Northwestern University Athletics
Haigh Inks Seven to National Letters of Intent
2/8/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Feb. 8, 2006
EVANSTON, Ill. - Jenny Haigh, head coach of the Northwestern University women's soccer team, has announced the National Letter of Intent signings of seven student-athletes to her 2006 roster. All will don the purple and white beginning this fall.
Haigh and her staff covered the map in search of one of its best classes yet. Haigh inked players from Minnesota, Georgia, Iowa, Virginia, Washginton D.C. and two from California.
The class of 2010 includes Liz Einarson (Plymouth, Minn. /Wayzata), Alicia Herczeg (Agoura Hills, Calif./Agoura), Leigh Jakes (McDonough, Ga./Eagle's Landing), Zendzi Neal (Washington, D.C./Washington International), Caitlin O'Malley (Arlington, Va./Yorktown), Jessica Palo (Ames, Iowa/Ames) and Ali Rubnitz (Los Gatos, Calif./Los Gatos).
Full biographies on all of NU's women's soccer signees are below:
Liz Einarson
Forward | 5-5
Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata
High School: Helped Wayzata to the 2002 State Championship ... Ranked the eighth highest scorer in school history with 42 goals, had 14 assists and 86 total points, ranking her 11th all-time ... a 2005 All-Classic Lake Conference Honorable Mention ... Most Valuable Offensive Player ... Member of the Minnesota ODP state team ... Member of the two-time state champion Tsunami Sota club team ... Also led her team to the 2005 Regional Finals and the 2004 Disney Showcase ... Also considered Minnesota.
Personal: Born Elizabeth Mary Einarson on Nov. 14, 1987 ... Parents are Francis and Mary Einarson ... plans to study graphic art and psychology.
Coach Haigh: "Liz is a very good forward. She's dangerous around the goal and has the ability to finish with either foot. Liz will play in our front line with fellow Minnesotan Kelsey Hans and we're looking forward to them being a dangerous duo. We're excited to have Liz in our attack this fall."
Alicia Herczeg
Midfield/Forward | 5-8
Agoura Hills, Calif./Agoura
High School: Two-time all-Marmonte League selection at Agoura High School ... Led her team in scoring with 68 goals (to date) over the past four seasons ... 2005 L.A. Daily News First Team selection and 2004 All-Area selection ... 2005 Ventura County Star All-County First Team choice ... Two-time team offensive MVP ... Member of the Southern Cal United club team where she helped her team to the 2005 Premier League Championship and the state championship in 2004 ... Also a member of the 2004 Coast Soccer Premier League finalists and 2003 San Diego Surf Cup Champions ... Earned three letters in track & field ... three-year scholar athlete award winner, recipient of the GSE Academic Excellence Award and member of the California Scholastic Federation ... Also considered Pepperdine, Loyola Marymount and Oregon State.
Personal: Born Alicia Lynn Herczeg on Sept. 29, 1988 ... Parents are Fred and Claire Herczeg ... Plans to major in biological sciences.
Coach Haigh: "Alicia is a complete soccer player. She's very technical, has a solid tactical understanding of the game and is a good athlete. She can play in the middle of the midfield, out wide, or up top for us. She's going to be on the field a lot for us, and I think she has the ability to make a big impact in many positions. Alicia is a very smart attacking player."
Leigh Jakes
Forward | 5-7
McDonough, Ga./Eagle's Landing
High School: One of the top U18 soccer players in the nation ... A 2005 NSCAA/Adidas All-America selection and two-time Conference Player of the Year ... Noted as "a shutdown defender and a dangerous forward with unbelievable speed and very dominant in the air ... named to the Atlanta Journal Constitution All-Star and All-Region teams for the past three years ... earned Region and County Girls Soccer Player of the Year twice ... Scored over 20 goals the past three seasons in helping her high school Lady Eagles soccer program to a 37-13-4 record over the past three years and a top 10 ranking in the state. During that time, the team has been Region Champions twice and once runner-up ... Team MVP and Henry County Player of the Year ... Three-time participant in the Henry County All-Star game ... Team captain ... Member of the Peachtree City Lazers 88 Elite and helped her team become one of the top 20 in the nation in 2005 ... helped the 88 Cobb Lady Chiefs earn the 2004 State Cup Championship and was selected to the Super Y league South Atlantic ODP Regional pool team (Atlanta Silverback Jr's) ... was selected to the 2004 and 2005 state ODP pool teams (88's), ODP Region team and ODP Super Y league Region I and III National pool team. ... Also a standout basketball player, named defensive MVP ... Also considered West Virginia, Tennessee and Auburn.
Personal: Born Leigh Ashley Jakes on March 24, 1988 ... Parents are Van and Rhonda Jakes ... father Van was a defensive back NFL from 1983-1991, playing for Kansas City, New Orleans and Green Bay ... a National Honor Student with a 4.0 GPA ... Chaplain of the Y-Club, ROTC for 3 years and a member of the ROTC Academic Team ... voted Student of the Year 2003-2004 ... Plans to major in sociology.
Coach Haigh: "Leigh comes to us with impressive credentials and a game that can back them up. She's an extremely speedy player who can play as a back or as a forward. She is the type of back that thrives on shutting her opponent down. She's very difficult to beat, strong in the air, an outstanding athlete and competitor. Leigh will make a very big impact in our program."
Jessica Palo
Forward | 5-10
Ames, Iowa/Ames
High School: Helped the West Des Moines Storm to two Club State Championships in 2004 and 2005 ... A two-time all-Central Iowa Metropolitan League selection and member of the Iowa ODP State Team ... Tallied 22 goals and four assists in 2003 and 20 goals and three assists in 2004 ... Holds the school record with six goals in one game ... Also a 2005 all-state sprinter in track ... Also considered Iowa State.
Personal: Born Jessie Murielle Palo on Oct. 11, 1987 ... Parents are Pierre and Bertne Palo ... Plans to major in graphics design.
Coach Haigh: "Jessica is a very athletic wing player and forward. She'll bring a lot of speed to both of those positions. She's very tough to mark in the open field, especially out wide. Jessi also works very hard and continues to develop her game so we're excited for her continued growth. She has tremendous potential in the college game."
Ali Rubnitz
Defender | 5-5
Los Gatos, Calif./Los Gatos
High School: Served as captain of the Los Gatos Elite from 2001-2005 ... Helped her team to a runner up finish in the 2005 Nor Cal Premier League and the 2004 Abrozino League Championship ... Named league MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in 2006 ... A three-time District II ODP captain and two-time first team all-league choice ... Was chosen as the 2005 Most Inspirational Player ... A 2006 Senior Soccer All-Stars selection ... Led her team to an overall record of 48-15-9 ... Also a letterwinner in track and cross country ... Also considered Colorado, UC Santa Barbara, UNLV and Saint Mary's.
Personal: Born Allsion Michelle Rubnitz on April, 23, 1988 ... Parents are James and Teresa Rubnitz ... Served as student body president of Los Gatos High School and student council representative ... member of the California Scholarship Federation ... Plans to major in communications.
Coach Haigh: "I think Ali will be our biggest and pleasant surprise of this class. The more we learn about her the more excited we get about her potential here at Northwestern. She's very versatile because she can play in the midfield or in the back. She's a feisty, tough competitor, plays with a tremendous amount of energy and just finds a way to get the job done."
Caitlin O'Malley
Defender | 5-6
Arlington, Va./Yorktown
High School: A four-year letterwinner and two year captain of the Yorktown Patriots in Arlington, Va. ... Was a starter all four years at the defender position ... Led her team to the National District Championship in 2003, '04 and '05 ... A three-year member of the RFC Rovers Club Team that won the 2005 Virginia State Cup Championship ... Team was ranked No. 1 in Virginia, No. 7 in the region and No. 32 nationally ... A 2003 Honorable Mention National District selection ... RFC Rovers Footballer of the Year in 2003 and 2004 ... Played with fellow NU signee Zendzi Neal on the RFC Rovers ... Also considered Georgetown.
Personal: Born Caitlin Colton O'Malley on March 14, 1988 ... Parents are Deb Martin and Bill O'Malley ... Father played soccer at Fairfield University ... Member of the National Honors Society and a member of the honor roll each quarter ... Daughters of the American Revolution Good Citizenship Award in 2002 ... Principles Award for Good Citizenship and Academic Excellence in 2003 ... Plans to major in pre-medicine.
Coach Haigh: "Caitlin is a defensive player that can play in the middle or out wide. She is tough, vocal and has very solid pace. She is a player that slipped under the radar this year because she was sidelined with an injury. However, we are extremely lucky to have signed her so late in the process. She has been called 'a great steal' and we think she is going to be an important part of shoring up our defense."
Zendzi Neal
Forward |
Washington, D.C./Washington International
High School: A two-year team MVP and leading scorer for Washington International ... A member of the RFC Rovers Club Team that won the 2005 Virginia State Cup Championship ... Team was ranked No. 1 in Virginia, No. 7 in the region and No. 32 nationally ... Played with fellow NU signee Caitlin O'Malley ... Served as captain from 2001-04 ... FPYC Labor Day Tournament Finalist in 2002 ... Pocoshock Valley Columbus Day Tournament Finalist ... Quarter-finalist in the Virginia State Cup Competition in 2002 ... 2003 Lafayette Fiesta Tournament Champion and FPYC Labor Day Tournament Champion ... Runner-up WAGS LEAGUE Division 3 Fall, ('03) ... Mid-County Fall Classic Champion ('03) ... Freestate Spring Break Tournament Champion ('04) ... MSI March Madness Tournament Champion ('04) ... Richmond Cup Memorial Day Tourn. Champion ('04) ... Runner-up WAGS LEAGUE Division 2 Spring ('04) ... Also played basketball and softball.
Personal: Born Zendzi Neal on June 1, 1988.
Coach Haigh: "Zendzi is an attacking player with tremendous strength and explosive ability. She is very athletic and has played a lot of youth soccer with boys, which has helped her develop and her physical game, among other things. She will be a dangerous force in our attack."
