BROOKLYN, N.Y. – LIU Brooklyn head women's soccer coach
Jim Robbins has announced that nine student-athletes have committed to join the program.
Taylor Daly (Columbia, N.J.),
Deanna Ellison (Burlington, Ontario),
Rebecca Michael (South Brunswick, N.J.),
Allison Neary (Colorado Springs, Colo.),
Madison Shockley (Wilmington, Del.),
Summer Sofer (Bronx, N.Y.),
Amelia Thompson (Peyton, Colo.),
Josie Watson (Roswell, Ga.) and
LJ Wrightington (Crestwood, Ky.) will begin their careers with the Blackbirds beginning in the fall of 2015.
Taylor Daly - M/F • Columbia, N.J. • Club Team – Lehigh Valley UnitedDaly scored 20 goals and registered 18 assists during her four-year career at North Warren High School in New Jersey. The midfielder scored seven goals as freshman, tallied eight assists as a sophomore and finished out her senior season with seven goals and one assist. She was a second team all-conference and all-area selection following her junior season.
Robbins on Daly: "Taylor is an extremely versatile player. She can play in the midfield or up front and score goals, or she help in the back with solid individual defending and composed possession play. She likes to keep the game simple when she plays and she has great positional sense. Her tactical flexibility will be a huge asset to our team and in our system and style of play."
Deanna Ellison • D/M • Burlington, Ontario • Club Team - Burlington BayhawksEllison is a versatile player who can play on the backline or shift up to the midfield. A member of the Burlington (Ontario) Club Team, she has helped the Bayhawks to a silver medal at the Disney Showcase in Orlando, Fla., and a victory at the Umbro Top Rated Showcase in Canada. She becomes the third Canadian to make her way to downtown Brooklyn, joining rising juniors
Asha Mohiddin and
Brooke Logel.
Robbins on Ellison: "Deanna possesses a unique combination of size, strength, and suppleness. She can make all the tackles and win the challenges, but she can also possess and keep the ball with her sound technique and tactical decision making. She can play either in the backline or in the midfield. Her versatility will be a huge asset for our program."
Rebecca Michael • D • South Brunswick, N.J. • Club Team - PDA ShockA team captain as a senior at South Brunswick High School in New Jersey, Michael helped her team to a 20-3 record as a senior and a trip to the New Jersey State Sectional Semifinals. Michael led a defense to a school record for shutouts and wins in a single season in 2014, and was also named to the all-division and all-area teams as a junior.
Robbins on Michael: "Rebecca is a very composed and confident player who has great blend of technique and tactical understanding. She is a solid defender who enjoys joining the attack from a deep position. She is difficult to defend when she comes out of the back because she can beat players by dribbling or passing. She sees and plays the game at a high level. She has a great soccer IQ."
Allison Neary • GK • Colorado Springs, Colo. • Club Team - Real Colorado (ECNL)One of the top goalkeepers in the state of Colorado, Neary comes to LIU Brooklyn after three successful seasons at Air Academy High School. The 5-9 Neary is a five-time member of the Colorado State Olympic Development Program team and was a Region IV ODP member in 2011 and 2013. She was ranked by TopDrawerSoccer.com as the No. 2 goalkeeper in Colorado and the No. 3 keeper in the Rocky Mountains and Southwest Region for the Class of 2015.
Robbins on Neary: "Ally is a goalkeeper who can make the saves and build the game out of the back with her feet. Her distribution with her hands is excellent. She has a strong work ethic and has been one of the top goalies in Region IV for the past few years. She will be a great fit into our style of play of building out of and around the back."
Madison Shockley • D • Wilmington, Del. • Club Team - Delaware RushAnother solid defender in this year's class, Shockley was named to the Delaware Girls Soccer Coaches Association Flight A All-State Second Team as a junior, helping Charter School of Wilmington to a 15-1-0 record and a No. 2 state ranking. The Force also advanced to the DIAA Division I Girls Soccer State Tournament semifinals in 2014.
Robbins on Shockley: "Maddie is an athletic outside back whose strength is her ability to join the attack from deep positions. She is very fit and can run all day at the opposing team's backline. She provides excellent service from wide positions and she can play either on the right or left side. She is also very strong at set pieces and can serve a very accurate ball"
Summer Sofer • M/F • Bronx, N.Y. • Previous Club - Israeli U-19 National TeamOne of the most prolific scorers in the PSAL during her time in high school, Sofer makes her way to LIU by way of the Bronx and Riverdale/Kingsbridge Academy (RKA). After a freshman season that saw her score 29 goals and dish out eight assists, Sofer exploded for 47 goals and closed our her career with an astonishing 82 goals and 23 assists. She earned second team All-City honors by MSG Varsity as a sophomore and led her club team, the Rye Celtics, to a Dana Cup championship in Denmark. More recently she has trained with the Israeli U-19 National Team in preparation for the 2015 European U-19 Championships.
Robbins on Sofer: "Summer possesses an excellent combination of size, strength, speed, technique, and tactical understanding. She can attack and defend the midfield and her fitness is unmatched. She can play at a high level for the full 90 minutes. She can also score from all areas in and around the box. She is a dynamic player who will be a great fit in our system."
Amelia Thompson • M/D • Peyton, Colo. • Club Team - Colorado Storm (ECNL)Thompson, a versatile player who can play in the midfield or defensively, has been a member of Pride Copa 97 club team and helped it advance to the State Cup semifinals in 2012. A team captain, she was an all-star selection at a tournament in 2013 and participated at the Las Vegas Player Showcase with the '96 club.
Robbins on Thompson: "Amelia is the type of player who knows how to keep the game simple on both sides of the ball. She reads the game very well when she defends and she is a confident and composed passer. She knows how to play a possession game and she can play out of the back easily as a center back or a defensive midfielder."
Josie Watson • F/M • Roswell, Ga. • Club Team - Concorde Fire (ECNL)A forward from the state of Georgia, Watson was a member of the Georgia ODP from 2008-13 and plays club soccer for the Concorde Fire of the Elite Clubs National League. During her high school career at Centennial, she helped the Knights to an Elite Eight appearance at the 2014 Class AAAAAA Girls Soccer State Tournament. Watson scored two first-half goals in a narrow 4-3 loss to East Coweta.
Robbins on Watson: "Josie is another extremely versatile player who possesses good size and strength. She also has solid technique and has a great understanding of the game. She can play can across the front line, in center midfield, and even center back. She is a very passionate player and always gives everything that she has for her team."
LJ Wrightington • F • Crestwood, Ky. • Club Team - Kentucky Fire JuniorsWrightington is another player in the 2015 class that has experienced a tremendous amount of winning. As a forward at South Oldham High School, she was a member of a team that won the Kentucky State Championship in 2014 and was named to the All-Tournament Team. During the regular season, Wrightington earned a spot on the All-Region Eight Honorable Mention team.
Robbins on Wrightington: "LJ is a crafty, skillful wide player who possesses excellent technique. She takes care of the ball and always makes good decisions when she plays. She is very quick and she difficult to defend 1v1. She knows how to create and score goals. She is a finisher and she can score the tough goals, too."