EOU Announces 2015 Recruiting Class
LA GRANDE, Ore. – Eastern Oregon University Head Women’s Soccer Coach Justin Wagar as announced 19 student athletes to Cascade Collegiate Conference Letters of Intent for the 2015 season women’s soccer recruiting class.
Valerie Gaffney is a three-year varsity goalkeeper from Colbert, Washington where she prepped for Northwest Christian High School. Valerie was a first team All-League Selection her senior year for a team that was ranked top eight in Washington State and second in her region. Gaffney plays club ball for Soccer Edge Academy FC where she captains the team and has played for them for the past four years. She enjoys drawing and painting, tutoring elementary children at her church and plans to go on a mission trip through her school to Guatemala this year. She choose to play soccer at EOU because she liked the players and people she met there, the size of the town and campus and liked that the University has a good nursing program that she was looking for. Coach Wagar said of Valerie "She is fearless in the goal and is a good communicator. She has big punts and has good footwork to cover a lot of ground. She is also a vocal presence in the back and communicates well with others. We're excited to have her joining the team this fall as she will strengthen our goal keeping unit".
Jaelyn Yizar is a 2015 graduate from Highland High School in Pocatello, Idaho. Yizar starred in soccer as a midfielder for her team garnering All-Region honors all four years as a Varsity member, including 1st team All-Region for District 5/6 for both her junior and senior seasons, and 1st Team All-Area her senior season, 2nd Team as a junior, and honorable mention All-Area her sophomore year. Jaelyn is a leader and a hard worker. She captains both her high school and club teams. She played club soccer competitively for PVSC for years and currently plays for Xtreme Force out of Idaho Falls. On top of being a great soccer player, Yizar is a standout in the classroom as well ranking top 10 percent in her class. Aside from playing soccer, Jaelyn has coached youth soccer the past three years, she is a member of the NAACP, and was part of a fundraising committee for "Friends of Timmie Bowie" to help a friend battling a disease. She said she chose EOU because it has a beautiful campus, the students were warming and very welcoming, and it felt like the best fit for her academic career. Coach Wagar said of Yizar, "We're thankful to have Jaelyn joining our team this fall and know that she'll work hard to earn time and make an impact for us. Her athleticism, work ethic, and dribbling ability are top notch. I'm excited to see her continue her success at the collegiate level".
Zoe Anderson is a senior forward from Torrance, California. Anderson plays on the varsity soccer team for West High School. She was voted best offensive player her freshmen year, and junior year made 2nd team All-Bay league helping her team to a 1st place finish on a team that posted 18 shutouts that year. Anderson has scored 21 goals and recorded 13 assists so far in the past two seasons while her team is currently heading into the playoffs as the top seed in their division. Zoe played her club soccer for the LA Galaxy South Bay Elite. For track Zoe was a long jump CIF Finalist. Zoe said she chose Eastern Oregon University for many reasons such as the campus, academics, and coaching staff, but also because of the opportunity to play with a talented recruiting class and team. Coach Wagar said of Zoe that she's got tremendous ability as an attacking player that can run through opposing teams defenses. She'll make a great addition to our attack for years to come.
Megan Dimmler is a two time All Greater Spokane League 1st team central midfielder. Dimmler prepped for Central Valley High the two time Washington State 4A back to back champions. Megan helped lead her team get back to the state finals this year scoring the game winning goal in the final minute of the semis, and then notched one more in the championship game to help her team complete a 5-2 win for the title and a 13th place ranking in the nation. Dimmler plays club ball for the Spokane Shadow and also excels as the starting point guard for the state ranked women's basketball team. Coach Wagar says of Megan, she'll be an asset to our midfield as a very versatile, quick and athletic player that boasts a powerful strike and good vision for distribution.
Alexandria Cuaresma is a versatile forward and midfielder from Kona, Hawaii. Lexie is a three-time All-BIIF Division 1 First team selection for Kealakehe High school. Cuaresma was her team's leading scorer and leader in assists the past few years, as well as being team captain her senior year. Lexie plays club soccer for Kona Heat and Kona Crush Soccer clubs as well as playing futsol. Academically she scores in the top 10 percent of her graduating class and is a member of the National Honor Society with a 3.8 GPA. She is very involved with her church and youth programs at Kona Faith Center. Lexie said she chose to play for EOU because she really wanted to play in a beautiful part of the country that is green and has outdoor activities on the West Coast. Coach Wagar says of Cuaresma that she's a creative and crafty dribbler that is confident in taking players on off the dribble. She's athletic will play an integral part in our offense.
Robin Hood is a posting central forward from Lake Tapps, Washington. She attended Auburn Riverside High where she was the 3A athlete of the week and had the most assists in 3A for 2014 with eight while scoring five goals to make 2nd team All-League her senior season. Robin was a three year varsity letterman and played club soccer for Rainier Valley Slammers FC. Academically she was an ASB Senator and ASB Secretary during her high school tenure. She attended Running Start at Green River College her senior year and chose Eastern Oregon because it seemed like a good school and she loved the atmosphere of it. Robin also has a sister on EOU's team. Coach Wagar said of Robin that she's a good passer and creates opportunities for the players around her who can hold the ball and is creative in creating chances. She'll be a nice addition to balance our attack up top.
Hailey Cason was a four-year varsity letterman for Mountain View High in Meridian, Idaho where she was a stand-out player for the team as a midfielder. Cason was the team captain for her Idaho Rush Soccer club and was selected to the Idaho State ODP team for five consecutive years as well as to ODP Region camp. She said chose EOU because when she arrived on her first official visit, she felt like a part of their family. She also loved that it was a smaller school and the team was determined to be great both on and off the field. Coach Wagar said of Cason that she really impressed her future teammates when she came to train at EOU they all speak really highly of her as a gifted player that creates a lot of opportunities and has a good hard shot. I'm excited to have her joining our squad in the fall and that she'll fit right in with the talent level and ambitions for the program.
Abriana Cardenas is a forward and midfielder from Liberty Ranch High School in Galt, California. Abri lettered three years for Liberty Ranch and was one of the team’s leading scorers the past three years scoring 45 goals and chipping in with 20 assists. She plays her club soccer for Galt FC Heat United as a midfielder and forward for their premier team where she was the team captain for six years. Abri made the honor roll and principles list in school and was also a National Honor Society member. Cardenas was a strong student in agriscience placing first in state for FFA and 4th in the nation for Agriscience FFA. She received the "green hand degree", chapter degree, and state degree in FFA. Cardenas said she chose EOU for its beautiful campus and location on the West coast, and after meeting Coach Wagar and speaking with him made her really want to play for the soccer program and become a better soccer player." Coach Wagar said of Abriana that he likes her creativity with the ball. She's not afraid to do moves or take players on, she is a good passer and is quick and agile in the attacking end. She also has a knack for the goal and will be a contributor this year in our attack.
Madissen Ostergaard a junior college transfer from Highline Community College in Washington. Madissen, a versatile defender and midfielder for her HCC team played her prep soccer in Pioneer, California for Amador High School. At Amador she was a three year co-captain and varsity starter. She was selected to the Mother Lode League All-star team as a midfielder in 2013 as a senior where her team was CIF Section Champions, and she was a first team All-League selection in 2011-2012. While in college for Highline CC Ostergaard started in all 15 matches. She was an NWAACC All-Region team selection and academically made Vice President's Honor Roll both years. Her sophomore year in college Madissen was a team co-captain and a 2014 NWACC All-Star as a Defender.
Ostergaard said she's excited to attend EOU to obtain her Bachelors Degree in Health and PE with a concentration in Exercise Science. She chose EOU because of how welcoming and great the players were and looks forward to playing the next few years as a member of the team. Coach Wagar said of Madissen that "she attended our ID camp this past month and proved herself as a quality athlete and player. She excelled in both the testing, and game situations and impressed both our coaching staff and our current players on the team. She'll be a welcome addition to our team."
Allison Jordan a three year starting defender for Coach Wagar at New Mexico Highlands University (NMHU) will be transferring in the fall to play for the Mountaineers. Jordan is a northwest native that prepped for Central Valley High school in Spokane, Washington. Jordan was an All-League first team defender and All-League second team defender for the Bears who were the GSL League champions, District Champions, and finished fifth in state her senior year. She played in the Super Y league for ODP for Idaho and went to the Hawaii ODP Region IV championships. She played for the Spokane Soccer club who were the PSPL champions for Washington state her junior year and won numerous tournaments. One of Jordan's strengths are her academics though, as a national honor society member, she has continued her academic prowess throughout college as a Bio-Chem major she was selected to the Academic All-Conference team both her Sophomore and Junior years at NMHU.
While at NMHU, Jordan started all three years on defense for a team that twice qualified for the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference playoffs and was NCAA top 10 regionally ranked both years. She contributed to setting a new school record of 10 shutouts, and a new mark for least goals allowed in a season while posting the best winning percentage in school history. She was one of one of three standout captains on the 2013 team, a team that made it to the playoffs. Jordan also was a key contributor for the Spokane Shine's WPSL team to their first and only Women's Professional Soccer League title in 2012 as a starting defender for the team for two years.
Allison said she is really excited to have the opportunity to play her senior year at Eastern Oregon. She really enjoyed playing for Coach Wagar the past few years and is very fortunate to have the chance to play for him one more year. EOU is a great fit for me academically with small class sizes and great science facilities. I am looking forward to a fantastic season. Coach Wagar said of Allison that "She was such an asset to our team the past three years at NMHU, not just her 1 vs 1 defending ability, but her character, work ethic, and integrity as a positive role model for our team. Her teammates look up to her, and we feel blessed to have AJ finish up her career playing for us at Eastern Oregon this coming year."
Outside midfielder Kendall Loreth is a transfer player from the Eastern Washington University Eagles. Kendall graduated high school from Cascade High School (CHS) in Leavenworth, Washington where she was a four year letterman and varsity starter for CHS. Kendall received First-Team All-Caribou League honors both her junior and senior years and was an honorable mention selection her freshmen year and offensive MVP her sophomore season. She led her team as a captain to the state tournament in 2012 and to a league title that year, and in 2013 to the tournament helping her team finish top eight in state that year. Loreth played club soccer for the Wenatchee Fire, she lettered in tennis for two years, and academically was the salutatorian of her class.
Kendall said she chose Eastern Oregon University because "it fit her needs both academically and athletically and she wanted to be a part of building a program and hopefully winning some titles in the near future." Coach Wagar said of Kendall that "She's very strong and athletic. She brings pace and dribbling ability on the outside for us and has a tremendous work ethic in her training. She'll give us much needed depth on the outside and bring an element of speed and finishing capability near the goal that will prove valuable to us in big games."
Alayna Campbell is a two year captain and starting defender for TVCC. Campbell played her club soccer for Les Bois United and the Boise Nationals Soccer club who were state cup finalists her sophomore year and semi-finalists in 2010 and 2012. She went to high school at Rocky Mountain High who took third in state for the 5A tournament in 2010, before winning the 5A state championship in 2011. Campbell was selected to the East/West All-star game and was the RMHS co-mvp for her team.
In college at TVCC she helped anchor a defense that posted four shutouts and propelled them to a best 15-4-3 record. Campbell was honored with a 2015 All-Region Award. Coach Wagar said of Campbell, "She is a smart and steady defender in the back who reads the game well and has solid footwork. She will do good things for us on the back line, we're excited to have Alayna joining us."
Incoming Freshmen Hailey Hull will be joining the Mountaineers women's soccer team from 2014 Washington State High School champions Edmonds Woodway High School in Edmonds, Washington. Hailey was a key standout for her team as a 4-year varsity player and three time All-Conference selection, where she was honored as a 1st team All-Conference defender her sophomore and junior years, and then a 1st team All-Area Midfielder her Senior year. Hull, a two year captain scored the only goal to lead her team to a 1-0 win in the District Championship, then scored in the state championship game helping her team win the State title 2-1 over Southridge High.
In club soccer she had an equally excellent career playing as a central midfielder for the USYSA National Championship team the Northwest Nationals. Hull has played the last eight years of club soccer for the NW Nationals who recently won the Washington State cup title again in 2014, and was an ODP state team selection from 2010-2011 as well as an ODP Region camp selection.
Hailey has been an annual presenter for the Mark Overholt Sports Memorial Foundation since 2007 in honor of her Uncle Mark's athletic and life achievements after he died in a car accident at the age of 25. His competitive spirit and unselfish approach to teamwork and leadership have been an inspiration in her life. Hull said she chose EOU because she was really impressed with Coach Wagar and his enthusiasm and plans for the program. She liked the class sizes and the nursing program at EOU was a good fit for her and her future plans. Coach Wagar said of Hull that she's a great find for our team. She is a gifted athlete and soccer player with a tremendous work ethic and experience of the game. And on top of that Hailey is a wonderful person. She'll make a great contribution to our team going forward.
Goalkeeper Tessa Pitzer a two year starter for TVCC will be transferring to play for EOU's Soccer team her final two years of college. Pitzer is a 5'9 athletic keeper who helped lead the TVCC team to their best record in school history with a 15-4-3 showing this past year. Pitzer compiled 74 saves her sophomore season in college and posted 4 clean sheets in goal aiding TVCC to the farthest playoff advance in history to the quarters in the NW playoffs.
Pitzer prepped for Eagle High School outside of Boise. She was a three year varsity starter and was the number 1 5A District Goal keeper where she helped lead her team to a 4th place finish in state, to the district tournament, while landing herself on the first team All-Conference. She played club soccer for Les Bois United and Wolfpack United. Tessa said she choose EOU because of the outstanding reputation of the Universities teaching and education program and the location of the campus. Coach Wagar said of Tessa, "she's an athletic keeper who is fearless in the goal, she works hard and has a great coachable attitude. She will develop into a solid keeper for us and ensure that our keeper position is extremely competitive for us from week to week."
Forward Morgan Delay will join the Eastern Oregon University women's soccer team as a transfer from NCAA Division 2 West region champions Cal State Stanislaus. Morgan is originally from Turlock, California where she played club soccer and was a six year captain for Turlock Football Club. She was an academic honor roll student in high school all four years at Turlock High School, and was a key offensive player to leading her team to back to back to back to back league titles all four years. Delay was honored with three first team All-League selections, offensive MVP two years, leading scorer and assists on the team, and was a multiple year captain. Presently in her free time she coaches high school soccer as the Turlock JV coach.
Morgan said she chose to transfer and play for EOU because she felt the school is an amazing place for being a math major and will help her to further her future in a math education career. She is also excited to be joining the soccer team and becoming a part of an amazing group of girls. Coach Wagar said of Morgan that "she has blazing speed in the attack and is smooth taking on players and creating scoring opportunities for herself and others. She'll be a key contributor for the team offensively for years to come. We're excited to have her joining us this fall."
Anna-Marie Merrell is a two year transfer from Green River College in Washington. She played the past two years for Green River College (GRC) where she was a two year starter at outside mid for the GRC Gators. Merrell contributed two goals and three assists from the midfield from GRC. At GRC she was awarded the Outstanding Leadership and Achievement Award in soccer.
In high school she prepped for Kentlake High and was awarded the 2013 WIAA Scholar Award. She says she's excited to continue her soccer career at Eastern Oregon University. She loves the positive atmosphere provided by the team and she's looking forward to further develop her skills as an athlete at a competitive level as a Mountaineer. Coach Wagar said of Merrell that she's a hard worker and a good person. She exemplifies the character we want on our team both on the field and in the classroom and she'll add continued depth, competition, and experience for us in the midfield which will become one of our teams strong points this fall.
Emily Manchester was a four-year varsity starter at Goalkeeper for Mona Shores High School in Muskegon, Michigan. While in high school Emily was awarded All-Conference honors three times including 1st team All-Conference both her junior and senior years, 1st team All-Area, 1st team All-County, and 2nd team All-Area, and Honorable mention All-Area during her high school career.
Emily played her freshmen year of college for Muskegon Community College in Michigan a first year team she helped lead to nationals. For her sophomore year she transferred to play for nationally ranked Paradise Valley Community college in Arizona where she contributed to a 12-5-2 team record, 65 saves, a .855 save percentage and nine team shutouts on the season. She also finished top three in the Conference for goals against average this past season.
Manchester will be transferring with her Associates Degree to begin her junior year of college this fall at Eastern Oregon and we're excited to have her. She's a player that has already been to nationals once at the collegiate level and has proven herself as a leader in the goal for her team. Coach Wagar said that Emily will make a great addition to our goalkeeping corps next year and battle for time in the goal.
Kylee Taylor is an incoming transfer from Paradise Valley Community College in Arizona. She prepped for Kellis High School where she was a Peoria Unified School District First Team Selection 2010-2014. Kylee holds six school records such as; Single game goals (4), Season goals (19), Career Goals scored (58), Career Assists (40), Season Points (49) and Career Points (156). She was a First team All-Section Selection in both 2013 and 2014. And All-State Honorable Mention in 2012. Kylee played club ball for Banat Soccer Club, on one of the most successful teams in Arizona.
At Paradise Valley Community College in Arizona this past season as a freshman she led her team in goals as a forward this past year scoring 18 goals while contributing 10 assists. Kylee had a stellar freshmen season this year for Paradise Valley helping them to the league playoffs while being named First Team All-Conference and was nominated for the All-American team.
Coach Wagar said of Kylee that "She's a goal scorer. Kylee is such a smart player knowing where and when to make runs to create opportunities and has the knack and ability to finish her chances. She has a great strike and is a dangerous and versatile player in the attack. We're excited to have her and are looking forward to the havoc she can cause for opposing defenses in our league."
Krista Campbell will be coming to Eastern Oregon University as a two-year transfer from Clark College in Vancouver, Washington. Campbell was a starter both her freshmen and sophomore seasons in college as a center back where she led the team to the playoffs, six shutouts this past year, and was a two-year NWAC All-Star selection for her conference in college.
Krista prepped for Skyview High school playing for them for two years, and she played club soccer for FC Vancouver. Campbell said she chose EOU because she was attracted to the small school environment and because of how welcoming the team was. She also said she was impressed with Coach Wagar and his goals for the team. Wagar said of Krista that "what I really liked about Krista aside from her playing ability, athleticism, and footwork was her leadership ability in the back. She's a good communicator and organizer on defense and that makes a big difference in having a backfield that can work in unison as one."