South Carolina head coach Shelley Smith comments on the players that have committed to play for the USC women’s soccer team beginning in 2008.

Natalie Aaron: “Natalie has shown the athleticism and talent to compete at a very high level, especially with her tremendous speed and work ethic. We anticipate that she will excel at this level with the determination she displays on the field and in the classroom. We look forward to seeing where her strengths will take her in her first year and beyond, primarily focusing on a defensive role, but has the versatility to play as an attacker as well. As a coach, I am excited to see the potential Natalie has shown and where I think that she can go with it. We look forward to working with her this fall and seeing her develop further through her years playing for Carolina.”

Ellen Fahey: “Ellen has been recruited as a player capable of making an impact on our defense right away. She will be competing with returning players and other incoming freshmen to establish playing time among our back four. She is a strong, physical defensive player with good balls skills and passing ability. We are looking forward to having her help solidify our defense and bring an improvement to our distribution and possession out of the back.”

Morgan Jones: “Morgan plays with a toughness and bravery that you can’t teach as well as a dominating aerial presence. Her strengths are best suited for a central defensive position and will compete and bring depth to the heart of the defense on our roster.”

Jocelyn Spurrier: “A solid central defensive player – very composed with good physical strengths, and will add depth to our centerback position.”

Lauren “Lolly” Holland: “One of the best technical players we have seen. We are looking for her to add depth to the attack with her creativity and passing ability in the middle of the field or in a forward role.”

Kira Campbell: “A wonderful talent from the state of South Carolina. We are happy to have Kira at USC to represent our program as well as her home state of South Carolina. She has proven herself in the classroom and on the field, and I look forward to seeing all she can achieve in the next four years and beyond. Coach Jamie Smith has truly enjoyed working with Kira through the ODP program and we are excited to be able to coach her at the college level. Kira brings versatility as well to the field and will most likely play an attacking role.”

Ali Glemser: “Ali has had a variety of experience playing in defensive and offensive positions in the flank. We will look for her to bring her strengths to an outside position for us as well, utilizing her pace, endurance and good work rate to compete among the wide players.”

Sydney Hill: “A valuable player among any team, she brings speed coupled with a strong left foot. She is a threat to score as well as having great talent to deliver very dangerous and accurate services from wide areas. I anticipate Sydney excelling in her first year and beyond and playing an important role in our offensive production, be it assists or her own goals. She has had a good experience developing as a player from the Tophat Soccer Club in the Atlanta area and should be well prepared to make an impact on our field in the fall.”

Dani Henry: “Dani has excelled as a defender at the club level and will be an amazing addition to our solid defensive group, although she has an outstanding ability to perform as an attacking player as well. She has the skill, speed, and athleticism to play a variety of places which makes her that much more valuable among the roster. I anticipate her competing right away for a spot on the field in a variety of positions.”

Maria Petroni: “Maria is just beginning to tap her potential as a player and we are excited to see her develop over the next four years. She will give us another look up top with her aggressive play and ability to be a target player using her height as an advantage in and around the 18.”

Kayla Grimsley: “We are extremely excited about Kayla joining our program and the immediate impact we anticipate her having on the field. With the departure of our large senior class, including All-SEC midfielder Ashley Kirk and offensive leader Erin Sullivan, there is a lot of opportunity for a player with Kayla’s ability to make an impact right away. We had a tremendous midfield this past fall, and we look forward to having Kayla become a key player in helping us continue that level of play and helping us reach further success. She is fun to watch on the field. I know she will be a fan favorite with her play making skills and ability to create scoring chances for herself and others.”

Bonny Lepley: “We have seen Bonny compete against top level club competition and has always demonstrated strong defensive skills, composure and consistency as a player. You can rely on Bonny to give her full effort whenever she is on the field and takes pride in her play and defensive responsibilities. She will compete for a spot among the back four and help increase our much needed depth among the defensive players on the roster along with the other incoming defensive players in this class. She is a great addition to our program!”

Idana DeCecco: “Idana brings a wealth of playing experience to the program after competing among the best in the Canadian U17 and U20 national programs. She is a tremendous athlete with great leadership skills. She reads the game well and has a strong ability to organize players around her. In addition, she will find time in the back or in a defensive role in the midfield due to her dominating presence in the air and strength as a ball winner. We are looking forward to what she will bring to the field and our team with her international background and how well she will complement our current and incoming roster.”

Roya Mojarab: “We are excited to have Roya join our program and further solidify our goalkeeping position. She is a very technical goalkeeper with an amazing work ethic. This combined with her strong ability to read the game will make her competitive at this level. GK coach Mat Cosgriff is looking forward to working with her and seeing her develop further. We are glad she has chosen to come join us from the west coast to pursue her academic and athletic goals!”