University of Evansville women's soccer coach Krista McKendree and assistant coach Matt Kagan have signed eight players who will join the UE squad for the 2010 season, including a member of Canada's Under 20 National Team. The newcomers include defenders Emily Schultz of Leawood, Kansas and Lauren Tiernan of Boise, Idaho; midfielders Carolyn Shenberger of Portland, Oregon, Stephanie Thompson of Evansville, and Vanessa Legault-Cordisco of St. Therese, Quebec, and attacking players Kaitlin Robinett of New Albany, Indiana, Breanna Beine of St. Peters, Missouri, and Erin Waldrop of Hoover, Alabama.
"I am very excited about the incoming class, and thankful to Matt for all of the hard work in helping get these quality student-athletes," McKendree said. "They will not only add to our team on the field but they are all truly great people as well. These girls embody what we want here in the Aces' family: great work ethic, desire to succeed, academic prowess, competitive attitude, strong character, and they all share the same goal of the current team, which is to strive for a conference championship. The girls are what make this program so special and there is no doubt that Emily, Kaitlin, Breanna, Stephanie, Erin, Lauren, Vanessa, and Carolyn will continue on with that tradition. We cannot wait for these eight young ladies to get here and start working toward achieving our goals."
Here is a look at each of the eight newcomers, who will join 16 returning players on the 2010 squad as the Purple Aces attempt to re-capture the Missouri Valley Conference championship that they last won in 2008. The 2008 squad won Evansville's fifth MVC regular season championship, sixth MVC Tournament championship, and reached the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in school history.
Emily Schultz---5'7 Defender---Leawood, Kansas...Blue Valley West High School:
Kansas 6A State High School Champions (19-2-0)...NSCAA #7 in the nation...Plays club soccer for KCFC Alliance...Team competes in MRL...Kansas State Cup Finalists 2005-2009...Kansas ODP State Team and Regional Camp
"Emily comes to us from one of the best clubs in the Midwest and can play in the back or as a holding midfielder. She has good size and reads the game very well. Her ability to connect passes out of the back will be great as we try and build from our back four. We think she can come in and challenge for a spot at the back and we are very excited to have her this fall."
Kaitlin Robinett--5'5 Forward--New Albany, Indiana...New Albany High School:
Scored 77 goals and made 24 assists in high school career...2009 District 5 1st Team...Plays club soccer for Mockingbird Valley Soccer Club in Louisville...Team competes in MRL...4 time Kentucky State Champion... Indiana ODP state team member 2004-2006
"Kaitlin is a dynamic attacking player who possesses great speed. She is another player who comes to us from a very strong and respected club. She will add depth to our attacking line and can get in behind backs with her pace. She is extremely feisty and fights to win balls up front. We think Kaitlin can be a goal scoring threat at this level as well as a playmaker in multiple attacking roles."
Breanna Beine--5'6 Forward--St, Peters, Missouri...Francis Howell Central High School
2009 2nd Team All State...2nd Team All Metro...1st Team All Conference and GAC Player of the Year...Scored 23 goals in 2009...Plays club soccer for Saint Louis Scott Gallagher...Team competes in MRL and National Red Bull League...2008, 2009 State Finalist...Missouri ODP State Team 2007...Missouri ODP Regional Pool Player 2007...Honored as Saint Louis Soccer Hall of Fame "Future Soccer Star" in 2009
"Breanna is another player coming to join our Aces family from the Saint Louis area. She comes from one of the top clubs in the country and plays for their National Red Bull team. She is physical, strong, very fast and has the ability to score goals because she is a good finisher. She has great touch and will add another dimension to our attacking play."
Stephanie Thompson--5'6 Midfielder--Evansville, Indiana...Reitz High School
2009 Indiana High School 1st Team All State...2009 Evansville Prep Soccer Player of the Year...2008 Honorable Mention All State...55 goals and 46 assists in high school career...Plays club soccer for Fort Wayne Fever.
"Stephanie is the only Evansville native in this year's recruiting class and we are extremely excited she chose to stay in the city and play her college soccer here at UE. She was the City player of the year and is extremely versatile. She can play multiple positions and has shown the ability to score goals, be a playmaker, and she can also defend. Her club team allowed her to play aginst top level competition and that will prepare her for the Missouri Valley Conference and our schedule."
Erin Waldrop--5'7 Midfielder/Forward--Hoover, Alabama...Hoover High School
Plays club soccer for Birmingham United Soccer Association (BUSA)...6 time Alabama State Champion...2009 Southern Regional Champion...3 Years Alabama ODP Region Camp selection...Played 90 minutes vs Mexican U-17 National Team in 2008
"Erin comes from BUSA, which is a top club in the United States. She is a big, physical presence who can play in the midfield or up front. She has very good speed which will enable her to play as a wide midfielder or wing player for us. Her height gives us a target in the air and we think she has the ability to be a very good player at this level."
Lauren Tiernan--5'11 Defender--Boise, Idaho...Capital High School
2009 Southern Idaho All Conference...Capital High School Defender of the Year and Team Captain 2009...Plays Club Soccer for Boise Capitals...Member of Idaho ODP 2007
"Lauren is the second player in two years coming to our squad from Boise, Idaho. She is 5'11, which is a great advantage. She has good pace and covers a lot of ground. She is solid in the air and can use both feet. She is very clean with her distribution, which is a key element to playing in the back. We are excited to have her and think she is going to be a very good player for us."
Vanessa Legault-Cordisco--5'7 Midfielder--St. Therese, Quebec Canada...Shattuck St. Mary's High School
Plays for Shattuck Saint Mary's U-18 team...Member of the Under 20 Canadian National Team...Canada Games All Star...Scored game winning goal at Under 20 World Cup qualifiers against Guatemala...Played 90 minutes against Gautemala and Cuba for National Team
"Vanessa has spent the last year at Shattuck Saint-Mary's in Minnesota. Vanessa is part of the Under 20 Canadian National Team at the age of 17. Her experience at the international level will pay dividends for her as well as our program. She is strong and fast and can play a variety of positions, and it is our hope that she will add another dimension to our attacking play. We think Vanessa can not only be an impact player for us but in this conference as well."
Carolyn Shenberger--5'8 Midfielder--Portland, Oregon
Plays club soccer for El Dorado Eclipse(CA) and FC Portland...Ranked 8th in Cal North...Las Vegas Mayor's Cup Champions...National Cup Semi Finalists
"Carolyn Schenberger comes to us from Portland, Oregon. She has good size and athleticism, and has shown that she wants to be part of the Aces' family for a long time. She will add depth to our midfield corps and we are happy she chose Evansville."
