ABILENE - Abilene Christian soccer head coach
Casey Wilson Thursday announced the addition of a dozen student-athletes to the Wildcats' 2017 roster. This recruiting class is composed of 11 high school talents and one junior college transfer with a majority hailing from the Lone Star State.
ACU also has brought in players from New Mexico and California, lifting its overall roster total to 30 student-athletes. The Wildcats are already expected to bring back six sophomores, six juniors plus the senior class of
Megan Baer,
Peyton Bucklew,
Emily Duke,
Chloe Fifer, and
Chantal Kinsey.
A majority of the newcomers can play several positions. Three have experience at the midfield and on the attack, while four have spent time competing at all three field positions. ACU additionally signed two goalkeepers to join redshirt sophomore
Rachel Johnson.
Missing from next year's team are goalkeepers
Kelsey Dombrowski and
Sydney Newton, midfielders
Danielle Otto,
Kate Seay and
Leslie Snider, forward
Natalie Throneberry, and defenders
Alyssa Gerner and
Kelsie Roberts. Seven of these eight players were everyday starters.
"We are excited about this year's signing class after losing eight quality players to graduation from this past fall, said head coach
Casey Wilson. "Though we lose quite a few players we still have 11 returning veteran players who have played between 600 to 1300 minutes. We like the assortment of ability from this new class. They will make the returning players better and many should make an immediate impact."
This year's senior class has been part of three successful Southland Conference campaigns and own an overall record of 20-8-5 (.682) vs. the league. Despite this level of excellence, ACU was kept out of the league's and NCAA's postseason tournaments the past four seasons as the school completes its transition phase into DI Athletics.
This fall, however, the Wildcats will be eligible for postseason play along with UIW, which simultaneously left the Lone Star Conference with ACU.
Short biographies for each of the newcomers are listed in alphabetical order.
Christina Arteaga | 5-4 | F/M | Pflugerville, Texas / Hendrickson HS | Forza
Athletic Accomplishments
Advanced team to fifth round of the 2015 playoffs
Part of team that posted a 12-0-2 district record in 2016
Second Team All-State
First Team All-District
2016 District Offensive MVP
Three-time high school offensive MVP
Major
Business management
Coach's Quote
"Christina will hit the ground running with our program this fall and is exciting to watch. She is a very seasoned player with exceptional technical ability along with great vision. She is a furious competitor and likes to put the team on her back. Christina will make an immediate impact here at ACU and we are ready to get her in the mix."
Emily Goulet | 5-7 | M | Austin, Texas / McCallum High School | River City Rangers
Athletic Accomplishments
High school team's leading scorer during junior year
Helped lead McCallum to three consecutive district titles from 2014 to 2016 with combined record of 39-12-1
Four-year varsity starter
Senior team captain
Tournament MVP and all-tournament honoree
Part of a River City Rangers club team that won the 2014 South Texas Championship
Track and field letterwinner and area qualifier in the 300m hurdles and 4x100m relay
Academic Awards
ACU Presidential Scholarship recipient
Three-time Academic All-District
Kiwanis Club Sophomore of the Year
National Honor Society
Trustees Award recipient
Major
Business
Coach's Quote
"Emily is a quality athlete who will bring a lot to our program. She has the ability to play multiple positions which is always a plus with us. We got to see Emily play a lot at our camp and watched her flourish with her classmates. Emily's attitude and work ethic will be great to add to this program and we're excited to have her on our team."
Brittney Harris | 5-5 | M | Rio Rancho, N.M. / Rio Rancho HS | New Mexico Rush
Athletic Accomplishments
Top Drawer Soccer 3-Star Recruit
Averages eight goals and 16 assists per season
Played for Rush Select National Team
State champion with New Mexico Rush
NPL All-Star Team
ODP five-year captain
Four-year letter winner and senior year team captain
Second Team All-State, All-Metro
First Team All District
2016 State Champion with New Mexico Rush
Part of three district championship teams
High school team ranked sixth in nation in 2014 and was the state runner-up
Academic Awards
Principal's Honor Roll
Academic First Team
Major
Business Management
Coach's Quote
"We are excited about Brittney. She is very polished at the center midfield position with a strong leg. She distributes the ball well and is always thinking a few steps ahead, which is critical in that position. She has demanding presence in the midfield. We expect Brittney to have a great career here."
Haleigh Heath | 5-6 | GK | Pflugerville, Texas / Vandegrift HS | Lonestar ECNL
Athletic Accomplishments
Played for Elite Futbol International team at the Dana Cup in Demark in 2014
2014 Dana Cup Champion, becoming first team in cup history to win with zero goals against
Posted 37 clean sheets between sophomore and junior seasons
2013-14 Florida State Cup champion with IMG Academy
District, Bi-District, Area and Regional champion in 2014-15
Regional finalist in 2015-16
Two-time all-district honoree
Team MVP
Academic Awards
Two-time Academic All-District
National Honor Society Member
National Spanish Honor Society Member
Member of PALS teen mentoring initiative and Fellowship of Christian Athletes
Major
Nursing
Coach's Quote
"Haleigh was our first commit in the 2017 class when she committed as a sophomore. She is very passionate about the game and is always looking to refine her skill and position. As soon as Haleigh stepped on campus we knew she was a great fit for ACU. She is going to have a big role to fill following Sydney and Kelsey. She will be challenging for the starting position with Rachel (Johnson) in the fall."
Emily Heidman | 5-6 | F/M | Rowlett, Texas / Rowlett HS | Sting ECNL
Athletic Accomplishments
2015 District Newcomer of the Year
2016 District Utility Player of the Year
Major
Nursing
Coach's Quote
"Emily is a great athlete. She has the ability to play multiple positions on the field. She has primarily been a forward but has the skill set to be able to play anywhere. The first thing we noticed about Emily was her competitive nature. She is well rounded in the attack to where she likes to give assists just as much as she likes to score goals. We see great things in Emily's future here at ACU."
Baylee Hux | 5-2 | D/M/F | Coppell, Texas / Coppell HS | Dallas Texans
Athletic Accomplishments
Varsity captain
Second Team All-District
Second Team NEPS
Academic Awards
National Honor Society
Major
Psychology
Coach's Quote
"Baylee is another quality athlete who has the ability and speed to play both up top for us along with the outside back positions. She comes from a solid background of club soccer and a powerhouse high school program at Coppell. She has great leadership qualities and we are thrilled about adding Baylee."
Mary Moore | 5-5 | F/M/D | Arlington, Texas / Arlington Martin HS | Solar ECNL
Athletic Accomplishments
Top goal scorer 2015 and 2016
Named as player to be watched by college coaches after freshman year of high school
Named on Top Drawer Soccer as one of the top 100 players to watch
4 year varsity letter winner
2016 First Team District 4-6A
2015 District 4-6A Attacker of the Year
2014 District 3-5A Attacker of the Year
Top goal scorer in 2015-2016 with 25 goals and 19 assists
Part of a high school team that won the 2014, 2015 and 2016 district champions, and the
2015 and 2016 bi-district championships
Area champs and Regional semi finalist
Advanced to regional finals in 2016
Made national playoffs in 2014 with Solar Chelsea ECNL, and was part of team ranked among the top 20 in the nation
Academic Awards
National Junior Honor Society member
Major
Nursing
Coach's Quote
"Mary will bring a different element to our diverse forward crew. She is very composed up top as a forward in tight spaces and has shown to be able to slot balls and finish well under pressure. Mary is quite an athlete as well capable to playing multiple positions. We are thrilled she chose ACU."
Hannah O'Donnell | 5-6 | F/M | Shingle Springs, Calif. / Ponderosa HS | Folsom Lake College | American River FC
Athletic Accomplishments
Two-year letter winner at Folsom Lake College
Scored 10 goals last season as a sophomore
2016 All Region and All Conference
Part of a team last season that went 17-4-4 and 10-3-3 in conference play
2015 Bay Valley Conference champion
2016 Big 8 Conference co-champions
Placed third at the 2016 CCCAA State Championship
Major
Psychology
Coach's Quote
"Hannah has proven over the past couple years to play at a high level of junior college soccer at nationally ranked Folsom Lake College (Calif.). Her explosive long strides and great touch on her passes make her a dangerous threat. We are excited about what Hannah will bring to ACU."
Isabella Sanabria | 5-8 | D/F | The Woodlands, Texas / The Woodlands College Park HS | Texas Rush ECNL
Athletic Accomplishments
Four-year varsity starter
Club team starter and Texas Rush team captain (U18)
District Newcomer of the Year for the 2013-14 season
Four-time First Team All-District
ECNL Nationals participant in 2015
Academic Awards
Academic All-District
National Honor Society
Spanish Honor Society
Major
Business and accounting
Coach's Quote
"Isa is quite a versatile player, being she can play anywhere along the back line as well as forward. She has a very dominant presence on and off the ball. She is solid in the back and is talented at attacking out of that position. Talking with her more and more we see how excited she is about ACU and we are just as excited to get her on the pitch."
Erin Smith | 5-6 | GK | Wichita Falls, Texas / Wichita Falls HS / Dallas Texans
Athletic Accomplishments
Made 40 saves as a senior in 12 games with seven shutouts, and was part of a team that's 10-1-1
Stopped 24 shots as a junior with 19-3-3 team
Two years all-district honorable mention as a field player
First Team All-District goalkeeper in 2016
Golf letter winner
Academic Awards
Two-year academic letter winner
Ranked 13th in her graduating class
Coach's Quote
"Erin is adding to the mix for challenging for the starting goalkeeper spot. She is just as good with her feet as she is with her hands, which is hard to find in goalkeepers. We have noticed that with her spending time in Italy training with some professional teams, this has made her an even more well rounded goalkeeper. We are ready to see Erin compete over the next four years.
Gabrielle Symmank | 5-7 | D | McKinney, Texas / McKinney Boyd HS | D'Feeters ECNL
Athletic Accomplishments
MVP following her junior season
Recipient of team's Bronco Heart Award
Won district championship with volleyball team
Academic Awards
National Honor Society
Three-time winner of an Academic Excellence award
Family
Grandfather, Bob Ward, was a coach for the Dallas Cowboys under Tom Landry
Major
Nursing
Coach's Quote
"We are looking forward to having Gabby here at ACU. Gabby is a powerful athlete who can play either holding mid or anywhere across the back. She has a strong leg, is a proven ball winner, and shows a lot of determination in her play. She has a great personality which will fit perfectly into the team. We are excited about her arriving on campus in August."
