Looks like we probably won't get anything official from SMU today, but there hasn't been any evidence we didn't get all of our commits signed, so here we go:
----------------------------
Lissi Lonsberry (MF, 5'8", Southlake / Southlake Carroll, Dallas Texans / topdrawer 4-star, 11 in Texas - ESPN 110 nationally)
11 goals and 1 assist so far in ECNL action this year. As mentioned earlier Lonsberry is contributing a lot of offense to the ESPN No. 1 ranked girls winter team in the country who is now 13-0 after another victory last night.
Lonsberry will certainly play a lot of minutes right from the start, and it will be exciting to see her add another dimension to our midfield with Mallory Baum and Rikki Clarke. A definite big-time player.
----------------------------
Shannon Moroney (GK, 5'11", Allen / Allen, D'Feeters / topdrawer 4-star)
Moroney has played 15 ECNL (B) games this season, and the team has given up less than one goal per game. She is also currently the captain of her high school team.
Obviously with two years in the system and working with Joe, Lauryn Bodden will get the first chance at replacing Courtney Webb in goal. Moroney has great size, and appears to have the pedigree to potentially push Bodden for minutes possibly even as early as this season.
----------------------------
Sara Watson (D, Flower Mound / Flower Mound, Dallas Texans / topdrawer 2-star)
Not too much available on Watson - she has played in a majority of the Dallas Texans ECNL matches this season.
----------------------------
Lauren Shroyer (D, Hinsdale, IL / Hinsdale Central, NSA Premier Fury / topdrawer no ranking)
No ranking on topdrawer doesn't mean no stars, it just means they don't have enough information. Shroyer's club is not in the ECNL, but they did win the U17 US Youth Soccer National Championship last year so she must be pretty decent.
----------------------------
Brooke O'Hare (D, Jacksonville, FL / The Bolles School, Creeks Clash (also listed with Ponte Vedra Storm) / topdrawer 2-star)
Once again, not too much out there unfortunately.
-----
Overall, not that bad of a class - especially if we hit on a defender. It is a bit of a regression not having a top-100 player like we have recently with Baum, Burgardt, Redman, and Clarke, but Lonsberry is not that far off. It would have been nice to cash the Big East chip in this season to land one more stud, but hopefully that will happen next year.
And, not to look too far ahead, our 2013 verbal commitment list already features three top-20 players in Texas so recruiting is still on an overall upward trajectory.
Bringing in a keeper and three defenders certainly helps throw numbers at our biggest need positionwise. Obviously, the key thing to watch this spring will be how SMU tries to replace Webb, Eidson, and Cox (as well as looking at how we might be able to fabricate some more goals). I fear Erwin is going to put Courtney Smith at center back but there is no use worrying about that kind of stuff at this point.
Go Ponies and welcome to the new players!