Feb. 3, 2010
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.--The Penn State women's soccer team was proud to announce the signing of five high school seniors to letters of intent to play for the Nittany Lions on Wednesday. Head coach Erica Walsh brings Hayley Brock (Acton, Mass.), Maya Hayes (Livingtston, N.J.), Briana Hovington (Lothian, Md.), Emily Hurd (Sammamish, Wash.) and Taylor Schram (Canonsburg, Pa.) to Happy Valley.
Of the five signees, three have extensive international soccer experience as part of the U.S. Youth National Team program--Brock, Hayes and Hovington--while Hurd and Schram were All-State and impressive standouts at the club level. All five will join the Penn State squad in August.
Hayes, a gifted all-around player, just returned from Guatemala in which she played a role in the U.S. U-20's CONCACAF Championship run, which ended on Saturday with a dramatic 1-0 win over Mexico. Hayes was a teammate of Nittany Lion sophomore midfielder Christine Nairn (Arnold, Md.). One of the youngest participants on the U-20 team, Hayes appeared in two matches as a reserve for the Americans who will participate in the FIFA World Cup this summer in Germany. Hayes played for the Montclair Aristocats under the direction of Ashley Hammond, who is now the head coach of Manhattan College men's soccer.
"Maya is a rare mix of true athleticism and skill," said Walsh. "She is one of the best attacking players in the country right now and is an incredible athlete, but also has a good soccer brain. Her time with the U.S. U-20 National team will only help to develop that and give her experience at the highest level. We hope to have her make an impact for us right away."
Brock, a speedy forward, has experience on the national level as she participated on the U.S. U-17 squad that was a finalist in the 2008 edition of the FIFA World Cup in New Zealand. Currently, Brock is a U.S. U-18 pool player. In January, Brock was named the 2009 NSCAA Youth All-American Player of the Year. Additionally, she earned her second All-American honor from the NSCAA in January to her already decorated career. Brock was an outstanding captain of the FC Stars of Massachusetts coached by Jason Dewhurst that claimed the Region One Championship in 2007 and 2008.
"A true goal-scorer out of Massachusetts, Hayley is an incredible athlete with an amazing nose for the goal," Walsh noted. "She will absolutely cause defenders fits with her speed and ability with the ball and will be a force for us up front from the very beginning of her career."
Briana Hovington |
Hovington, a defender, arrives in Happy Valley as part of the same U-18 pool from which Brock is a part of at the national level in addition to her previous U-15, U-16 and U-17 duties. Hovington will graduate from Southern High in Maryland this spring after spending her first three years at Eleanor Roosevelt High where she was a two-time NSCAA All-American her sophomore and junior years in addition to ESPN Rise All-American honors. She played her club soccer for the McLean MPS Dragons coached by Michael Calabretta.
"She is a virtual coach on the field," Walsh said of Hovington. "Briana is an incredibly athletic and communicative defender out of Maryland. Despite coming off an ACL injury we expect her speed, athleticism and understanding of the game to put her in the mix in the back for us immediately."
Hurd will join the Nittany Lions from the Pacific Northwest after spending her senior season playing with the Crossfire Premier '91 squad coached by Dick McCormick. A strong midfielder with a great touch, Hurd has captained Crossfire since 2002, a team that has won five Washington State Cups since 2003, which included a six-goal, three-assist performance by Hurd en route to the 2009 championship. Hurd is previously the Gatorade Player of the Year in Washington as well as an ESPN Rise All-American, NSCAA All-American.
"A true left-footed talent out of the state of Washington," said Walsh. "She's one of the best wide-players in the country in her class. An athletic and talented one-on-one player, she is a great crosser. Emily should be able to come in and make an impact for us right from the start."
A Pennsylvania product, Schram caps the impressive signing class by Walsh. Having played club ball for the Beadling Inferno, the six-time defending Western Pennsylvania Champions coached by Erik Duffy, she is also one of the team's three captains. At Canon-McMillan, Schram led the squad to the PIAA Tournament on multiple occasions, while being named the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Player of the Year in 2009. She also garnered ESPN Rise All-America, NSCAA All-Region, and Gatorade Player of the Year honors for her impressive senior year after collecting her fourth-straight All-District honor, third-straight All-WPIAL accolade and two-time All-State honoree.
"Taylor is a tremendously talented player out of Pittsburgh," Walsh said. "Her athleticism, ability in the air and incredible work rate will allow her to compete in the college game right away. She has a great brain for the game and will be a fantastic addition to the team."
More information about each of today's signees can be found in their personal profiles, already available, on GoPSUsports.com/sports/w-soccer. Click on the roster link for information on all the Nittany Lions.
The Nittany Lions are coming off their record-tying 12th-straight Big Ten Championship and 15th-straight NCAA Tournament appearance. Penn State returns six starters from last year's team and opens spring play later this month against West Virginia in Holuba Hall. Details about the spring schedule will be released early next week, right here, on GoPSUsports.com.
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