You know, there was more than one "football" having its National Signing Day yesterday. Georgia's women's soccer team, whose fortunes are rising under the direction of Steve Holeman, added to its already-impressive roster with 7 signees, 3 of which are listed in the ESPN Top 150.
A Georgia soccer player has been named the SEC Freshman of the Year three out of the past five seasons... which one of these ladies will make the strongest case for that honor this year?
2009 SEC Freshman of the Year Laura Eddy will be back, as well, for her Junior year. (This picture has been lawya'd)
This years signees are:
- Mariah Dickey - F, Lawrenceville (Collins Hill): Dickey was named all-state in 2011, setting a school record for the fastest goal scored as she put one in just 12 seconds into a contest last season. With Collins Hill, Dickey won the Region 7-AAAAA championship in 2009 and 2011, and was voted Best Offensive Player on the team both of those years. With her club team, Dickey led the squad in goals and assists in 2011. That club team in Gwinnett County, by the way, also included fellow signee Cara Smith.
- Andie Fontanetta - F, Neschanic Station, NJ (Mount St. Mary): Fontanetta was named Skyland Conference/Raritan Division first-team for three seasons, and was a fixture on the state's scoring leaders list. Her club team in NJ was also named the No. 1 club in the nation in 2009-10.
- Elizabeth Johnson - D, Marietta (Fellowship Christian) - #106-ranked ESPN recruit: She played club soccer with the North Atlanta Soccer Association (NASA Elite). Johnson was named team MVP in 2011 and is listed as an ESPN Top 150 prospect. With NASA, Johnson took third place in the national championship tournament in 2011 and was national league champion in 2010. (She also probably thinks the DH is a bunch of crap, like any proper National Leaguer.) She has captained the Georgia Olympic Development Program (ODP) team for four years.
- Toriana Patterson - D, Yorktown Heights, NY (Yorktown Heights) - #54-ranked ESPN recruit: Patterson was named all-league, all-conference and all-section in 2011. With her club team in NY, she won a state championship in 2008 and 2010, and played for the New York state ODP squad from 2004-08. She is already an international player, as well, as a member of the Jamaica U-20 National Team.
- Liliana Rios - M, Duluth (Marist): Rios won the AAAA state championship in 2009 with Marist and reached the quarterfinals in 2010. With her club team, she was a state champion from 2009-11 and a finalist in 2008. She has been in the ODP Region III camp from 2007-10 and in the regional pool in 2009.
- Cara Smith - F, Evans (Westminster-Augusta): Smith was named to the all-area, all-region, and all-state teams from 2009-11 and was her team's Offensive MVP those years. She scored 67 goals and 47 assists during her first two years of high school, and led her team to the state semifinals in 2011 after winning the championship in 2009 and reaching the finals in 2010. With her club team, Smith was a seven-time state cup champion (2005-11). She injured her ACL during her Jr. year and had surgery in early 2011, but came back successfully and was named to the All-State team for the 3rd year in a row.
- Emma Sonnett - D, Marietta (Fellowship Christian) - #89-ranked ESPN recruit: Sonnett was named an ESPN third-team All-American in 2010. She is a nine-year member of NASA (What? The North Atlanta Soccer Association, y'all), reaching the US Youth National semifinals in 2011 and taking the Region III championship.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Georgia's soccer recruiting class of 2012! Good luck to our new Soccer Dawgs!
