April 16, 2010
NORFOLK, Va. - The ODU women's soccer team will welcome in an incoming class of seven in 2010, as head coach Joe Pereira announced his recruits that have committed to ODU with National Letters of Intent. Joining the Lady Monarchs in the fall will be Sara Brock (Lorton, Va.), Nikki Clarke (Annandale, Va.), Amber Cook (Clear Brook, Va.), Samantha Hinson (Chesapeake, Va.), Kayla Hufford (Orange Park, Fla.), Kate Kelly (Cranberry Township, Pa.) and Julia Stejskal (Springfield, Va.).
"This recruiting class meets the most pressing needs of the program which is not always easy, because of the recruiting cycle," said head coach Joe Pereira. "Of the five players we graduated, four were backs and we have three backs coming in with this class. We also had some scoring issues, so we are bringing in three forwards to hopefully address that. We are going to have impact players and we will have depth."
Sara Brock is a forward from Lorton, Virginia where she played four years at South County High School. The MVP and captain of her team in 2007 and 2008. She also participated in the Olympic Development Program (ODP) from 2003-05, including attending the Region 1 ODP Camp in 2005. Brock played for the SYC Galaxy from 2002-07 and then from 2007 on, the VISTA Fury in the Championship Division of the Washington Area Girls Soccer (WAGS) league.
Nikki Clarke will join the Lady Monarchs after a four-year starting career at Annandale High School. Clarke is a defender that has been named to the All-District team in each of her first three seasons, including First Team honors twice, and was also named Honorable Mention All-Met last season. She is a diverse athlete, starting and earning All-District honors on the basketball team, while also playing on the golf team in 2007 and running cross country in 2009. She has played with multiple club programs, most recently with the 2009 WAGS Champion SYC Galaxy and the Annandale X'Treme.
Also joining the Lady Monarch defensive unit will be Amber Cook, from Clear Brook, Virginia. Cook is a 6-1 defensive player out of Loudoun Valley High School. She led her team to a AAA District Championship in 2009, as well as a run through the region semi-finals. The defensive MVP earned Second Team All-State honors, her second such honor, as well as First Team All-Region and All-District nods. Cook has played with the Loudoun 91 Red club team since 2005. Recently, the Loudoun 91 Red were finalists at the CASL Showcase, Disney Showcase and Virginia State tournament in 2009. She was also a part of the Virginia ODP Pool from 2004-08.
Samantha Hinson is a local product out of Hickory HS in Chesapeake. She is a four-year varsity letterwinner at forward for the Hawks, and is currently the team captain. She earned First Team All-District, All-Region and All-Tidewater honors for Hickory last season, earning Southeastern District Player of the Year. Hinson scored 20 goals last season, including five in postseason play. She played with the Chesapeake United Soccer Club and has been a part of the district and regional ODP.
One of just two out-of-state recruits this year, Kayla Hufford will join the defensive group from Orange Park, Florida where she attends Fleming Island HS. Hufford has played all over the pitch in high school, playing varsity since she was in 8th grade. Team captain in 2009 and 2010, Hufford led the Fleming Island High squad to a Region 1 Championship in 2009 and three more region finals appearances in her career. She plays with both the Davis Legacy Soccer Club, attending the Disney Showcase in 208 and 2009, and the Jacksonville Youth Soccer Club, winning the Florida Cup in 2009. She also participated in the Florida ODP at the district and state level.
The other out-of-stater for Pereira in this year's class is Kate Kelly, coming in from Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania out of Seneca Valley HS. Team captain and four-year varsity starter, she led the team in assists in 2009 and was the leading scorer in 2008. She earned All-State honors in 2009, as well as All-Section honors in each of the last two years. Kelly, a forward, led her squad to the league championship in both 2007 and 2009, while also earning two varsity letters for track. Her club experience comes as a part of the Beadling Soccer Club, winning the Pennsylvania West USYSA State Championship three years in a row (2006-08).
Rounding out the incoming class of 2010 is Julia Stejskal, a Springfield, Virginia native. Stejskal led the three-time Patriot District Champion West Springfield HS Spartans past defending state champion Robinson in the 2009 region semifinals with the game-deciding penalty kick. She has played varsity soccer since 2006, earning second team All-Region last season and First Team All-District for two straight seasons. A participant in Virginia ODP from 2004-07, she has also played with the VISTA Fury since 2005. She made the Super Y ODP National Pool Selection in 2008-09.
"The defense was good, but we needed to re-load there and we think we did that, and we also feel like we've done a great job looking for some help up top," said Pereira.
The seven new players will help add depth all over the park and should compete for playing time right away. Old Dominion went 7-8-5 last season, including four draws in conference play. ODU boasted four All-CAA honorees and two players named to the VaSID All-State squad.