Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Sign Six to Letters of Intent
2/14/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Feb. 14, 2005
EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern University Women's Soccer Head Coach Jenny Haigh has announced the signing of six players to National Letters of Intent. They will matriculate to Northwestern in the fall of 2005 and are eligible to play for the Wildcats next season.
Haigh stayed in the Midwest to sign Laura Janowitsch (Grafton, Wis./Grafton), who was the 2004 North Shore Conference Player of the Year; Shannon Cusick (Milwaukee, Wis./Divine Savior Holy Angels), a three-time all-conference player; and Krystal Patterson (St. Louis, Mo./Shiloh) from the soccer hotbed of St. Louis. Haigh also hit the west coast to sign Amanda Hoffman (Santa Ana, Calif./Foothill); Jeanette Lorme (Santa Clarita, Calif./Saugus); a Region IV ODP camp member; and Jenny Dunn (Pacific Palisades, Calif./Louisville).
"I am tremendously excited for this class," said Haigh. "We have some very good athletes and very good soccer players in this group -- it is exciting to see the level of talent and experience joining our team. I think there are a number of players in this group who will compete for starting positions and minutes right away. This is a class of six very strong players joining our program."
Full biographies on all of NU's women's soccer signees are below.
NORTHWESTERN WOMEN'S SOCCER
CLASS OF 2009 SIGNEES
SHANNON CUSICK
Milwaukee, Wis./Divine Savior
High School: Four-year letterwinner ... First-team all-state in 2002 and 2004 ... Honorable mention all-state in 2004 ... Three-time first-team all-conference (2002-04) ... Three-time first-team all-area (2002-04) ... Led team to conference title in 2004, runner-up finishes in 2002 and 2003 ... High school coach was Jess Taylor ... Captain of her club team (FC Milwaukee) ... Team has won Wisconsin club title in her age group every year since 1999 ... Region II semifinalist two times ... Member of Wisconsin ODP from 1999-2004 ... USYSA Region II Team member from 2000-04 ... Member of under-16 national team poll in 2002 ... National Honor Society member ... First Honor Roll student all four years.
Personal: Born Shannon Marie Cusick on 10/1/86 ... Parents are Lisa and Michael Cusick ... Club teammates of fellow NU signee Laura Janowitsch.
Coach Haigh: "Shannon might be the most decorated player coming in, and we are excited to have her experience, toughness and brain on the field. She is a defender, and when she is on the field it's like having another coach on the field. She has experience at very high levels of soccer, and that is something that will help her transition here very well."
JENNY DUNN
Pacific Palisades, Calif./Louisville
High School: Three-year letterwinner in soccer ... Helped team win two league championships ... Earned all-league recognition ... Also three-year letterwinner in track,one-year letterwinner in cross country ... CIF finalist in 400 and 400x4 ... Soccer club team is Slammers FC, apremier team ranked third in the nation by socceramerica.com ... Won titles at Score at the Shore, Surf Cup, and Coast Soccer League Cup.
Personal: Born Jennifer Kelly Dunn on 10/28/86 ... Parents are Dennis and Kathleen Dunn.
Coach Haigh: "Jenny is a great soccer player--she is smart, can run all day, and makes all of her teammates around her better. She is a great attacking player who can defend, too. I think Jenny will have a very strong freshmen year, and she will challenge for a starting role or significant minutes right away. She is a forward or a wide midfielder, and I think she is going to help us become a better soccer team."
AMANDA HOFFMAN
Santa Ana, Calif./Foothill
High School: Lettered four years in soccer ... All-league in soccer in 2004 ... Also lettered twice in basketball, which is played the same season as soccer in the California high school system ... All-league in basketball from 2002-04 ... MVP at 2004 Santa Ana Elks Classic and Palm Desert Tournament ... Foothill's Girls' Athlete of the Month in January 2004 and January 2005 ... High school coach was Nancy Doting ... Club team is Irvine Strikers ... 2001, 2004 CYSA State Cup finalists ... Nomads College Showcase Final Four ...1998, 2001 San Diego Surf Cup finalists ...Honor roll student ... Board member of Habitat for Humanity Club ... National Charity League.
Personal: Born Amanda Weil Hoffman on 3/5/87 ... Parents are Sally and Stephen Hoffman ... Related to Mat Hoffman, extreme athlete and world champion in BMX bike stunts.
Coach Haigh: "Amanda is a very solid central player. She has a soft touch on the ball and distributes well. She is very strong in the air and she can really dominate this part of the game. Amanda is a smart and well-rounded player, and will make us a better soccer team because she is so sophisticated on the field."
LAURA JANOWITSCH
Grafton, Wis./Grafton
High School: Four-year letterwinner in soccer ... Team captain ... Scored 44 goals and had 32 assists during her final three seasons ... 2004 North Shore Conference Player of the Year ... First-team all-conference ... All-state and all-area ... Team advanced to state semifinal round in 2003 and 2004 ... Scored two goals and added an assist in 3-2 sectional final win vs. Green Bay Notre Dame ... High school coach was Don Arnold ... Also lettered in basketball ... Member of FC Milwaukee club team ... Six-time state cup champions and two-time Region II semifinalist ... Member of Wisconsin ODP and Region II Team ... High honors student ... Excellence Award ... Student Achiever Award.
Personal: Born Laura Anne Janowitsch on 4/10/87 ... Parents are Mary Lou and Harry Janowitsch ... Father played football at Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and later played club soccer for Milwaukee Bavarians ... Sister, Melissa, plays soccer at St. Joseph's (Ind.) ... Club teammate of fellow NU signee Shannon Cusick.
Coach Haigh: "Laura is a player with a huge upside. She has got great skills and a lot of athleticism that will allow her to make an immediate impact in the college game. Laura has really improved a lot over the last two years, and will help us either in the back or out wide. We are excited to have Laura, because we think she is capable of shutting down some of the best players in the country."
JEANETTE LORME
Santa Clarita, Calif./Saugus
High School: Lettered three times in soccer ... Team captain ... Second-team All-SCV League ... High school coach was Lisa Rollo ... Also lettered twice in track ... Member of Cal South ODP pool ... Region IV ODP Camp participant ... Captain of her club team (Southern Cal United), which won 2004 under-17 USYSA national championship ... Two-time Surf Cup champions ... Two-teim Coast Premier League champions ... Two-time Cal State Premier champions ... Won Texas Shootout and Las Vegas Showcase ... National Honor Society member ... Honor roll student ... California Scholarship Federation (CSF) Honor Society.
Personal: Born Jeanette Marie Lorme on 12/13/86 ... Parents are Geraldine and Raymon Lorme.
Coach Haigh: "Jeanette might be the most versatile player coming into our program this year. She is smart, technical, and a great organizer on the field. Jeanette is a smart player and understands many different positions. She comes from one of the top clubs in the country, where she was the captain of her team. I am excited to try to find the best spot for her, because there are so many places she can play."
KRYSTAL PATTERSON
St. Louis, Mo./Shiloh (Ga.)
High School: Four-year letterwinner in soccer, starting every year ... Scored six goals with an assist in 2004 ... Tallied 13 goals and an assist in 2003 ... Helped Generals to second round of state playoffs and top-10 state ranking in 2003 and 2004 ...Club team is GSA 87 Phoenix Red ... Team won 2004 GSA Super Cup and was runner-up at State Cup ... Shiloh Generals Award recipient.
Personal: Born Krystal Paige Patterson on 2/7/87 ... Daughter of Lisa Douglass-Patterson and Elvis Patterson ... Father played football in the NFL.
Coach Haigh: "Krystal might be one of the top athletes coming into the Big Ten this year. She is tremendously explosive and fast, and will be a threat up top. I think she will add athleticism to our front line and will draw a lot of attention from our opponent's defense. Krystal is going to be a real asset to our front line, and we are excited about that."
