SMU Women's Soccer Announces 12 New Signees

[PonyPride]

SMU Women's Soccer Announces 12 New Signees
Class includes two players ranked among nation's top 100

Feb. 4, 2009

DALLAS (SMU) - SMU women's soccer head coach Brent Erwin announced Wednesday the signing of 12 players who will join the Mustangs' roster next fall.

"We're very excited to get this group of players in our program," Erwin said. "We have been working for a long time on this group, and we're excited this day has come and that they're officially SMU Mustangs.

"We're in the mode of building the team to be able again to challenge for and win Conference USA championships, and to win games and advance in NCAA tournament, and this class is another step in that process. We have a very good group of players returning with our team right now. We have about 15 players who either started or played significant minutes against one of the toughest schedules in the country in 2008, and the experience of these returning players, combined with the work ethic and talent of the players coming in, will only help us to achieve our goals."

Mallory Baum is a 5-9 midfielder from Fort Worth (Nolan Catholic), Texas, who is ranked as the No. 40 player in the country by topdrawersoccer.com. A three-time Div. 1 All-Texas Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS) honoree, including appearances on the first team in 2007 and 2008, Baum was named to the TAPPS all-tournament team and to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Super Team. A member of the Dallas Texans Red '91 club team, she helped her team win Southern Region championships in 2006, 2007 and 2008 and the national championship in 2008 (finishing second in 2007 and third in 2006). During her tenure, the Texans also were North Texas State Cup champions in 2003, 2004, 2007 and 2008, and finalists in 2005 and 2006. The team won the Lake Highlands Girls Classic League Division 1 title from 2003-07, and the Disney Showcase championship in 2008. Baum is a member of the Olympic Development Program (ODP) North Texas team and helped lead her team to the ODP national championship in 2008.

"Mallory is a very talented player and a key player on the Dallas Texans, the No. 1 club team in the country - a team that just won a national championship with a coach (Ryan Higginbotham) who just was named National Coach of the Year. She also plays for one of the best high school teams in the country in Nolan Catholic. Mallory is a true two-way midfielder and a wonderful passer of the ball. She is a player of tremendous quality who finds a way to help her team win. She can attack and defend, and works hard for her team. She has been a part of so many successful and strong teams, and we can't wait to get her here with us."

Kellie Bohner is a 5-4 defender/midfielder from Yucaipa High School in Inland Empire, Calif. A two-time first-team all-league honoree, Bohner earned second-team All-California Interscholastic Federation recognition and was named league MVP in 2008. The two-time team captain and Offensive Player of the year also served as captain of her Arsenal FC club team.

"Kellie is a feisty, quick defender who can play outside or inside," Erwin said. "She's a good passer of the ball and has a wonderful work rate."

Sophie Bransford is a 5-10 defender from Ensworth High School in Nashville, Tenn. She plays for the Stones River Lady Strikers club team that won the Tennessee State championship from 2001 through 2008 and was a two-time Region III finalist. A member of the English FA Under-17 National Team camp in 2006-07, Bransford played in an international match against Norway in August 2007. A versatile athlete, she also is a starter on her school's state champion basketball team, state champion lacrosse team and a member of the state champion 4x200 relay on the track team, as well as a member of the 4x100 relay team that was state runner-up.

"Sophie is a player with tremendous potential," Erwin said. "She's a good player who has won numerous championships in numerous sports in Tennessee, has represented the English National Team at the Under-17 level, and I look forward to watching her play and develop over the next four years."

Hannah Carroll is a 5-8 midfielder from Redlands (Calif.) High School. Her team MVP, Carroll earned first-team all-league recognition and earned second-team All-California Interscholastic Federation and first-team All-Sun honors. She also plays for the Arsenal FC club team, where she is a teammate of fellow SMU signee Kellie Bohner.

"Hannah is a tall, strong player who is very good on the ball," Erwin said. "She can play either defensive midfielder or center back, and do well at both positions."

Calli Cooper is a 5-4 forward/midfielder who plays for Norman North (Okla.) High School and ESC '91 club team, and is the No. 75 player in the country, according to topdrawersoccer.com. A member of the Oklahoma Olympic Developmental Program (ODP), Cooper player for the ODP Region III team in 2005 and 2006, and played in the ODP national camp in Boston in 2004 and attended the prestigious adidas ESP camp in 2007.

"Calli is a dynamite player," Erwin said. "She is very good on the dribble one-on-one, she can score goals and is a fantastic competitor. She plays for a fantastic club team and we expect her to be ready to compete right away."

Emily Hairston is a 5-7 defensive center midfielder from Highland Park High School in Dallas, the Sting '91 club team and a two-time captain for the North Texas State team. As a freshman, she was an honorable mention Player of the Week nominee by the Dallas Morning News, and an all-district honoree in 2006 and 2007.

"Emily is a very good player who can compete at a defensive midfielder spot for us," Erwin said. "She also has a wonderful personality - she's one of those players people really enjoy playing with ... a great teammate. She's someone who people can look to in pressure situations, and she graduated early so she has joined us this spring, and will be training with us every day."

Shelby Hartweck is a 5-9 forward from Grapevine (Birdville), Texas, who has more than 100 goals and nearly 40 assists ... in just three seasons with the varsity team. The 2005-06 district Freshman of the Year earned district Most Valuable Players honors in her sophomore and junior seasons, and was named to the All-Region team, as well. She played her club soccer and was the top goal scorer for the FC Dallas '91 team, which won the state championship and was a Southern Regional semifinalist in 2006, Lake Highlands Classic League champions in 2007-08, 2008 Premier League West finalist and a 2009 Southern Regional finalist.

"Shelby is a fantastic goal scorer," Erwin said. "Anyone who can score 100 goals in the amount of time she has with her high school team, and with her club team, obviously has a nose for the goal, and we're confident she can come in and do the same for us."

Brittany King is a central defender from Santa Fe High School in Edmond, Okla., who played for the ESC '91 Black club team. A four-year member of the USYS '90 Oklahoma State Olympic Development Program (ODP) team and a two-time member of the USYS '90 Region III ODP team, King also is a two-time captain who has been a three-time three-time all-city and all-district honoree, and twice has earned all-conference recognition and twice has been named to the All-Edmond Team. A fast, versatile athlete, King was a member of the SFHS 4x320 relay team that broke the school record.

"Brittany is a very good player, one of the top defenders out of the state of Oklahoma, if not the top defender in the entire state," Erwin said. "She's another player out of the ESC (Edmond Soccer Club), which is an excellent club team. She has tremendous speed and is a great fit for our team."

Ryanne Lewis is a 5-5 forward from Sachse (Texas) High School who also has played seven seasons on the Sting '91 club team. Lewis started for three years at SHS, skipping her final season to graduate early and enroll at SMU in January. A first-team all-district honoree last year, Lewis led her team in scoring in each of her three seasons. As a sophomore, she was named team MVP and district MVP. As a freshman, she was named SHS Freshman Athlete of the Year, team MVP and district Newcomer of the Year. In addition to her soccer accolades at SHS and with the Sting '91, she also played four years of volleyball, starting at libero for her junior and senior seasons and earning team Defensive Player of the Year honors and first-team all-district recognition.

"Ryanne is another player who is a very good goal scorer," Erwin said. "She is very competitive and strong, with good speed, and she's very good in front of the goal. She has been with a successful club team, Sting, and she's another player who already has joined us and will train with us through the spring."

Emily Reagan is a 5-6 goalkeeper from Plano (Plano West), Texas who also plays for the FC Dallas '91 club team. A four-year member of the North Texas Olympic Development Program (ODP) program, Reagan played on the ODP state team three times (including the 2006-07 team that won the Region III championship), she also helped lead her club team to Alamo Cup championships in 2005 and 2006 and the Lake Highlands Girls Classic League championship in 2007-08; the team also was a 2008 Region III finalist, a 2007-08 Premier League finalist and a 2006 Region III semifinalist.

"Emily is a goalkeeper who has all the attributes we look for in a keeper," Erwin said. "Decent size, great range ... she loves playing and she just loves being a goalkeeper."

Taylor Robinson is a 5-4 midfielder from Oklahoma City (Heritage Hall) and the ESC '91 Black club team. The Daily Oklahoman's All-City Player of the Year, Robinson also was named to the Daily Oklahoman's All-City First Team and was the state's freshman single-season goal-scoring leader with 36 (and 24 assists). Robinson was a four-year varsity starter in both soccer and field hockey.

"Taylor is an incredibly hard working, high-work rate midfielder," Erwin said. "She's a little bit smaller in stature, but you'll never notice because she overcomes that with tremendous work rate and ability."

Mackenzie Scovill is a 5-8 forward from Lewisville (Texas) High School. Her team's leading scorer in her first three years and a team captain as a junior, Scovill was named LHS Newcomer of the Year as a freshman and Varsity Offensive Player of the Year in her freshman and sophomore years. She was a first-team all-district honoree in her freshman and sophomore seasons, and earned Dallas Morning News Player of the Week Runner-up honors as a freshman. Scovill is a member of the North Texas State Team '90 and the Under-23 Region III team, and the leading scorer on her Solar '91 club team for the last two seasons. Both of Scovill's parents are SMU graduates.

"You're always looking for ways to make your offense as potent as possible, and she's another tremendous goal-scorer," Erwin said. "She can score with both feet and her head. She comes from a very good club in Solar and has a great family legacy at SMU, and will be a wonderful addition to the university."

[mustangbill67]

Looks like a good class on paper. Two national top 100 players. Hope Brent can turn it around. I read somewhere that the men's class is going to be announced on the 11th.

[redpony]

I'm glad that the men's and women's teams have signed some significant recruits. There should be no reason not to expect to see each of these teams in the quarter finals of the NCAA tournament next year.
'Just win baby'!!! No excuses- just results.


GO PONIES!!!

[Dubbya]

NCAA quarterfinals? Don't outkick the coverage there - we had one team that didn't make the conference tournament, and one that went one-and-done. So while a return to the NCAAs is a realistic goal, I don't know that I expect a quarterfinals.

Got to admit, though - I'm thrilled to see a couple of NATIONAL top-100 recruits in this class. Congratulations to Coach Erwin and his staff. Good luck in '09.

[redblue08]

This is Erwin's first true recruiting class and a nice one it is... congratulations on a great job! It's too early to expect a conference title, but this is a significant step in that direction. Now it's up to the players to get the job done. This will be a fun team to follow.

[Contrarian]

"Unhappiness is best defined as the difference between our talents and our expectations."

~Edward de Bono