Nine soccer players sign with Sam Houston
2/6/2013 2:00:00 PM | Soccer
Nine high school standouts have signed letters-of-intent to attend Sam Houston State University and play women's soccer for head coach Tom Brown.
The signings include Megan Bennett of Spring; Kyle Dick of San Diego, Calif.; Miriah Hadley of Grapevine; Jacey Hamilton of Waxahachie; Jordan Jarzombek of Spring; Allie Johnson of Allen; Madeline Panozzo of LaMirada, Calif.; Madison Sanders of Cedar Park and Shannon Shields of Tucson, Ariz.
"This is a very strong recruiting class than can help our team win and move us forward towards our goal of becoming Southland Conference champions," Brown said. "We graduated three defenders who had started two years for us. We brought in several players who will need to step in right away and play for us. Even though they will lack collegiate experience, we feel they are talented enough to have an impact for us.
"We are adding three west coast players to our team this year. Most of our players come from Texas. We are to continuing to recruit out west because we feel these are some very strong players who can add to our success. All six Texas players are playing in the ECNL, which is the strongest league in the United States. They have gained great experiences playing against some of the best competition all over the country."
Megan Bennett - Midfielder/Defender - Spring, TX
- Parents: David and Melodie Bennett
- Klein Oak H.S. (Spring, TX) - Coach Becky Cobb
- State Semi-Finalist in 2012. Three-time District Champions. She has been named 1st Team All-District and was the Newcomer of the Year in 2010.
- Texas Rush U-18 - Coach Stuart Fitzsimmons
- Participant in the ECNL.
- 3-Star Recruit from TopDrawerSoccer
- Why I Chose SHSU: "Sam Houston offers all the classes I want, has a great team and a great location. Can't ask for any better."
- Comments: "Megan is a terrific player who can play anywhere in the field. She is a very tough tackler and ball winner, who can score some very good goals. She gives us a great option as an outside defender or holding midfielder."
Kylie Dick - Midfielder - San Diego, CA
- Parents: Keith and MaryBeth Dick
- Grossmont H.S. (El Cajon, CA) - Coach John Neil
- League Champions and CIF Semi-Finalist in 2012. Scholar-Athlete.
- San Diego Surf U18 - Coach Ada Greenwood
- 2011 National Cup Champions. 2010 and 2011 Surf Cup Champions.
- Why I Chose SHSU: "I chose to come to Sam Houston State because I wanted something completely different then what I'm used to, everyone was very nice, and it's good for my major."
- Comments: "I am very excited about adding Kylie to our team. She is a very good midfielder who has gained some great experience playing for the San Diego Surf. She is technically very sound and she has a good defending sense to her."
Miriah Hadley - Defender - Grapevine, TX
- Parents: Miriam Fisher-Hadley and Ronald Hadley
- Colleyville Heritage H.S. (Colleyville, TX) - Coach Misail Tsapos
- Girls 5-A State Finalist in 2011. 1st Team All-District in 2012. Team Captain.
- National Honor Society
- FC Dallas '96 ECNL- Coach Ben Waldrum
- 3-Star Recruit from TopDrawerSoccer
- Why I Chose SHSU: "I'm so excited to play soccer at Sam Houston State University! The coaches and the team are great and I can definitely picture myself achieving my goals as a player and as a student at SHSU!"
- Comments: "Miriah is a very tenacious central defender. She is very good at knowing when to step in front of attackers and win the ball and is strong in the air."
Jacey Hamilton - Midfielder/Defender - Waxahachie, TX
- Parents: Jesse and Judy Hamilton
- Waxahachie H.S. (Waxahachie, TX) - Coach Jason Venable
- Two-Time District Champions. Twice named All-Region. Newcomer of the Year in 2010.
- D'Feeters '95 - Coaches Shea Wilder and Kim Colon
- ECNL participants the last three years. Region 3 Premier League in 2010.
- Why I Chose SHSU: "Sam Houston offers me a well-respected school and desirable location that will let me pursue my academic and athletic career. With great coaches, a strong team and talented incoming players I'm ready to be a Bearkat!"
- Comments: "Jacey is a very versatile player who can play all over the field. She is very strong in the air and has quick feet on the ball. When we have watched her play, she has scored some very good goals."
Jordan Jarzombek - Forward - Spring, TX
- Parents: Kristen and Michael Jarzombek
- Klein Oak H.S. (Spring, TX) - Coach Becky Cobb
- State Semi-Finalist in 2012. Three-time District Champions. She has been named 1st Team All-District and All-Greater Houston. She has played on the varsity team all four years. Team Captain.
- Challenge '95 U-18 - Coach Pat O'Toole
- She has participated with the ECNL team in their national tournaments competition.
- Why I Chose SHSU: "I chose SHSU because of the soccer program and because criminal justice is my dream."
- Comments: "Jordan is a very good finisher. She can create space for herself up front and get the ball in the back of the net. She has a very quick change of pace."
Erin "Allie" Johnson - Forward - Allen, TX
- Parents: Diann and Stan Johnson
- Allen H.S. (Allen, TX) - Coach Kevin Albury
- First Team All-District in 2012. She was named the team's "Midfielder of the Year". She led the team in goals.
- Solar-Chelsea U-18 ECNL - Coach Chris Gangi
- Team placed 3rd at ECNL National Championships.
- She currently leads the team in goals and assists.
- 3-Star Recruit from TopDrawerSoccer
- Why I Chose SHSU: "From the first time I met Coach Brown and toured the campus, everything just clicked for me. I felt it was a perfect match to what I was looking for in a college. Plus, as an added bonus, it's far enough away, to be away from home, but close enough to go home when I want."
- Comments: "Allie is a left sided player who is a very good finisher. She can score goals in all sorts of ways. She works very hard off the ball and is good at combining with her teammates."
Madeline Panozzo - Forward - LaMirada, CA
- Parents: Chris and April Panozzo
- LaMirada H.S. (LaMirada, CA) - Coach David Christensen
- CIF Quarter-Finalists the last two years. Named 1st Team All-League, 1st Team All-Area, and All-CIF last year. She received the Most Valuable Offensive Player award for her team.
- Tustin United White '95 - Coach Shawn Kaddoura
- Quarter-Finalists at the Southern California National Cup in 2012. 2011 Champions at the Nomads and West Coast Classic Tournaments.
- Why I Chose SHSU: "I came to Sam Houston by chance, meeting Coach Brown. I am very excited to play for the Bearkats with Coach Brown and Coach Flaherty. I have started new friendships with my incoming freshmen teammates and I cannot wait to come to Texas and spread my wings, eat some good BBQ and start college with the goal of being a talk show host."
- Comments: "Maddy has unbelievable speed and can get behind defenders with ease. She also works very hard when the other team's defenders do get the ball and often pressures them into making mistakes or giving the ball away."
Madison Sanders - Defender - Cedar Park, TX
- Parents: Cheryl and Wade Sanders
- Cedar Park H.S. (Cedar Park, TX) - Coach Jennifer Womack
- State Semi-Finalist in 2012. All-District in 2012.
- Lonestar SC '96 ECNL - Coaches Don Cameron and JD Cochran
- ECNL National Champions in 2011. State Cup Champions and Region 3 Finalist in 2010. ECNL Sweet Sixteen in 2012.
- Why I Chose SHSU: "I chose Sam Houston because it provides me with a great combination of academics and athletics. I believe in Coach Brown's approach and fell in love with the campus."
- Comments: "Madison is a very good attacking defender. She has great speed going forward and is a very tough defender. I am excited about what she can bring to our team."
Shannon Shields - Forward/Defender - Tucson, AZ
- Parents: Maureen and Steve Shields
- Sabino H.S. (Tucson, AZ) - Coach Brenda Lowery
- 2011 State Finalist and two-time State Quarter-Finalist. Two-Time Team Offensive Player of the Year. 2012 All-Division II First-Team and All-Southern Arizona First-Team.
- 2012 & 2013 Top 10 Players to Watch - AZ Daily Star. 2013 Statewide Players to Watch List - AZ Republic.
- Tucson Soccer Academy '95 Girls Red - Coaches Amy and Todd Garelick
- 2012 Arizona State Champions. Third Place in 2012 Far West Region IV Championships. Finalist at SC Del Sol President's Day Tournament and Las Vegas Players Showcase.
- 3-Star Recruit from TopDrawerSoccer
- Member of Arizona Olympic Development Program.
- Third Place at 2013 Far West ODP Championships.
- Why I Chose SHSU: "I was looking for a school that had the right mix of athletics and academics. I plan to study Industrial Design with the goal of becoming an architect. Playing collegiate soccer is also one of my dreams. Sam Houston State is going to help me achieve both. The campus is beautiful. The Women's Soccer program is on the rise. From my first visit, I knew it felt right. I can't wait to become a Bearkat."
- Comments: "Shannon is a terrific athlete and a good goal scorer. She possesses a very long throw and that will add another opportunity for us to score goals."
Coach Brown Talks More About the Team:
- "All of these new players have had very good official visits to the campus and they have been able to spend time with our returners. With the modern social media, these players have been able to stay in contact and we hope that will help the team bond even faster when they report to training camp in August."
- "Our returners are training hard this spring. We feel this recruiting class fills some holes that were left through graduation."
Players Mentioned
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