Ohio soccer, field hockey sign new players

by Steph Woody
For the Post

In collegiate athletics, a time comes when an athlete must leave the field, court or rink to find a place in the real world. But for those teams who lose several athletes to graduation, a new recruiting class moves in to fill the gaps. Such is the case with the Ohio soccer and field hockey teams.

Nine soccer players have signed a National Letter of Intent to play for the Bobcats this fall. Among the signees, three come from the Cincinnati area, two from Strongsville, two from New Jersey, and one each from Dayton and Alexandria, Va.

"Cincinnati is inarguably the best area for soccer in Ohio," Ohio soccer coach Stacy Strauss said. "We get a lot of kids from that area. They like OU because it's close enough to home, but it's a different place."

Though the Bobcats soccer squad will return nine of 11 starters, Strauss said she was looking to add overall depth to the roster. Her primary goal was to recruit a goalkeeper and defensive players.

Strauss said she was excited when goalie Michelle Meglaughlin committed.

"We contacted her in June," Strauss said. "She called back in September to express interest, then committed early in October."

Meglaughlin was a two-time all-state selection who had 33 shutouts at Westfield High School in New Jersey. She led her club team to back-to-back State Cup Championships the past two seasons.

"Michelle was the best goalkeeper I saw in the country last year," Strauss said. "She will contend for the starting position."

Strauss said with the graduation of Erin McCoy, she needed to fill space in the backfield. She accomplished that in signing Crystal Reed from Mt. Vernon High School in Virginia.

Reed was a first team all-district and second team all-region selection as a junior and senior. She was named team MVP her senior year.

The addition of Sara Williams, from Cranbury, N.J. , will add strength to the Bobcat defense and midfield. Williams led her team to conference championships in 1997,1998 and 2000 and was a first team all-state selection.

"She's going to add a lot of hard work and heart," Strauss said. "She's a very good player who isn't nearly at her peak."

Kendra Hornschemeier will add to Ohio's midfield. Hornschemeier, from McNicholas High School in Cincinnati, was named first team all-city and all-state and was named MVP of the Cincinnati East/West All-Star Game.

Rounding out the signees are forward Natalie Grein, Gina Siedentopf, midfielder Ginny DuVall, sweeper Heidi Shumacher and Kelly Prandi.

"We added depth all over the field," Strauss said. "We're going to raise the level we play at. We need a good amount of players to be able to push each other to that level."

Field Hockey adds four to roster

Ohio field hockey coach Shelly Morris announced four high school seniors signed to play for the Bobcats.

The Bobcats return six starters and 11 players from last year's team that finished 10-10. In recruiting, Morris said she concentrated on getting a goalkeeper.

Ashley Pitkin, a goalie for Penfield High School in Rochester, N.Y., fulfills the priority. In her high school career, she accumulated 47 shutouts and was named first team All-New York State and all-county.

"She will challenge for playing time," Morris said.

Morris also looked to recruit potential offense.

"We needed to bring somebody in to help us with our scoring," Morris said. "I found that in Liz Unger and Lindsey Rothenberger."

Unger, from Monroeville, N.J, scored 53 goals her senior year and was a second team All-State selection. She was a three-year member of the National Futures team. Rothenberger, a forward from Fleetwood, Pa., led her high school team to two Pennsylvania state championships, in 1997 and 2000, earning a spot on the 2000 Mideast Regional All-American team.

Kristen Haan, from Lenappe High School in Southampton, N.J., tallied 37 career goals, 11 assists and 10 defensive saves her senior year. She led her team to the gold medal in the 1999 National Futures Tournament.

"The recruits will add depth to our team," Morris said. "We'll have fresh legs on the field."