Women's Soccer | 2/11/2016 10:42:00 AM
ABILENE – Abilene Christian head coach
Casey Wilson Thursday announced the additions of Shay Johnson, Brooke Lenz, Peighton Starch and Samantha Vestal to the 2016 women's soccer team. The four freshmen are all natives of the Lone Star State and will join a talented squad that was in contention for the Southland Conference title until the final week of the season.
The Wildcats only lost one starter of the three seniors from last year's team, which posted an overall record of 8-8-3 and 7-2-2 mark against the Southland Conference. They return, however, starting goalkeepers
Sydney Newton and
Kelsey Dombrowski, dynamic strikers
Dylan Owens and
Sophie Standifer, and a number of senior-level starters such as
Maria Gomez,
Natalie Throneberry,
Kelsie Roberts and
Alyssa Gerner.
ACU also will have back starting defenders
Chantal Kinsey and
Peyton Bucklew and midfielder
Leslie Snider, giving the Wildcats one of their deepest and most talented squads since transitioning into NCAA DI Athletics in 2013.
Though the Wildcats are returning a majority of their 2015 roster it's not a rarity of freshmen to crack the starting lineup and contribute quality minutes. All the aforementioned seniors, including the goalkeeping tandem of Dombrowski and Newton, have started since their freshmen year, and last season rookies Owens and Standifer combined for 12 of the Wildcats' 12 goals.
Short biographies of each signee are listed below in alphabetical order.
Shay Johnson | 5-7 | D | Coppell, Texas / Coppell HSA four-year varsity starter at defender for the 2015 6A state champions from Coppell High School, Shay Johnson will add depth to a veteran backline that currently features three-year starters Roberts and Gerner plus Southland honorable mention Kinsey and Bucklew.
However, her resourcefulness around the pitch will give her an advantage as she can play any defensive position in addition to center midfield.
"We are beyond excited for Shay's future as a Wildcat – she is a versatile player who has experience playing multiple defensive positions as well as center midfield … so I can see her being a weapon in the air and helping us quite a bit on set pieces." said Wilson, who is at the start of his ninth year as head coach. "Her ECNL background with the Dallas Texans will have her hit the ground running with us, and just this past year she led Coppell HS to a 6A State Championship and a No. 1 national ranking."
A three-time first team all-district player and team captain, Johnson plans to major in communication sciences and disorders at ACU. She was a member of her high school's National Honor Society and its Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
Brooke Lenz | 5-6 | M | Spring, Texas / Klein HSBrooke Lenz is a midfielder who comes to Abilene with top-level Elite Clubs National League experience as a member of Challenge 98. Last year her club team made the ECNL national playoffs and her high school team won district titles during her freshman and junior years.
"Brooke has played at a high level with her Challenge ECNL team, which will benefit her coming into the college ranks," said Wilson. "We're very excited to see someone like her here with great charisma and ability … she is the type of midfielder who is good on both sides of the ball, offense and defense – and she's also a very passionate player who leads by example. Brooke is a great fit for ACU and our team."
Lenz' individual accolades include three first team all-district citations, a co-MVP award and the title of co-captain, which was earned during her senior season.
Lenz graduated among the top 10-percent of her class and plans to study accounting or finance at ACU. She also played varsity tennis at Klein High School, which also produced current and former Wildcats Kaysie and Micah Hermsdorf, Andrew Hutchinson and Cole Lawson.
Peighton Starch | 5-4 | UTL | New Braunfels, Texas / New Braunfels HSWhether it's forward, right back, center back, or midfield, Peighton Starch is poised to fill any of these positions for the Wildcats once she joins the team in camp later this summer.
A four-time all-district honoree, Starch has helped New Braunfels reach the playoffs and attain a top-10 ranking in four-straight seasons as both a starter and senior-year team captain.
Wilson is excited to have a player such as Starch coming to Abilene because of the tenacity and grit she possesses on the pitch.
"Peighton is a very hard working, athletic young lady," said Wilson. "We knew she would be a great fit when she was one of the standouts at our camp. She has played multiple positions for her club and high school teams and her coaches have spoke highly of her leadership qualities. She can cover a lot of space on the field with her agility and has great ball-winning capabilities."
Starch owns a 4.0 grade-point average and has made four-consecutive Academic All-District awards. She plans to study physical therapy at ACU.
Sam Vestal | 5-3 | F | Odessa, Texas / Permian HSRegarded by Wilson as one of the best players to come out of West Texas, Vestal could give the Wildcats' a triple-scoring threat along the front line even if she produces even a fraction of her high school goal total at the collegiate level.
Vestal scored 14 goals in 2013 and hit paydirt 16 times in 2014 as her team won the district and bi-district championships. Vestal then scored 28 times this past year, which earned her a Wendy's High School Heisman award in addition to a spot on the all-district first team and title of MVP.
"Sam has received multiple district MVP honors and 20-plus goal scoring seasons," said Wilson, "and her soccer IQ and athleticism make her a threat to any opponent she faces.
"She is just as good setting up goals as she is scoring them and along with her goal scoring ability, her character is a perfect fit for ACU. I'm confident Sam will help us compete for the Southland Conference Championship and get us onto the national stage. She will be an exciting player to watch over the next four years."
Vestal's additional individual awards include Newcomer of the Year (2013) and Offensive Player of the Year (2014). She is a three-time first team all-district honoree who also has worked very hard in the classroom to make her school's A-B Honor Roll.
Vestal plans to study kinesiology at ACU and wants to become an anesthesiologist.
