MOREHEAD, Ky. – Morehead State soccer has reloaded its roster with 13 newcomers to the Eagle program, including 10 freshmen and three incoming transfers.
The newest Eagle freshmen are
Kylie Bender,
Hannah Burke,
Rachel Chin,
Michelle Hochstadt,
Gwen Ladd,
Hedda Ornberg,
Ella Quinlan,
Nancy Soccio,
Natasha Tanner and
Mary Trudeau. Transfers include
Reegan Garrity,
Gracen Houck and
Jade Perrin.
Bender is a 5-4 defender from Bridgeport, W.Va., who plays for BVB West Virginia. She attends Bridgeport High School.
"I chose Morehead State because of the excellent academic and athletic opportunities," she said. "I was also impressed by the progress the coaches have made. The location and culture of the school played a factor in my decision as well. I am very excited to be a part of a team with so much potential."
"Kylie has been brought in to play right back," said second-year head coach
Chris Fox. "Kylie's high level of athleticism gives her the ability to get up and down the field to contribute to the Morehead State attack and allow the team to sustain a high level or pressure defensively."
Burke, a 5-4 defender from Warrington, England, plays for Manchester City FC. She has attended Bridgewater High School and The Priestly College.
"I chose Morehead State because of the location and the coaches," she said. "I love the style of play and the size of the University."
"Hannah has played at the highest levels possible in England. She played for Manchester United and more recently Manchester City," said Fox. "Hannah has international experience playing for England at the youth team levels. Hannah is a highly technical and intelligent outside back who will give us a new dimension in attack."
Chin will head to MSU from her hometown of Las Vegas, Nev. She is a 5-3 defender who is a part of Heat FC. Chin attends Northwest Career and Technical Academy.
"The environment surrounding the campus is what interested me initially, but as I met with some of the girls from the team and saw the lifestyle within the college, I fell in love with the culture of the team and the vibe of the community," she said. "Seeing the tight relationship between the girls and the staff, along with the philosophy the team stands by, I was immediately drawn to the school and I knew I wanted to play here."
"Rachel joins us as a center back but also has experience playing right back," said Fox. "Her pace, and ability on the ball is what drew us to her. She unfortunately picked up a knee injury that will rule her out for the upcoming season. We're hoping for a speedy recovery so she can join her teammates for practice soon."
Hochstadt, a native of Frankfurt, Germany, is a 5-6 midfielder. She plays for Eintracht Frankfurt and attends Carl-von-Weinberg Schule.
"The coaches were very attentive in connecting me with their philosophy and the university. They support me a lot in organizational matters, for which I am very grateful," she said. "I am already in contact with many players. All are very cordial, open-minded and helpful. I am very comfortable with my decision to go to Morehead State and have every intention and confidence to do great things with this team next season. I will wear the Morehead State jersey with great pride."
"Michelle joins us from Germany where she's played at the semi-professional level in the II Bundesliga with Eintracht Frankfurt," Fox said. "Her experience at this level will allow her to hit the ground running at the Division I level. Michelle is a highly talented central midfielder. She is comfortable with the ball at her feet and has a tremendous range of passing."
Ladd is a 5-6 midfielder hailing from New Market, Md. She plays for Baltimore Armour Girls Academy and attends Oakdale High School.
"The minute I visited the campus at Morehead State, I fell in love with the atmosphere and beautiful scenery. I like how MSU has a small town feel where everyone knows everybody," she said. "What really sealed the deal for me though, was the immediate friendliness of the players and the coaches. I believe this team's philosophy and coaching style will make us top competitors in the next few years. I am super excited to get on campus and can't wait to start the season."
"Gwen joins us from Baltimore Armour GA having excelled at one our ID Camps," said Fox. "Gwen is a true #8; her willingness and drive to go box to box is what initially drew us to her. She's comfortable on the dribble and is very good in the press."
Ornberg comes to MSU from Gothenburg, Sweden where the 5-10 forward plays for BK Häcken Club program. She attends Hvitfeldtska School.
"I chose Morehead State because of the great level of soccer," she said. "The team is very talented and works hard. (Head) Coach (Chris) Fox and his coaching staff have high ambitions and an exciting philosophy that I think fits me well. I'm so excited for the upcoming season."
"Hedda joined us this January as an early enrollee to the university from Sweden where she played at the highest youth level," Fox commented. "Hedda's physical presence is matched only by her quality on the ball and ability to finish. Hedda has hit the ground running this spring and we're really excited to see what she produces this fall."
Quinlan is a 5-10 defender whose hometown is Covington, La. She currently plays for FC Málaga City in Spain, having previously played for Lonestar FC in Texas. She attended Christ Episcopal School.
"I chose Morehead State because of the coaching style, the coaching staff, and the players," she said.
"Ella is a highly athletic, physically dominant center back from Louisiana who played club soccer in Texas for Lonestar FC," said Fox. "Ella spent this past year in Spain playing for FC Malaga which has allowed for her to further develop her technical ability and comfort in possession - and that's vital in our system."
Soccio, from Carlisle, Pa., is a 5-6 goalkeeper who plays for Keystone FC. She is a student at Big Spring High School.
"More than any other, both coach Chris (Fox) and coach Mark (Sappington) are extremely friendly, yet quite competitive and driven," she said. "When I did end up coming on campus, I had a personalized tour that was all inclusive and very well thought out. Everyone went out of their way to be kind to me, and I could tell that it was genuine. Because of the way I was treated, I felt extremely at home and that the team wanted to include me in the group. That is what family is about. For all those reasons, and of course our outlook for future seasons, I decided to commit."
"Nancy is very athletic and explosive which makes her an excellent shot stopper," Fox added. "She's also very comfortable with the ball at her feet which is very important based on our style of play. We are excited to have her join the goalkeeper core this fall."
Tanner will make the 11,000-plus mile journey from Perth Australia to Morehead State. She is a 5-6 defender who plays for Hyundai National Training Center West (NTC West). She also attends Woodvale Secondary College.
"I was drawn to Morehead State because of the playing style, and I'm excited to move from Australia to compete at a high level and experience a new culture," she said. "I believe Morehead State will provide me with the support I need to succeed both academically and athletically."
Natasha joins us from Perth, Australia. She plays for the highly acclaimed Hyundai National Training Center West," Fox said. "Natasha is a modern-day center back who is equally comfortable in possession as she is defensively."
Trudeau is a 5-8 midfielder from Philadelphia, Pa., who plays for FC Bucks. She attends Springside Chestnut Hill Academy.
"I liked the coaches and could easily tell the MSU players did too which was comforting," she said. "I also admired how organized the coaching style was, with thorough slideshows that touched on individual stats, along with a co-dependent team culture."
"Mary joins us from a very strong FC Bucks team and was named ECNL First-Team All-Conference in her junior year," Fox stated. "Mary is a central midfielder who is very comfortable on the ball. She is an excellent passer of the ball and keeps possession by doing the simple things very well."
Garrity is a 5-11 goalkeeper who transferred from Kentucky Wesleyan where she had 250 saves in 34 career matches. The Louisville, Ky., native, who will be a red-shirt senior at MSU, played for Derby City Rossoneri Club and attended Atherton High School.
"I chose Morehead State because the team was so friendly and welcomed me with open arms," she said.
"Reegan joined us this January and already has a full spring under her belt," said Fox. "Reegan is very driven to succeed and has made excellent progress over the past few months. She is comfortable with the ball at her feet and has the ability to make big saves."
Houck is a 5-5 defender from Leonardtown, Md., who spent her freshman season at High Point University. She played for St. Mary's and went to Leonardtown High School.
"I chose Morehead State because the coaches and their style of play," she said. "It fits me well."
"Gracen joined us this January as a transfer from High Point University. Gracen is a left footed defender who is comfortable playing at both center back and left back," said Fox. "She is technically very strong and her versatility across the back line will allow for tactical flexibility."
Perrin transfers to MSU after one season at Central Methodist (Mo.) where she scored a pair of goals. The 5-7 forward is a native of L'Hôpital-du-Grosbois, France where she played club for Dijon FCO and attended Lycee Jean Monnet School – Strasbourg.
"I was impressed with the philosophy, ambitions, culture and staff," she said. "Those are reasons I chose to transfer to Morehead State."
"Jade joins us this fall as a sophomore transfer from NAIA powerhouse Central Methodist University," Fox concluded. "Jade started 18 games and played in all 19 total for the CMU Eagles. Jade can play on either wing. She's highly technical and creative and will be a dangerous attacking weapon for our side this fall."
