Northwestern University Athletics
Erickson Signs Seven to Class of 2010
2/5/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Feb. 5, 2010
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Head coach Stephanie Erickson and the Northwestern University women's soccer program announced today (Friday, Feb. 5) the signing of seven student-athletes to National Letters of Intent.
The recruiting class reflects Erickson's commitment to expand NU's recruiting base, with all seven signees coming from outside the state of Illinois. The class continues the Wildcats' pipeline to Minnesota, with two student-athletes from the North Star state, and also features recruits from California, North Carolina, Ohio, Washington and the first Canadian in program history.
"The 2010 recruiting class is the most talented and dynamic in our staff's tenure," Erickson said. "We have bolstered our program's ability to score goals, compete with the great athletes of the Big Ten and defend. With this class, NU women's soccer now has an international presence and youth national team pedigree. It is a very well-rounded class with not only competitive soccer players but also incredibly impressive students. All seven of these women will make an impact in our program next fall and throughout their careers. I believe these new Wildcats will help push us over the edge of competing and succeeding with our extremely competitive non-conference schedule and the always challenging Big Ten Conference schedule. We are so pleased to welcome these young women and their families into our Wildcat women's soccer family."
The seven signees are Kate Allen (Whitehouse, Ohio/Anthony Wayne), Maggie Graham (Seattle, Wash./The Bush School), Sam Hatfield (Crossfield, Alberta/W.G. Murdoch), Nicole Jewell (Raleigh, N.C./Leesville Road), Natalie Lagunas (Canyon Country, Calif./Golden Valley), Bo Podkopacz (Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata) and Julie Sierks (Edina, Minn./Edina).
Complete bios and quotes from Coach Erickson appear below:
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Kate Allen
5-4 • F
Whitehouse, Ohio/Anthony Wayne
High School: Scored 58 goals and 33 assists in career (26 and 12 as a senior in 2009) ... NSCAA/Adidas all-region player as a senior ... Named All-Ohio and All-District first team ('09) ... Selected as district player of the year ... Three-year captain ... Led team to Northern Lakes League championship in 2009 ... Recorded a four-goal game ... Three-year member of Cleveland Internationals Soccer Club ... Club team twice won USL Y-League North American championship (2007, '09) and USYS National Championships (2009) ... USL Super Y-League ODP National Select Player and ODP Regional team member (2008-09) ... Competed for W-League's Cleveland Internationals (2008-09).
Personal: Born Katherine Layne Allen on 9/21/91 ... Daughter of Thomas and Judith Allen ... Father played football at Ohio Northern University ... Undecided on potential major ... Chose Northwestern over Dayton, Iowa and Purdue.
Quoting Coach Erickson: "Kate is a dynamic soccer player with a great pedigree; she has a rich history as a Region II player and her club experience has prepared her well for the next level. Kate is a strong and aggressive forward with a nose for the goal. She will give us a much needed boost in goal production."
Maggie Graham
5-5 • F/M
Seattle, Wash./The Bush School
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High School: Four-year all-league player and second-team all-state selection in 2009 ... Was the only Seattle-area player with more than 20 goals and 20 assists in 2009 season ... Led state in assists in both 2008 and 2009 ... Led team to third place finish in state tournament, the best in school history ... Scored five goals in first playoff game and the penalty kick that took school to state ... Three-time captain and four-year letterwinner ... Member of Crossfire Premier '91 ... Club team won five state championships ... Scored winning goal in double overtime of 2006 USL National Championship match ... Four-year member of Washington ODP pool (2004-07) ... Elected class senator ... Current holder of more than half of school fitness records ... First graduate of The Bush School to play Division 1 soccer.
Personal: Born Sarah Margaret Graham on 8/12/91 ... Daughter of Doug and Sarah Graham ... Competed against current Wildcat Kendall Thoreson ... Grandmother attended Northwestern ... Anticipated majors are English and French.
Quoting Coach Erickson: "Maggie comes to us from a great club in the state of Washington. She has instinctive attacking tendencies and is an unselfish workaholic on the field. Maggie was first identified at one of our College Prep Clinics and continued to grow into a student-athlete we felt we needed in our program. We are excited for Maggie's contributions on and off the field."
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Sam Hatfield
5-8 • GK
Crossfield, Alberta/W.G. Murdoch
High School: Member National Training Centre Program from 2007-2010 ... Team won Gold in '07 ... Member Alberta provincial team from 2005-08 ... Member of Southwest United Pride club team that is seven-time City of Calgary champions ... Won gold medal in Alberta Major League in '09 ... U18 and U16 teams won silver medal ... Student council president ... Honor roll student.
Personal: Born Samantha Lucia Hatfield on 2/25/92 ... Daughter of Steve and Caterina Hatfield ... Sister Amanda played soccer at University of Lethbridge ... Anticipated major is engineering ... Also competed in badminton, basketball, track & field and volleyball in high school.
Quoting Coach Erickson:"Sam is an exciting signee for our program. She is the first international student-athlete for Northwestern Women's Soccer and has an awesome soccer pedigree -- hailing from National Training Centre Program in Canada. Sam will be competitive right from the start in the position of goalkeeper as she has great hands and a commanding presence in the goal."
Nicole Jewell
5-6 • D
Raleigh, N.C./Leesville Road
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High School: All-state selection in 2009 ... Two-time all-conference player ... Team won 2008 and 2009 North Carolina 4A state championships and was ranked second nationally by NSCAA in 2009 ... Four-year letter winner and team captain ... Earned the Brittany Willis Memorial Showcase Sportsmanship award ... Six-year member of CASL Spartan Elite ... Club team won three state championships, Region III East championship (2008) and was 2007 USYS Southern Regional quarterfinalists ... Honor roll student ... National Honor Society member.
Personal: Born Nicole Kay Jewell on 7/26/92 ... Daughter of Brent and Diane Jewell ... Older sister, Michelle, plays soccer at Appalachian State University ... Family raises puppies for Guiding Eyes for the Blind organization ... Anticipated major is engineering ... Chose Northwestern over Colorado, Cornell and South Carolina.
Quoting Coach Erickson: "Nicole is a student-athlete who continues to strengthen our defense. She is a poised and smart defender who will be competitive in our back line, right away. Nicole hails from an excellent club system in North Carolina and becomes the program's first ever student-athlete from North Carolina."
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Natalie Lagunas
5-3 • F
Canyon Country, Calif./Golden Valley
High School: Team captain and three-year letter winner ... Competed with Mexico at the CONCACAF U20 Women's Championship in Guatemala (2010) ... Scored game-winning goal to beat Trinidad and Tobago in final round play, helping Mexico advance to the tournament championship and secure a berth in the 2010 U-20 World Cup ... Five-year member of Real So Cal White club that won 2009 Surf Cup and Far West Regional Championships ... Member Calsouth ODP (2005-09) ... Scholar-athlete and National Honor Society member.
Personal: Born Natalie Michelle Lagunas on 4/18/92 ... Daughter of Javier and Marcela Lagunas ... Anticipated major is business or pre-law ... Chose NU over Harvard, Penn, Arizona and Oregon ... Will become first member of her family to attend a university.
Quoting Coach Erickson: "Natalie signs with NU on the heels of competing in the CONCACAF Championships for the Mexican U20 National Team. She has played at an incredibly high level and is a lethal forward. Natalie is a technical and savvy soccer player who gives us a special dimension up top. She is superb in the classroom and will do amazing things on and off the field at NU."
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5-4 • F
Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata
High School: Minnesota all-state tournament selection ('08) ... Two-time all-conference player ... Led school to third-place finishes in state tournament as sophomore and junior ... Five-year member of Minnesota ODP team that took third-place at nationals ... Five-year member of Woodbury Inferno club ... Club won Minnesota State Cup championship five consecutive years ... Set school record in the 100-meter dash as a sophomore (12.25 seconds) ... Helped track team win state championship ('08).
Personal: Born Bozena Marie Podkopacz on 10/15/91 ... Daughter of Marcy and Jerry Podkopacz ... Father played college tennis, mother played professional beach volleyball ... ODP teammate of current Wildcat Briana Westlund and club teammate of fellow signee Julie Sierks ... Undecided on potential major ... Chose NU over Cornell, Virginia and Iowa State.
Quoting Coach Erickson: "Bo is a supreme athlete. Her pace is special and will truly help us in dangerous parts of the field. Bo hails from an incredible high school (my alma mater- Wayzata High School) and has been very well coached at all levels. She could show up in various positions and we expect her athleticism to add a lot to our competitiveness."
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Julie Sierks
5-5 • M
Edina, Minn./Edina
High School: Two-time NSCAA all-Midwest Region and all-state selection (2008-09) ... 2009 all-state tournament team ... three-time team offensive MVP ... Scored 168 points (61 goals, 46 assists) in high school career ... Led Edina to two state tournaments (2007, `09) and three conference championships (2007-09) ... Three-year letterwinner and team captain ... Four-year member of Woodbury Inferno ... Club team is five-time Minnesota state cup champion ... Student council member and honor roll student ... Earned all-state academic excellence award (2007-09).
Personal: Born Julia Segall Sierks on 5/2/92 ... Daughter of Mamie Segall and Bill Sierks ... High school teammate of current Wildcat Meredith Finsand and club teammate of fellow NU signee Bo Podkopacz ... Has two aunts that attended Northwestern ... Student member of the Edina City Commission ... Anticipated major is engineering ... Says Northwestern was her top choice.
Quoting Coach Erickson: "Julie has proven to be a seasoned and mature center midfielder. She will compete to make an impact in that position because of her ability to keep possession, start attacks and her tireless work rate. Julie is an incredible student-athlete and fits wonderfully into the culture of combining elite academics with top-level athletics."
