Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Sign Four to National Letters of Intent
2/10/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Feb. 10, 2003
EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern University Women's Soccer Head Coach Jenny Haigh has announced the signing of four girls to National Letters of Intent.
The quartet will matriculate to Northwestern in the fall of 2003 and are eligible to play for the Wildcats next season.
Haigh stayed predominantly in the Midwest for her class. She plucked Andrea Plocek from Monclova, Ohio; Shannon Schneeman from St. Paul, Minn.; and Katie Wright from Greenwood, Ind. Schneeman also boasts the distinction of having played at Haigh's high school alma mater, Cretin-Derham Hall. The fourth member of the class, Leslie Gittings, is a goalkeeper from State College, Pa. (home of Penn State University).
"We are excited about this class because we got better at each position," said Haigh. "While we only lost two starters from last season, this group will immediately impact our program by adding to the talent we are returning. We have got some good soccer players who will put some pressure on our returners, and that will increase the entire level of competitiveness. This class will make our program better, and that is exactly the kind of class we were looking for."
Full biographies on all of NU's women's soccer signees can be found on the second page of this release.
LESLIE GITTINGS
GK * 5-6
State College, Pa./State College Area
High School: Four-year letterwinner and three-time captain at State College Area ... First three-time captain in school history ... National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Regional All-America ... First Little Lady Lion goalkeeper to earn all-state honors (2002) ... Two-time All-Central Mountain Girls Soccer League (2000, 2002) ... Member of first class at SCA to win four straight PIAA District 6-9 titles ... State tournament quarterfinalist in 2001 and 2002 ... Yielded 0.69 goals-against average in 2001, best in school history ... 0.74 GAA in 2002 was second-best in school history ... Team went 70-16-4 in her career ... High school coach was Kevin Morooney ... Won three PaWest Snickers Cup state titles with Beadling Soccer Club ... Team advanced to semifinal round at 2001 Region I tournament ... Now plays for LDC United, which won Columbia (Md.) Invitational in 2002 ... Faculty Scholar ... PTO Lions Paw Award for Citizenship.
Personal: Born Leslie L. Gittings on May 4, 1984 ... Parents are Julie and Gary Gittings ... Father was an all-East runner at Penn State ... Mother was a member of the first Penn State women's track club ... Father also earned Masters Degree in Transportation (MST) from Northwestern.
Coach Haigh: "Leslie is a very smart goalkeeper who reads the game and organizes what she sees in front of her extremely well. She is very vocal and has the ability to talk her way out of shots. She has got good hands, a solid punt, and covers her goal well. We are really excited to see her compete for the starting position."
ANDI PLOCEK
F/M * 5-1
Monclova, Ohio/Anthony Wayne
High School: Four-year letterwinner in soccer ... Moved from backfield to forward during her career ... Led team in scoring junior (9 goals, 14 assists) and senior (13g, 16a) seasons ... All-Ohio and all-region in 2001 and 2002 ... Four-time all-district and All-Northern Lakes League ... Played for NLL champions in 1999 and 2000, runner-up in 2001 ... High school coach was Jerry Penkala ... Also lettered in track (4) and basketball (2) ... Plays club soccer for Sylvania Pacesetters ... Class valedictorian ... Student council president ... Public Relations office for National Honor Society.
Personal: Born Andrea Kelly Plocek on Jan. 3, 1985 ... Daughter of Sheri and Matt Plocek.
Coach Haigh: "Andi can play as a forward or a midfielder. She is quick, scrappy, and can run all day-simply a workhorse with a lot of energy. Andi is a feisty player who will add depth in both our midfield and on our front line. She also distributes the ball very well as a playmaker."
SHANNON SCHNEEMAN
F/M * 5-3
St. Paul Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall
High School: Lettered four times, captained team as a senior ... All-Midwest Region ... All-state selection ... All-Metro and All-St. Paul City Conference ... Won four conference titles and a sectional championship in 2001 ... Played in Soccer Senior Classic at the Metrodome ... High school coach was Kate Hand ... Also lettered in ice hockey (4), golf (1) and track (1) ... Honorable mention all-state and all-conference in hockey ... Plays club soccer for Tsunami Sota ... Club team advanced to Snickers Cup national championship match after winning Minnesota and Region II titles ... National Honor Society member.
Personal: Born Shannon Mary Schneeman on Jan. 6, 1985 ... Parents are Erin and Nick Schneeman ... Father played college soccer at Notre Dame ... Attended same high school as Wildcats head coach Jenny Haigh.
Coach Haigh: "Shannon is a midfielder who can play in the middle or on the outside. She is very smart, covers a lot of ground, and has wonderful vision. Her tenacity as a defender combined with her ability to technical proficiency as an attacker makes her a versatile and strong two-way player. She will help us a lot in the midfield as a playmaker with her soft touch and wonderful creativity."
KATIE WRIGHT
D * 5-5
Greenwood, Ind./Center Grove
High School: Four-year starter at Center Grove ... Recorded 66 goals and 30 assists in her career ... Second-leading scorer in Indiana as a senior (39 goals, 15 assists) ... Led team to three regional and four sectional titles in her career ... Two-time Metro South Player of the Year ... Four-time Metro South All-Star ... First-team Indiana Soccer Coaches Association (ISCA) All-State in 2001 and 2002 ... Second-team ISCA All-State in 2000 ... Indiana "Super Team" (Top 11 in the state) in 2000 and 2002 ... Three-time all-district selection ... Selected for Junior/Senior and Indiana All-Star Games ... High school coach was Dan McGlaughlin ... Played club soccer most recently for Carmel (Ind.) Cobras ... also played for Carmel Magic and Lady Inferno clubs ... Five-time member of Indiana's Olympic Development Program (ODF) team ... National Honor Society and Spanish Honor Society member ... NSCAA Scholar All-America ... ISCA Academic All-State.
Personal: Born Katherine Marie Wright on July 6, 1985 in Portland, Maine ... Daughter of Pam and Jim Wright ... Father played football at Ohio Wesleyan.
Coach Haigh: "Katie is an explosive player who will help us a lot on defense. She is a competitor, not easy to beat, and she will add more athleticism to our back line. Katie is also very clean and reads the game well, because she has played quite a bit in other positions. She is tough, and we are excited to see her compete for a starting position."
