Women's Soccer Adds Ten Newcomers for 2002

The Vanderbilt women's soccer team announced the addition of ten players to the roster for the 2002 season as nine prep players committed to the program along with the addition of a transfer. Nicki Applefield (Charlotte, N.C,), Kari Boersma (Littleton, Colo.), and Meghan Habig (Sheridan, Ind.), Kim Perkins (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) all signed National Letters of Intent with the Commodores. They will be joined by Ashley Duffy (Ashburn, Va.), Caitlin Harris (Chapel Hill, N.C.), Kelsey Hegg (Charlotte, N.C.), Lauren Mitchell (Millersville, Md.), and Sara Ramza (St. Louis, Mo.) to form the freshman class for the 2002 season. In addition,Vanderbilt will also welcome Esther Thompson (Waxhaw, N.C.) who will transfer into the program from Texas A&M this season.

"I am very excited about our class for 2002," states Vanderbilt head coach Ronnie Hill. "Each of these players will provide us with stability and a great foundation for our future. One of our goals with this class was to add hard working, intense players who loved Vanderbilt. I am positive we accomplished our task. This class is a perfect fit for VU soccer."

Applefield is a central midfielder that comes to Vanderbilt after an all-state career at Charlotte Latin School. She was also a member of the Charlotte Soccer Club that won two North Carolina State Championships. A veteran of the North Carolina ODP team from 1995-2000, and she also a member of the 1998 Region III ODP team and attended the national ODP camp. Her Charlotte Eagles club was the 2001 national amateaur champions. Boersma is a all-state defender from Heritage High School and was a captain of her club team, Real Colorado, that was a state finalist in 1999. She was twice named defensive MVP of her team and is member of the Colorado ODP team. In addition to her success on the soccer field, Boersma has also had success on the track winning a 4x400 medal in the state meet. Habig is a midfielder from Westfield High School, where she was an all-state honoree by the Indiana Soccer Coaches Association and a member of the 2000 national finalist Carmel Cosmos soccer team. Perkins is a defender who was an all-league performer at Highlands Ranch High School. She was a teammate of Boersma's while playing her club soccer for Real Colorado.

Duffy led Broad Run High School to a state championship in 2001 while earning all-state and all-met honors. She also helped her club team, the Chantilly Hotspurs, to the Virginia State Championship Final. Harris is a midfielder from East Chapel Hill High School and has been a member of the North Carolina State ODP team. Hegg was an all-conference perfomer as she helped Charlotte Catholic High School to a No. 1 state ranking while earning All-Conference and All-Mecklenberg County honors. She played her club soccer for Charlotte United. Mitchell in a midfielder from Severna Park High School where she was a all-county performer. She was a member of the Maryland ODP team that was the Region I tournament winner in 1999 and 2000 and a national medalist in 2000, and her club team, the Bethesda Dragons, won several Maryland State Championships. Ramza is a midfielder from Parkway Central High School who was an all-conference player and team offensive MVP while being a member of the Missouri State ODP team and her club team, JB Marine. Thompson comes to Vanderbilt from Texas A&M where she started 19 games for the Aggies while leading them to the national quarterfinals last season. She had a 11-3-1 record in 20 games with a 0.97 GAA and 9.5 shutouts. Her freshman year, she posted a 1.11 GAA had 7.5 shutouts as she was named to the Big XII All-Newcomer. Before arriving at Texas A&M, she earned All-America honors while leading Parkwood High School to two state titles. She was a member of the North Carolina and Region III ODP teams while also playing for the state champion Charlotte Soccer Club, where she was a teammate of Nicki Applefield.

The Commodores are coming off a 2001 season in which they made their ninth consecutive appearance at the Southeastern Conference tournament. These ten recruits will join 16 players from last year's team with eligibility remaining on the 2002 squad.