Concordia Women's Soccer Announces 2013 Recruiting Class
PORTLAND, Ore.—Looking to secure the future of his national-title contending women’s soccer program, Concordia head coach Grant Landy announced an eight-member 2013 recruiting class on Wednesday.
All eight members of the recruiting class come to the Cavs straight out of high school, making it the largest incoming freshmen class since the senior class it replaces, the 2009 class that had nine incoming freshmen.
In alphabetical order, the eight recruits announced Wednesday are:
Maddie Aldrich (Spokane, Wash./Mead High School),
Olivia Brock (Olympia, Wash./Olympia High School),
Diane Dyra (Camas, Wash./Camas High School),
Bobbi Eckler (Vancouver, Wash./Union High School),
Mackenna Morton (Yakima, Wash./Davis High School),
Kiaya Paulsen (Lake Stevens, Wash./Lake Stevens High School),
Emily Ponce (Camas, Wash./Camas High School) and
Morgan Rooney (Tucson, Ariz./Catalina Foothills High School).
Of the eight-member class, two, Dyra and Ponce, come to the Cavs as members of the 2012 U17 National Cup-winning Vancouver United Timbers club team. Those two were also teammates at Camas High School in Camas, Wash. where Dyra played a versatile role as both a forward and defender. Dyra was named to the All-Greater St. Helens League second team as a senior at Camas when she scored 10 goals and recorded four assists. She was also a member of the Oregon Olympic Development Program ’95 team.
“I love Diane’s work rate and creativity,” said Landy. “When I saw her play last summer, she was all over the field, likes to be involved and is a good ball winner. She’s fit, strong in the air and physical, plus plays with a creative flair that you need as a central midfielder and enough grit to play on our backline.”
Ponce, meanwhile, still plays for the ‘95 Oregon ODP team in addition to her roles on the Camas High School team and Vancouver United Timbers. In addition, Ponce was a two-time All-Greater St. Helens League selection as a central midfielder at Camas.
“Emily has all the tools to become a very successful collegiate player,” said Landy. “She’s fast and plays big for her size as she likes to compete physically. We will probably utilize Emily’s pace as a wide midfielder or wide defender. Her versatility, speed and technical ability with both her left and right foot make her a great candidate to see positive minutes in the fall.”
Besides Dyra and Ponce, the Cavaliers also signed a pair of goalkeepers in Brock and Paulsen, who will each help replace outgoing senior goalkeepers Tori Talbutt and Robyn Neimann. Brock, Paulsen and returning sophomore Nicole Franklin will also all compete to replace Talbutt, a two-time NAIA honorable mention All-American, who started 68 of the past 69 matches Concordia has played over the last three seasons.
Brock, a tall keeper at 5-9, comes to the Cavs after starting at goalkeeper for the Black Hills United club team as well as for Olympia High School in Olympia, Wash. As a senior at Olympia, Brock was named The Olympian Newspaper’s All-Area Player of the Year, while also being named to the All-Narrows League first team. In addition, Brock was named to the All-Narrows league first team as a junior when she also made the all-state second team.
“I am so excited to have Olivia in a Cavalier uniform next fall,” said Landy. “Physically, she has an unbelievable ceiling as a collegiate goalkeeper. She’s tall, strong and has good hands. She can punt the ball a mile and makes good decisions. She’s a raw talent who I hope will blossom in our program with help from our goalkeeping coaches. The potential for her short and long term success is very exciting.”
At the same time, Paulsen comes to the Cavs out of Lake Stevens High School in Lake Stevens, Wash., where she was an All-Area goalkeeper as a senior and honored on the All-WESCO North first team. Paulsen also starts at goalkeeper for the Snohomish United G94 Black club team and led the team to the semifinals of the Washington State Championship Cup with the lowest goals against average in her club’s league during the 2012 season.
“Kiaya came to our ID camp last spring and really impressed our goalkeeper coaches,” said Landy. “She possesses all those intangible qualities that will make her progress at the college level. Kiaya is explosive between the posts, reacts well to shots and is a good distributor. I think she is a perfect fit for our goalkeeping group because she has so much potential and likes to work.”
In addition to having to replace Talbutt at goalkeeper, though, the Cavs will also have to replace three players off last season’s starting backline, including first-team NAIA All-American Jenna Peterson.
Rooney, a 5-6 defender out of Catalina Foothills High School in Tucson, Ariz. as well as the Tucson Soccer Academy (TSA), will help the Cavs replace that loss. Rooney was part of two state championship-winning teams at Catalina Foothills High School, and captained her team as a senior. Her TSA club team also won the Arizona state championship in 2012.
“Morgan comes to us with great high school and club success in Tucson,” said Landy. “That experience will help her transition to helping our backline, either wide or at center back. Morgan is fast, athletic and good with the ball at her feet. She likes to get forward and impact the game. She will fit in great with our team, both on and off the field.”
The final three members of the Cavalier recruiting class—Morton, Eckler and Aldrich—all played centrally or up front for their high school or club teams.
Morton comes to the Cavs after playing at Davis High School in Yakima, Wash. Morton led her Davis team in goals and assists during all four seasons of high school and was named an all-league selection after all four seasons as well. In addition, Morton was named the Yakima Valley Player of the Year as a junior and the Columbia Basin Player of the Year as a senior. Meanwhile, Morton also plays for the Pacific Northwest Soccer Club and completed a European tour with the team in 2009.
“Mackenna helps give us another strong attacking player in our arsenal,” said Landy. “She brings good experience to our program from the club and high school level. She can score goals and is strong with her back to the goal and in tight spaces. Mackenna is great about finding space in and around the 18-yard box and firing shots on frame. I look forward to her joining our program this fall.”
Besides Morton, Eckler comes to the Cavs out of Union High School in Vancouver, Wash., where she captained her team to a district and league championship as a senior. Eckler’s play at Union also earned her two all-league selections as well as an all-region selection as a senior. Eckler currently plays for FC Portland on the club circuit.
“Bobbi is super athletic and competitive,” said Landy. “She can play multiple positions, so I see her impacting our team her freshman season in the midfield or up front. Bobbi has good pace, and has experience playing several different positions in both high school and club. Her versatility will come in handy as we start putting our team together in the fall.”
Finally, Aldrich comes to the Cavs after playing centrally for Mead High School in Spokane, Wash., as well as for her club team, the Spokane Shadow. Aldrich captained her Mead High School team as a senior when she was also named an All-Greater Spokane League selection.
“Maddie is another strong player to join our program out of Spokane,” said Landy. “She has a tremendous feel for the game and reads pressure well as a center midfielder. She’s very good at switching the point of attack and linking up with attacking players. Maddie is strong and tall, and has good mobility both on and off the ball. I think she will have long and successful career in our program.”
Together, the eight recruits will inherit a strong tradition of success in women’s soccer at Concordia. As they enter the program, the Cavaliers have won 13 straight CCC titles and have made 12 straight appearances in the NAIA National Tournament. In those 12 national tournament appearances, the Cavs have made the semifinals or better six times, while also finishing as the NAIA National Runner-Up three different times.
“I am really excited to coach this group of young women,” said Landy. “The class is athletic and competitive. I think all eight of them will have a positive impact on our program and on the Concordia community. This group also comes in with high academic achievement in high school. From top to bottom, this is a deep class of student athletes that I feel will be a great fit within our program.”
The Cavaliers’ success over the next four seasons, meanwhile, will be at least partially up to the eight new recruits Landy signed Wednesday.