Ladyjack Soccer Announces Signing Class for 2017
2/1/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – Stephen F. Austin head women’s soccer coach Wally Crittenden announced the signing of seven student athletes to National Letters of Intent on Wednesday morning. This group brings a lot of talent to this historic SFA team, who went 13-5 overall and 9-2 in conference last season.
The class of 2017 is made up of six Texans and one recruit from Shreveport, Louisiana. The group consists of defenders Katherine Shoffner (Cypress Creek HS, Challenge 99ECNL), Lauren Prentice (Wakeland High School, Sting ECNL), and midfielders Sophia Fondren (Lone Star High School, FC Dallas 99 ECNL), Katelyn Termini (Frisco Centennial, Solar Chelsea ECNL), Destiny Davis (Samuel Clements High School, 98/99 Lonestar Red). There is also forward Sabrina Segovia (Klein Collins High School/Challenge 99 ECNL), and the addition of goal keeper Madeline Talbot (C.E. Byrd High School/Shreveport United).
“This is a really special class that brings in high technical quality, competitive spirit, and great soccer IQ to each unit of the field,” said Crittenden. “We also have players that will compete in multiple position groupings due to their utility around the field. All of these players are very coachable and are really hungry to make their mark in their respective position groups.”
Destiny Davis • MF • San Antonio, Texas • 98/99 Lonestar Red
Davis comes here from Samuel Clemens High School. During her time there, Davis was selected as the senior MVP for the Gulf Coast Classic in Corpus Christi and is currently amongst the leaders of all of San Antonio in total goals. The midfield is a three-time All-district nominee. Her freshman year, she was tabbed the Offensive MVP and 25-5A First Team All-District. Her sophomore year in high school included a move up into the 6A division, where she excelled as a 25-6A Second Team All-District, All-Regional Honorable Mention, and received the school award for Best All-Around Player. Davis was selected back to the First Team All-District her junior year, and made the Academic All-District Team in 2015. In the classroom, Davis has been picked to be a part of the National Honors Society.
Crittenden on Davis: “An elite level athlete and caretaker of the ball. Destiny comes to us from the Lonestar Soccer Club and brings with her great experience playing in the middle of the field. She has great height and speed and really good vision on the ball. Her ability to move the ball and involve her teammates continuously, without losing possession, will be a critical element added to our center midfield pool. She is also a goal scorer which is special. Defensively she is really good as well as she has the speed and mentality to chase down her opposition regardless of where she is on the field.”
Sophia Fondren • MF • Frisco, Texas • FC Dallas 99 ECNL
For her club team, Fondren has shown great ability in leading her FC Dallas ECNL team in total points during the 2015 season. She helped guide her team to the Nationals Elite Eight last year, where they finished fifth overall. In the last four years, Fondren and her club team have finished at least in the top four in the Texas Conference. On the Lone Star High School field, Fondren started things off her freshman year with the Newcomer of the District award. She is a two-time All-District selection and chosen for the Team MVP her sophomore and junior year. Fondren has also been handed the title of Varsity Captain for the past two years.
In the classroom, the midfielder is a three-time Academic All-District selection. She earned the Lone Star high school Leadership Award and the GPA Award in 2016. Fondren is part of the National Honors Society and winner of the LSHS Silver Star Award for lettering in three varsity sports her freshman year.
Crittenden on Fondren: “A creative attacking midfield player whom also has a tremendous defensive mentality, Sophia comes to us from FC Dallas ECNL and brings with her a very high level of competitive experience as well as creative instincts that will put her in a position to make her mark in a strong attacking center midfield player pool. She is a dynamic dribbler with excellent creative vision. On the other side of the ball, Sophia is a really good defender and understands the game very well so she will always be in positions to recover quickly defensively, win the ball, and keep the ball as we set up our offense.”
Lauren Prentice • D • Frisco, Texas • Sting ECNL
Prentice is a stout addition to the SFA back line. She comes to Nacogdoches with the ECNL Texas Conference 2016 U17 Player to Watch nomination. She has been a mainstay on the back line for the Sting ECNL soccer team as both a center back and an outside back. For her high school, she has made the First Team All-District for three years in a row. In the classroom, Prentice was selected for the Presidential Academic Award, has made the A/B Honor Roll, and is a National Merit Scholar Qualifier.
Crittenden on Prentice: “A tremendous defender, Lauren will likely be included in the left back, right back, and center back positions to compete amongst that player pool. Lauren is a Sting ECNL player and has played multiple positions for them along their back line. Her size, strength, and speed are all characteristics that will put her in a position to compete. Her competitive character is very high and she is extremely coachable. Lastly, she loves to attack up the flank and will provide options to balance our attack from our defenders on either the left or right sides and she can also organize and maintain possession as a center back.”
Sabrina Segovia • F • Spring, Texas • Challenge 99 ECNL
Segovia comes to SFA from the Challenge ECNL soccer team where she was featured as a forward and as a wide player. She will be joining the Ladyjacks this summer after a successful campaign at Klein Collins High School, where she has been tabbed as their leading scorer and Team Captain. She also has been named to the First Team All-District during her last three years there.
Crittenden of Segovia: “Another player from the Challenge ECNL program, Sabrina is a tireless worker and competes with a very sharp edge in her mentality. She is capable of separating from defenders with her speed and toughness on the flank. She has very high technical speed and will likely join the wingers player pool to be featured on the flank. Her 1-on-1 attacking mentality will be very tough to play against for the opposition. An entertaining player to watch and with her competitive instincts, I am excited to see the player she develops into during her time here.”
Katherine Shoffner • D • Houston, Texas • Challenge 99 ECNL
For her club team, Challenge 99 ECNL, Shoffner has been tabbed the Team Captain and led her team to become regionally ranked on the Top Drawer Soccer charts. At Cypress Creek High School, the defender was named Second Team All-District her freshman year, and then excelled to claim First Team All-District her sophomore and junior years.
In the classroom, Shoffner is a member of the National Honors Society and made the Academic Honor Roll all three years. The Houston native also is a three-time Academic All-District nominee.
Crittenden of Shoffner: “Kat is going to bring a very high level of athleticism to our back line group, specifically as a center back. She has great height and mobility and competes with great composure. Her ability to communicate and see the field is critical for a center back and she is very tough to get behind based on her positioning and recovery speed. Kat comes from a high level of competition competing with the Challenge ECNL program out of Houston. These qualities will have a great impact in her development at center back once she arrives to camp.”
Madeline Talblot • GK • Shreveport, La. • Shreveport United
SFA’s lone non-Texan signee comes to Nacogdoches from C.E Byrd High School. She will be competing to fill the shoes of All-Conference and All-Tournament winners Morgan Glick and Lillie Ehlert. During Talbot’s time with her club team, she led them to become the Louisiana State Champions in 2014, 2015, and 2016. She was named their team captain all three years and was tabbed the Defensive MVP and Overall MVP. Talbot was selected into the Louisiana Olympic Development Program and part of the Louisiana State Team from 2011-2016. She made it into the Region Three Pool for the past five years and had the pleasure of participating in the Region Three Team International Trip to Brazil in 2016. At her high school, the goal keeper was selected for the All-District, All-City, and All-State Team. She was the overall MVP for her school.
In the classroom, Talbot made the All-State Academic Team, was a part of the Beta Club, and a member of the National Honors Society.
Crittenden on Talbot: “Maddie is a physically imposing goalkeeper and is an extremely high competitor. She has a great level of experience competing with Region III ODP Regional Teams and has been invited to Interregional Events both domestically and abroad. She is very good with her feet and strikes a heavy ball that will break a team’s press against us in critical moments. She is also very good on crosses. Maddie comes to us from the CABOSA club in Shreveport, LA and she will join an accomplished goalkeeping unit here at SFA that has been a point of strength for our team the past 4 seasons.”
Katelyn Termini • MF • Frisco, Texas • Solar Chelsea ECNL
Termini comes to Nacogdoches next fall with a terrific career from her years at Solar Chelsea ECNL and at Frisco Centennial High School. She is a four-year varsity player, who was chosen for the UIL girls soccer Second Team All-District. Termini has led her team to become the UIL District 9-5A State Champions in 2015-2016. The midfielder was tabbed the State Tournament Championship game MVP with a multi-points performance to win the title. Her skills on the field named Termini as the two-time All-District Offensive MVP her sophomore and junior year. In 2015, the Frisco native was honored with the 5A First Team All-State nomination.
Crittenden on Termini: “A creative and dynamic talent, Katelyn will likely be featured in the attacking center midfield unit. She will look to make her mark on that position group with the extremely high technical speed and creative ideas she has both on, and off, the ball. With really good athletic, and tactical speed, she has the ability to separate from defenders with and without the ball. Katelyn comes to us from the Solar-Chelsea ECNL program and will strengthen another strong point of our team in that of our attacking center midfield player pool.”
With the addition of these seven players, the Ladyjacks are hoping to pursue their 14th league title and a shot at the NCAA tournament in the fall.
“From the first day of fall camp, I expect the training environment to be the highest it has been in my time here and I am very excited to see how these players develop and influence the team heading into 2017, and beyond. With these incoming players competing alongside a very successful group of returners, the indicators are there for a very special season,” finished Crittenden.
-SFA-
