Ladyjack Soccer Signs Four
2/1/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Feb. 1, 2006
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Stephen F. Austin women's soccer coach Jaime Frias announced on Wednesday the signing of four athletes to national letters of intent. Brittany Haugen, Jessica Huggins, Crystin Pactor and Kelli Wilson will join the Ladyjacks when they enroll at SFA in the fall. Three of this year's four signees have played in the Olympic Development Program and all four have played on nationally ranked club teams.
"This is arguably one of the best recruiting classes SFA has ever had," Frias said. "I expect these players to make an immediate impact within our program. All of these young ladies are very talented and compete for nationally ranked club teams. I would like to commend their club coaches for doing an exceptional job of preparing them for Division I soccer."
Haugen is a 5-8 midfielder from Littleton, Colo. She was a four-year letterwinner in both soccer and basketball at Heritage High School. In her first three seasons, Haugen has been named to the all-conference soccer team twice. She was an honorable mention selection in 2004 and earned first-team recognition last year. She has also won her team's "Eagle Award." Haugen has helped lead her high school team to the state semifinals in each of the last three seasons.
Haugen's club experience includes eight years with the Colorado Girls Soccer Academy, where she was a midfielder under coach Sean DeDyker. The team won Colorado's State Cup Championship in 2002 and 2003 and was a three-time finalist in the State Cup. Haugen has also logged two years in the Olympic Development Program. She played on the Colorado '88 team for coach Chris Kirkley.
Haugen is a three-year member of the National Honor Society and was Heritage's Student of the Month in March of 2005. Brittany is the daughter of Rob and Vickie Haugen.
"Brittany has all the attributes to be an outstanding defensive center mid or center back for us," Frias said. "She's tall, athletic, vocal, good in the air and a good distributor of the ball. She constantly wins balls in the center of the field and does an outstanding job of starting her team's counter-attack."
Huggins is a 5-3 forward and defender from Frisco, Texas. While at Frisco, she lettered in soccer, and also earned a track letter as a member of the 4x100- and 4x400-meter relay teams. Huggins' high school soccer awards include a first-team all-state selection, district defensive MVP and freshman of the year. She helped lead her team to the district championship.
Huggins has played on the Texans 88' and Sting 88' club teams for six years. Her squads have won both State Cup Championships and regional championships and have been ranked as high as third in the nation. At the Olympic Development Program level, Huggins has played for both the 86 state and regional team, as well as the 87 national team pool. She has spent one year on the youth national pool and another year on the youth national team.
Huggins is an honor roll student at Frisco High School. She is the daughter of Luther and Lucy Huggins.
"In my opinion, Jess is one of the best defenders coming out of Texas," Frias said. "She's had regional team experience and attended national pool camp two years ago. Her quickness and agility make her a great one-versus-one defender. She's also very comfortable with the ball at her feet and can attack out of the back with great speed. Because of her explosiveness, Jess will also be considered as a forward option for our program."
Pactor is a 5-7 goalkeeper from Houston, Texas. She plays for Lamar High School, where she was named freshman of the year in 2003. Pactor is an accomplished club player who is used to winning. In four years minding the nets for the Challenge 88 squad, she has been a part of three consecutive state championships. Her team won the titles in 2003, '04 and '05 and finished second at the regional competition in 2003 and '04. The Challenge also finished second at both the 2003 Disney Soccer Showcase and the Alamo Cup in 2004. The team has been ranked as high as fifth in the nation. Pactor played for the South Texas state team of the Olympic Development Program in 2003.
Crystin is the daughter of Alan and Roz Pactor.
"Crystin is a very aggressive goalkeeper and one that takes command of her box," Frias said. "She does well defending, one-versus-one, and is superb at challenging through balls within 20 yards of her goal. She's a very vocal goalkeeper, which helps her in organizing the back line."
Wilson is a 5-7 midfielder and forward from Plano, Texas. She lettered all four years at Plano West High School. Wilson was a first-team all-region selection in 2005 and has been named The Dallas Morning News Player of the Week on several occasions during her career. She was named team captain for the 2006 season. Her Plano West team won the Class 5A, Region II championship in 2003 and 2005 and was a regional semifinalist in 2004.
Wilson is an eight-year club soccer player. She's spent the last three on the Dallas Texans Red team, playing for coach Keri Riley Stark. In that time span, her team has enjoyed tremendous success. The Texans were the 2005 Lake Highlands Division I grand champions and spring champions. Last year, they also finished second in the USYSA Region III Western Premier League and reached the finals of the North Texas State Cup. The Texans won the North Texas State Cup in 2004 and reached the quarterfinals of the USYSA Region III championships. They were also a semifinalist in the Spring Classic at Dallas Cup last year and won the Plano Labor Day Championship. In 2003, the Texans were the runners-up in the USYSA Region III Western Premier League and were semifinalists in the Surf Cup. The team was ranked as high as third in the nation in 2005 and seventh in 2004.
Wilson is on the honor roll at Plano West. She is the daughter of John and Jane Wilson.
"Kelli is one of those players that is always cool, calm, and collected, no matter how important or how much pressure there is on a game," Frias said. "This quality and her ability to distribute the ball and connect passes will make her an excellent midfielder for us. What impresses me the most about Kelli is that for a young player she reads the game very well."
The four prep recruits bring this year's signing total to six. The Ladyjacks added transfers Rachel Schwind and Lauren Fricks from Texas Tech at the beginning of this semester. Frias expects his signees to play a big role in helping SFA add to its current run of back-to-back Southland Conference championships.
"What I like most about these girls is that they're pure competitors," the coach said. "This quality will help them transition into our training environment and the demands of next year's season."
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