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ULM Soccer Inks Nine New Student-Athletes

ULM Soccer Inks Nine New Student-Athletes

Soccer Feb 03
MONROE, La. – ULM women's soccer head coach Stacy Lamb announced Wednesday (Feb. 3) the addition of nine student-athletes that signed National Letters of Intent to join the Warhawks program this fall.

Lamb has added midfielder Taylor Epperson, forward/defender Brooke Farmer, defender Haleigh Harrell, defender/forward Megan Lindholm, midfielder Alyssa Lopez, defender/midfielder Alyssa McAtee, forward/midfielder Ashley Moore, defender Brittany Parker and forward/midfielder Kelly Riley to the roster for the upcoming 2010 season.

“When we first started recruiting for this class we set some standards and guidelines that we wanted to achieve and I feel like we achieved every goal that we set out to do,” said Lamb. “We have gotten back to what this program is about, and that is blue-collar, hard-working, no-nonsense kids that are all about soccer and all about wanting to win. This class is a great group of student-athletes that excel in the classroom as well as on the field, they a terrific group of well-rounded individuals that will make us better on and off the field.”

“We have added size, we have added speed and we have added several very special attacking players that have the ability to put the ball in the net. Those were areas that we felt we needed to improve on and this class has met the checklist for all of our goals.”

“With every signing class you can't help but be excited because it is the start of your new team. You can talk about them now; you can starting planning lineups, formations and preseason and truly start looking toward the fall because you know who your personnel are going to be. We couldn't be more excited about this team and the direction it is going.”

“In addition to the players, I can't say enough about the families that they come from. The parents, the support systems and the siblings of the girls that we are signing today only make us that much more excited about them. It is a tremendous group of people that exude what ULM is all about, the family atmosphere and supportive role that we need, and these players need, to be successful. “  

McAtee, a native of Lake Charles, La., attends A.M. Barbe High School, where she helped the Buccaneers reach the 2008 Division I state championship game. McAtee has been a member of the Louisiana Olympic Development Program (ODP) for five years and plays her club ball for Baton Rouge SC '92.

“Alyssa is coming to us from one of the best clubs in the state and I think she is one of the best players in this state,” said Lamb. “She is a defender, but will also spend some time in the midfield because of her versatility. She is a very technical player and has good speed. Alyssa was also the first player in this class to verbally commit and she set the tone for this class. She represented everything that we wanted this class to represent. She's tenacious, blue-collar, one of the hardest-working players you will see, and she is all about the game and wanting to be successful in every aspect of her life. She set the bar for what this class was going to be.”

Epperson, a native of Southlake, Texas, has lettered in both soccer and cross country at Keller High School. Last season she was named second team all-district and has helped the Indians reach the District 5-A playoff every year of her high school career. Epperson is also a member of the Polaris Soccer Club.

“You can't say enough good things about Taylor,” said Lamb. “She is the epitome of the word student-athlete. She excels in the classroom; she's a straight-A student, and she does the same on the field. She's from the Polaris '92 club team, which is one of the best clubs in the region. She can do it all, she has pace, can play on the inside or outside, she's strong and she's technical. Taylor Epperson is everything you are looking for in a future leader of your program.”

Farmer, a native of Arlington, Texas, attends Kennedale High School and has earned four varsity letters in both soccer and track. Last season she earned Region 1 All-Region honors and was also the District 16-4A Co-Offensive MVP as she scored 41 goals for the Wildkats, helping them make their first playoff appearance in school history.

“When you look at Brooke you have to talk about her speed and her aggressiveness,” said Lamb. “Her motor never stops; she's going to run down every loose ball and is going to do whatever it takes to make herself and her teammates successful. She is the type of player that you notice because of her work ethic and she is going to do all the little things to make her successful.”

Harrell, a native of Flower Mound, Texas, has earned varsity letters in both soccer and track at Edward Marcus High School. Harrell earned best defender honors in 2008 while playing for the nationally-ranked Marauders. She is also a member of the DFW Tornados '92 club team.

“Haleigh is a defender that we think will be one of the fastest players in the Sun Belt Conference, which is something that we needed to add,” said Lamb. “Haleigh, with her speed and strength, will be able to impact us immediately. When you talk about his class, and you talk about Haleigh as an individual, you have to talk about her speed, but she's also technical, tactical and a good person as well.”

Lindholm, a native of Southlake, Texas, is a two-year letterwinner at Carroll High School. Lindholm helped the Dragons win the 2008 Texas 5-A State Championship. Lindholm is also a member of the DFW Tornados '92 club team.

“When you talk about Megan you have to talk about her physical attributes,” said Lamb. “She is 6-foot, aggressive and a ball-winner. Whether she is playing up front as a forward or in the back, she brings a physical presence that automatically raises us to another level. She is hard-working and tough and will be an impact player because of her athletic ability.”

Lopez, a native of Bedford, Texas, has earned four varsity letters at Euless Trinity High School. Lopez has earned first team all-district honors every year of her high school career. To date, she has recorded 31 goals and 25 assists for the Trojans, including scoring the game-winning goal in the school's first playoff win in 15 years.

“Alyssa Lopez comes to us from the Sting Soccer Club, one of the best clubs in the country,” said Lamb. “Alyssa is a player we are really excited about because of her versatility. She can play multiple positions and multiple roles right off the bat. She adds size and technical ability to our team, she is smart and reads the game well. She is creative with the ball and will make our team better no matter where she is playing on the field.”

Moore, a native of Highland Village, Texas, is a soccer letterwinner at Edward Marcus High School. She has also been a member of the North Texas ODP program since 2004 and scored the game-winning goal to help her club, DFW Tornados '92, win the Tulsa Challenge Cup.

“Ashley Moore has been both a midfielder and a forward and is one of the most technical players that we have added in his class,” said Lamb. “She will be a terrific glue player for us that will help hold things together both on and off the field.”

Parker, a native of Carrollton, Texas, attends Creekview High School and has twice been named first team all-district for the Mustangs. Parker plays for the Sting Soccer Club in Dallas and helped the club reach the finals of the Texas Cup.

“Brittany Parker is a defender and she will see time as either a central back or as a holding midfielder,” said Lamb. “Brittany is a talented central player because of her strength and her ability to win tackles. She reads the game well, distributes well and will help to fill the void left by losing Raydan Phillips to graduation.”

Riley, a native of Flower Mound, Texas, attends Edward Marcus High School, where she is a two-year soccer letterwinner. Last season, Riley helped the Marauders reach the regional quarterfinals of the state tournament. She has been a member of the North Texas ODP program since 2004, helping them win the national championship in 2008.

“Kelly Riley is someone we can see has a forward or a midfielder, but we recruited her as a forward,” said Lamb. “She has pace, determination and she can score goals. Kelly is athletic and strong but most of all she is dangerous.”

With this season's freshman class now signed, Lamb is excited to look toward the upcoming season.

 “Looking forward to this fall, we are adding a very talented class to a group of returners that are ready to make an impact on the conference,” said Lamb. “Coaches always hope that their freshman can step in immediately, but it's not hope with this class. This group will step in and impact us immediately. This group, along with our four players that redshirted last season and have a year of experience around the college game, really gives us a group of 13 new players and I am confident that this can be our year. We have the leadership, the excitement, the determination, the experience, the athleticism and today is a great day looking forward toward next year.”
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