Feb. 6, 2008

Fort Wayne, IN - IPFW's second-year head women's soccer coach Margaret Saurin has announced the signing of 13 student-athletes to National Letters of Intent for the 2008 soccer season.

Saurin's 2007 squad was short on numbers (12 active players) and finished their first season in the Summit League at 1-16-0, 1-7-0 in conference.

Today's signing announcement will give the Dublin, Ireland native much needed depth and flexibility for 2008.

The following players comprise the Class of 2008.

Brittany Climmons
Fairborn, OH/Fairborn High School
Midfielder/Sweeper

Climmons was a four-year letter winner for head coach Donna Wager at Fairborn High School.  She was named 1st team All-MML and 1st team All-GWOC her junior and senior seasons.  Played club soccer for the Southside Rockers.

Coach Saurin on Climmons..."Brittany is a tenacious player with great physical presence on the field. We expect her to be an aggressive ball winner who keeps the game simple and helps us maintain possession after dispossessing her opponent.  Being the first female to run the ball into the endzone in Ohio high school football history gives you some idea about the athleticism and toughness Brittany possesses.It's great to have someone who has made history like that on our team and hopefully she will help IPFW women's soccer write its own page in history."

Shawna Follis
Indianapolis, IN/Martinsville High School
Midfielder

Follis was a midfielder for head coach Jon Marion at Martinsville High School.  Named All-Conference and Team MVP, Follis was also a standout in the classroom, garnering  Academic All-Conference and Academic All-State honors.

Coach Saurin on Follis..."Shawna is an outstanding athlete who is a solid defender but who is also not shy about pushing forward in the attack which will definitely give our team an extra dimension.  She is very versatile with the ability to play in either the midfield or at the back and her pace will be a great asset to our team regardless of what position she is playing."

Kari Gotschall
Fort Wayne, IN/Homestead High School
Defender 

Kari Gotschall stays at home to begin her collegiate career.  The former Homestead Spartan helped her team to conference championships in 2004, 2006, and 2007.  While playing under Jason Lee, Gotschall was named All-District and All-Conference in 2006 and 2007.  She was named 3rd team All-State her senior season along with being named team MVP.

Coach Saurin on Gotschall..."Kari is another one of our Fort Wayne players who we are very excited to welcome into our program.  She is an exceptionally versatile player with the ability to play any postion she chooses.  While she has excellent technical ability and vision, her intelligence on the field is what makes her as versatile and as dangerous as she is.  Her father, John, is an IPFW soccer alum so we are very excited to have her continue that family tradition."

Alaina Jones
Louisville, KY/North Oldham High School
Midfielder/Forward

Jones was a four-year letterwinner for head coach Jan Franson at North Oldham High School.  She was team captain her junior and senior seasons.  Also played basketball.  She was part of teams that won District and Regional Championships in 2006 and 2007.

Coach Saurin on Jones..."Alaina is a very solid midfielder with a lot of creativity and is an outstanding distributor of the ball.  She's not just about attacking though, she's a dynamic midfielder who will work box to box and is very strong in the air.  Her pace and understanding of the game will provide us with something we definitely need to be successful next season."

Justine LeBlanc
Orillia, Ontario, Canada/Sacred Heart Catholic High School
Defender/Midfielder

LeBlanc comes to IPFW from Sacred Heart Catholic High School in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada.  She has won numerous high school and club soccer awards including, 2007 Ontario Cups Champions, named Captain of the Ontario Youth Soccer League, and 2007 U-18 Club National Champions.

Coach Saurin on LeBlanc..."Justine is a defender who we project to play mainly right back for us.  She is a strong, fit player who with good man marking ability.  Justine's feistiness and intensity is something we feel will help bring a lot of energy to the team next season.  What's interesting is that she is playing on the same team with Jessica Scheffee so they should have an instant connection on and off the field.  Justine is a great addition to our program on and off the field."

Kristen McFadden
Dayton, OH/Chaminade-Julienne High School
Goalkeeper

McFadden comes to IPFW from Chaminade-Julienne High School in Dayton, OH.  She was a goal keeper for head coach Doug Lehman.  She won a number of awards in the 2007 season.  She was named to the Ohio South Senior All-Star team.  Selected 3rd team All-Dayton South and 3rd team All-GGCL.  Named by her teammates as the Varsity Captain and Defender of the year.  McFadden is the winner of five adidas showcase MVP awards over the past two years.

Saurin on McFadden..."Kristen is an intimidating, athletic goalkeeper with good presence in goal.  She is a fierce competitor who is not only a good shot stopper but can spark the attack with good distribution decisions.  Overall her ability will help raise the level of play for IPFW on the field next season."

Lauren McCracken
Georgetown, Ontario, Canada/Georgetown District High School
Midfielder

McCracken was a four-year starter for head coach Gord Swanson at Georgetown District High School.  Was a member of teams that won League Cup Championships in 2003, 2004, and 2006.  Played club soccer as well as Hockey.  Outstanding a both, McCracken is a two-time OWHA Provicial Champion.

Coach Saurin on McCracken..."Lauren is a quality, versatile left sided player who can play wide left midfielder but will most likely look to compete for a spot as left back.  As one of three incoming freshmen from Canada, Lauren will rely on her experience with one of the top club teams in Ontario to help her make a quick transition to the college game.  A pacey player who is a strong tackler, Lauren will be difficult for opposing players to beat and can be dangerous going forward."

Meagan McLaughlin
Warren, OH/Cardinal Mooney
Goal Keeper

McLaughlin patrolled the net for head coach Jason Kellar at Cardinal Mooney High School in Youngstown, Ohio.  Was named All-SVC and All-Columbiana County.  Played for CSA Impact Club Soccer.  State Cup Champions in 2002 and 2004.

Coach Saurin on McLaughlin..."Meagan is a very energetic goalkeeper whose biggest strengths are her ability to organize and read the game to take care of a lot of situations before they become too dangerous.  She has good athleticism and controls her penalty box very well.  Meagan played with Tara O'Toole at CSA Impact and also comes from a perennial state ranked high school team, Cardinal Mooney, so she's very familiar with performing well in tight, pressure packed games."

Kiley Miller
Cincinnati, OH/Princeton High School
Midfielder

Miller was a midfielder for head coach Scott Fussnecker at Princeton High School in Cincinnati, Ohio.  She was tabbed to be the team captain her junior and senior seasons.  Was a four-year starter and letter winner.  Played club for Cincinnati United Premier.  That squad won the Orange Classic, Germantown, Vulcan Cup, and Virginian Classic Championships.

Coach Saurin on Miller..."Kiley is a solid, defensive minded player who is most comfortable in the center of the park.  Her ability to break up play and win tackles will be a huge asset next season.  Her height and ability in the air will be helpful in defending set pieces and will be a potential weapon for us on attacking set pieces as she likes to get into the box to get on the end of crosses.  Playing for one of the most prestigious club teams in Ohio will also help Kiley in adjusting to the college game."

Tara O'Toole
Middleburgh Heights, OH/Holy Name High School
Forward

O'Toole is a highly decorated forward from Holy Name High School in Parma Heights, Ohio.  O'Toole's accomplishements include: NCL champs: 2005 and 2007; State champs: 2006; four year varsity starter; 9^th: all-league honorable mention; 10^th: second team all-league, all-city honorable mention; 11^th: first team all-league, all-city honorable mention; 12^th: first team all-league; all-city honorable mention; All-Sun Southwest.

Coach Saurin on O'Toole..."Tara is a terrific forward with a nose for goal as well as a solid target player.  She is comfortable either taking players on 1v1 or bringing her teammates into the game with her distribution.  Tara is an exciting player from an outstanding club program and has also helped her high school team win a state championship, we look forward to her helping bring similar to success to IPFW."

Brittni Roy
Kalamazoo, Michigan/Lawton High School
Forward/Midfielder

Lawton High School did not have a girl's soccer program.  No problem, Brittni Roy laced them up and played with the boys!  All she did was make the All-District 3 team last season.  She also was named to the All Courier Leader Team 2006, Loy Norrix Invitational Champions 2007, 2007 Division 3 District Runner-up, 3 year Varsity Letter Track, 3 year Varsity Letter Soccer, 2 year Varsity Letter Cross Country. She was a member of the Fort Wayne Sport Club.

Coach Saurin on Roy..."Brittni is a passionate player who truly enjoys the game and plays with a smile on her face.  She is a very good 1v1 player and possesses great pace. Having played club soccer here in Fort Wayne, Brittni is as close to a local girl as you can get without being from Fort Wayne and her play on the boys varsity team for her high school demonstrates her toughness and skill.  We look forward to her helping our attack score plenty of goals next season."

Jessica Scheffee
Oshawa, Ontario, Canada/R.S. McLaughlin V.I.
Defender

Jessica Scheffee comes to IPFW from R.S. McLaughlin V.I. in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada.  She will provide much needed depth on the 'Dons defense next year.  Scheffee was a two-sport athlete at McLaughlin.  She was named track and field athlete of the year in 2005 and 2006. Played Club with the Oshawa Kicks, winning Ontario Cup Championships is 2003, 2005, and 2007. 

Coach Saurin on Scheffee..."Jessica is an outstanding central defender who is great in the air.  One of our freshmen trio from Canada, she is a very intelligent player who we expect to help solidify our backline.  As a member of the Oshawa Kicks, Jessica helped her team to the Ontario Cup title in 2007 and her team was named the top team in Ontario that year as well so she'll bring championship experience to our program and help lead it into the future."

Kateri Till
Fort Wayne, IN/Bishop Dwenger
Center Midfield

Kateri Till comes to IPFW from just up the road at Bishop Dwenger High School.  Till, also a member of the Fort Wayne Fever, has built up an impressive resume including:Team All Conference-4 years, Freshmen year-conference champs, sectional champs, regional champs, semi state finalists; Sophomore year-sectional champs, regional champs, semi state champs, state champs; Junior year- conference champs, sectional champs, regional champs, semi state champs, state champs; Senior year-conference champs, sectional champs, regional champs, semi state champs, state finalists; ISCA High School All Academic.

Coach Saurin on Till..."Kateri is a Fort Wayne girl who brings great experience from winning back to back state championships with Bishop Dwenger as well as a final four appearance this past season.  She also has spent time studying and playing soccer in Argentina which was a tremendous learning opportunity for her.  Kateri has great ability on the ball is a very creative player with vision and passing accuracy to split open defenses. "

"It's a very big class," explained Saurin, "But, it's what we needed to do to get things to level we know they need to be and to get us to the level at which we want to compete. We're extremely excited to have such a talented group of players to join our returners to start a new era of IPFW Women's Soccer."

~Dons~