: J.J. Pearce (Richardson, TX): Coach Oscar Borgarello |
