university of georgia soccer national signing day feb. 6, 2013
Marion Crowder Taylor Donohue Hannah Edwards holeman adds 11 for 2013 season Rachel Garcia Kara Looby Under the direction of fourth-year head coach Steve Holeman, the Georgia soccer team has inked 11 players on National Signing Day 2013, a group that will join the Bulldogs this coming fall and is expected by Holeman and the staff to make an immediate impact. The class supplements a returning roster of nine seniors, two juniors, and nine sophomores from 2012 and is comprised of four forwards, three midfielders, two defenders, and two goalkeepers. Geograpically, the group is heavy on Georgia players, with eight of the 11 hailing from the Peach State, while the remaining three come from Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida. Over the past several years, true freshmen have played a vital role in Georgia s success on the pitch. In the last six years, three Bulldogs have been named SEC Freshman of the Year (Carrie Patterson in 2006, Kelli Corless in 2007 and Laura Eddy in 2009). In 2010 Alexa Newfield was the only freshman in the league named first team All-SEC while her classmate Torri Allen joined Newfield on the All-Freshman team. The 2010 class of 14 newcomers made their presence known from the start, responsible for over half of Georgia s scoring on the season. In 2011, rookie Jenna Owens was named to the SEC All-Freshman team, continuing Georgia s trend of strong incoming groups, while 2012 saw the Bulldogs start several freshman and get significant minutes from its class of rookies. Jill Maloney Kelsey Nix Gabby Seiler Angelica Tabares Lauren Tanner Caroline Waters
marion crowder forward/midfielder madison, miss. madison central mississippi fire ODP Region 3 team - 09-12 ODP Interregional event - 09-12 ODP Foreign Trip/Costa Rica - 10 ODP Foreign Trip/Germany and France - 11 ODP Foreign Trip/ Italy and Switz - 12 ODP Region 3 Team Captain - 12 id2 National Camp - 11 MS GPOY Finalist - 12 MS 1st Team All-State - 11-12, 12-13 MS 6A State Champions - 09-10, 10-11 ESPN Top 150 TopDrawerSoccer Top 100 U14 National Camp MS All-Star - 12-13 Team s leading scorer 09-12 When you talk about forwards that defenders don t like to play against, that s Marion Crowder. She s got top-end speed and a relentless will to chase and tackle and do all the blue collar dirty work. Over the past year she s evolved into one of the best strikers in the region. She s got the competitive mentality we re looking for in this program, and she scores goals, that s why she was one of the highest rated players coming out of the interregional camp in November. - Georgia head coach Steve Holeman Marion is one the most dynamic players that I have had the pleasure to coach. Her ability to take players on and get behind defenses is uncanny. She will have an exciting future with Georgia Bulldogs. We at the Mississippi Fire are extremely proud of her. - Kenneth White, Mississippi Fire
taylor donohue midfielder lawrenceville, ga. collins hill gwinnett soccer association Georgia state champions (GSA Phoenix) 2008-2010; finalist in 2011 2008-09 Atlanta Cup Tournament champion; also won 2008 Raleigh Showcase, 2008 & 2010 Disney Showcase R3PL 2009-2010, National League in 2011, ECNL Top Division 2011-2012 Reached quarterfinals of Southern Regionals 2010-11 Georgia 94 ODP team for five seasons ODP Region championship in 2010; played in ODP National Championship in 2011 (third in nation) Super Y for two seasons; attended the Super Y National ID Camp in Florida in 2007 Three-year letterwinner and starter Awarded Super Six Player Award in Gwinnett County as a junior in 2012 Collins Hill team was an Elite Eight participant in 2011 and Final Four team in 2012 In three seasons, had 28 goals and 34 assists Every time we watched T.D. play, she was better than the time before. She just kept getting better and better technically until we realized we wanted her to be a Georgia Bulldog. T.D. is very smooth on the ball and her passing is excellent. She has also has excellent long service and a cannon for a shot. She s a player who connects a lot of passes and rarely gives away possession and that s the type of player you can depend on. Her style of play will fit in nicely with our style of play and by enrolling early, she ll have a few months to adjust to the speed of play of college soccer which will help her dramatically. - Georgia head coach Steve Holeman Taylor has the ability to play wide and central mid, her free kicks and long range shooting can only help the team. TD has worked hard to prepare for life as a soccer player in college and I believe she is ready to play in the SEC. - Campbell Chapman, GSA
hannah edwards midfielder johns creek, ga. northview gwinnett soccer association - Played with Concorde Fire and Gwinnett Soccer Association (GSA) - 2010 state champion with Concorde Fire - ODP Region III Camp 2009-2012 - ODP Region III Pool 2012 - Two-time invitee to US Soccer National Training Center - AAAAA State Runner-Up 2010 & 2012 - Four-time Scholar-Athlete - 2010 Rookie of the Year - Awarded GHSA State Championship Game Ball - Team Captain Hannah has been coming to UGA camp for the past three years and every time we see her she gets better and better. She is very skillful and composed and will compete right away for time in the midfield. She can drive a ball really well, so her long distribution is excellent, and she can play with either foot. Hannah is also a strong heading presence, which not only helps defensively, but makes her a dangerous target on set pieces. - Georgia head coach Steve Holeman Hannah has developed into a very good center mid - good in the air and a good passer. She is a team player that does a lot of dirty work for her team and will always give 100 percent. - Campbell Chapman, GSA
rachel garcia forward duluth, ga. greater atlanta christian gwinnett soccer association 2011 State Runners-Up, 2012 First school state champions Gwinnett County Super 6 selection 2012 Gwinnett County Player of the Year 2012 All-Region team 2011-12 Region 6AA All-Region Player of the Year 2012 Gwinnett Daily Post All-County 2010-12 Gwinnett Goal Club All-County 2011-12 Offensive Player Award 2012 GASCA All-Star Team 2012 Single-season goals record (47) and offensive output (103 points) Team captain; four-year varsity starter W-League: Played for the Atlanta Silverbacks in 2012 Region III ODP 2009-11 Member of Georgia ODP since 2005 Region III ODP Champions 2011 ODP Inter-regional event in Boca Raton 2011 ODP Inter-regional event in California 2011 ECNL Player ID Event 2012 2008 and 2010 State Cup Champions 2011 State Cup Finalist 2007, 2008, 2009 Atlanta Cup Champions 2008 Raleigh Showcase Champion 2008, 2010 Disney Showcase Champion 2009, 2010 R3PL team 2010 National League 2010, 2011 Southern Regional quarterfinalist 2011, 2012 ECNL Team Rachel Garcia is someone who could play anywhere in the country and we re thrilled she chose Georgia. She s a true goal-scorer with a dynamic ability to cut up defenders on the dribble. She s exciting to watch. When she pins her ears back and runs at defenses, she makes a lot of good things happen, and she s a heck of a finisher when she gets around the goal. Putting Garcia on the field immediately makes us a more dangerous attacking team. - Georgia head coach Steve Holeman Rachel is a excellent all round striker that can score goals She has the ability to create goal scoring opportunities for herself and teammates, a natural target center forward. - Campbell Chapman, GSA
kara looby goalkeeper tampa, fla. plant tampa bay united Captain, 2012 R3PL No. 2-ranked state team and No. 5-ranked Region 3 team ODP Florida State First Team Nominated to Super Y Regional Team Club Finalist at Disney in 2010 & 2011 CASL Finalist 2010 State Final Four 2011 Champions 2010 CDL 2010 Florida State League undefeated Score At The Shore Champions 2010 & 2011 Four-year varsity team member First Team Western Conference All County Second team as a Junior Team captain No. 1-ranked team in district heading to District/ Regional/State tournaments Kara is defined by her exceptional work rate in training and a burning drive to excel. Her enthusiasm will be an excellent addition to the personality of this team. Kara is quick and courageous, good with her feet and technically polished. She has a good understanding of the whole game, not just the goalkeeper position. - Georgia head coach Steve Holeman Kara has done very well and has an unbelievable work ethic. She is very aggressive and brave coming off her line, and she communicates and organizes well with her defenders. With Kara s work ethic, she will continue to improve once she arrives at Georgia with the full time training she will receive. -Kevin Keelan, Looby s goalkeeper trainer and former professional soccer player
jill maloney goalkeeper alpharetta, ga. alpharetta gwinnett soccer association Member of GSA 95 Phoenix 2010-13, ECNL & National League Had perfect 0.00 GAA in 2010 Roswell Santos ( 08-09), Alpharetta United Super Y ( 95 goalie, 94 striker) ( 08), ASA ( 06-07), Alpharetta Ambush ( 04-05) State Cup Champion 05 and 06 State Cup Finalist 10 CASL Showcase Champion 08 Disney Showcase Champion 10 Vulcan and Atlanta Cup Champion 06 Huntington Beach National Sand Tournament Champion 09 Georgia ODP member 07-12 Region III team 08, 09, & 10, team captain 11 & 12 Georgia Team was Region III Champion 11 Thanksgiving Regional Pool Games 2009 (Coral Gables, Fla.) Interregional National Development Camp 2010 and 2011. (Pomona, Calif.) Three-year starter before graduating early Team made Georgia playoffs all three years Upset No. 1 Brookwood in first round as a sophomore, 1-0 Set school records for wins, shutouts, save percentage Rookie of the Year in 10 Regional 6AAAAA All Star 11 & 12 Defensive player of the year 12 Fulton/Forsyth county All Star game 12 Team s second-leading goal scorer while playing only two halves on the field in 11 Three-year Scholar-Athlete W-League: Back-up goalie for the Atlanta Silverbacks in 2012 Republic of Ireland National Team: Participated in 38 international games to date 15 UEFA Championship games, four World Cup games, one as a member of the ROI Senior Team against the USA WNT in Phoenix on 12/1/12 Also has played against four English Premier League professional teams and was the goalie for the Ireland College All-Stars as a 15 & 16 year old First cap was against England in U19 Tri-Nations Tournament in 10 as a 15 year old, where the team won 1-0 Won first UEFA game in 10 against Northern Ireland, 1-0, in front of 1000 Northern Ireland supporters Most recent win came against Serbia, 3-2, to put the Irish in the Elite 13 round Reached UEFA Championship in 11/ 12 as a member of the U17 and U19 teams Currently with the U19s team that will face Sweden, Italy, and host Netherlands in April in the Elite phase of the 2012/13 UEFA Championship Member of the 2010 World Cup U17 team that reached the quarterfinals in Trinidad and Tobago; team faced Brazil, Canada, Ghana, and Japan Was one of the youngest players in the Cup at age 15 Has had the opportunity to play 24 different countries in Ireland, England, Trinidad & Tobago, Northern Ireland, Macedonia, Belgium, Austria, Norway, Serbia, Scotland, and the USA US National Team: 2009 U14 Girls National Team Carson, Calif. 2009 U14 ID Camp - Pomona,Calif. 2010 U15 National Team Player Pool US Soccer Training Center ID Events in 2010 and 2011 Jill is a talented and accomplished young goalkeeper who just keeps improving. She s big, strong, athletic and has the potential to make a huge impact at UGA. She s a solid shot-stopper, very good at handling crosses and has a big kicking game. Her distribution is excellent for a young goalkeeper. The experience Jill continues to gain at the international level will help her become a high-level college goalkeeper. - Georgia head coach Steve Holeman Jenna is an all-around talent who is comfortable in the midfield or up top. She brings so much to the table. She s got pace and power and bite. She can defend and attack. She is very smooth on the ball and is remarkable at dancing out of pressure. She has exceptional technical ability and a knack for delivering the killer ball to spring a teammate in behind the defense. Jenna s talent as a distributor her vision, the weight and timing of her passes, her ability to play with any surface it s really something. In front of goal she s very dangerous. There are players who can score goals but aren t very good passers. And there a lot of good passers who can t finish. Jenna can cut you either way and that makes her very valuable. -Georgia Head Coach Steve Holeman Jenna Owens is an exciting player who attacks the other team relentlessly with her athleticism and technical ability. Very few kids have left Real Colorado as technically polished as Jenna. Her determination to become a great player along with the gifts she was born with should help her make a strong impact at Georgia as a freshman and beyond. Jill has worked hard to be a top level. goalkeeper. She has gained alot of experience -Jared at Spires, GSA Real playing Colorado against some of the top strikers in her age group. She has played with the Irish U17, U21 and Full national team and is ready for the SEC. - Campbell Chapman, GSA
kelsey nix forward roswell, ga. roswell nasa elite U14 National Team Identification Camp 2009 94 Region III Team 2009-2011 ODP Thanksgiving Invitational 2009-2010 NASA 12 Elite II Soccer Team (4 years) State Cup Champions 2010 National League Champions 2010 and Runner-up 2011 Attended Nationals and placed sixth in the nation 2010 and third in 2011 Kelsey has a deadly combination of speed and talent. She s fast and deceptive and can change directions on the ball as well as anyone you ll see. She s so good at using her body to unbalance a defender, and then she has the pace to blow past her. Kelsey is a quality finisher, but she also does a lot of damage setting up her teammates once she turns the corner. She s got a very good sense for when to pull the trigger, and Jenna is an all-around talent who is comfortable in the midfield or up top. She Jenna brings is so an much all-around to the talent table. who She s is comfortable got pace and in power the midfield and bite. or She up top. can defend She brings and so attack. much She to the is very table. smooth She s on got the pace ball and and power is remarkable and bite. She at dancing can out defend of pressure. and attack. She She has is exceptional very smooth technical on the ball ability and and is remarkable a knack for at delivering dancing the out killer of pressure. ball to spring She has a teammate exceptional in technical behind the ability defense. and a Jenna s knack for talent delivering as a distributor the killer ball her to spring vision, a the teammate weight and in behind timing the of her defense. passes, Jenna s her ability talent to as play a with distributor any surface her vision, it s really the weight something. and timing In front of of her goal passes, she s her very ability dangerous. to play There with any are surface players who it s can really score something. goals but In aren t front of very goal good she s passers. very dangerous. And there a There lot of are good players passers who who can can t score finish. goals Jenna but aren t can cut very you good either passers. way and And that there makes a lot of her good very passers valuable. who can t finish. Jenna can cut you either way and that makes her very valuable. -Georgia Head Coach Steve Holeman -Georgia Head Coach Steve Holeman when to set the table for a teammate. - Georgia head coach Steve Holeman Jenna Owens is an exciting player who attacks the other team relentlessly Jenna with her Owens athleticism is an exciting and technical player ability. who attacks Very few the kids other have team left relentlessly with her as athleticism technically and polished technical as Jenna. ability. Her Very determination few kids have to left become Real a Real Colorado great Colorado player as along technically with the polished gifts she as Jenna. was born Her with determination should help to her become make a strong great player impact along at Georgia with the as gifts a freshman she was and born beyond. with should help her make a strong impact at Georgia as a freshman and beyond. -Jared Spires, Real Colorado -Jared Spires, Real Colorado Kelsey is a phenomenal athlete that plays with intelligence and poise. She is a student of the game and has been a tremendous asset. She is a pleasure to coach and will continue to achieve great things. - Eric Ritter, NASA Elite
gabby seiler midfielder/forward peachtree city, ga mcintosh concorde fire Club/ODP Top Drawer Soccer No. 11 national ranking ESPN Rise Top 100 2012 U18 WNT in Chula Vista, Calif. 2011 U18 WNT in Sunrise, Fla. All-Event teams from 2011-12 ECNL National Showcase Event Series (Sanford, Fla.) 2011 Region III International Trip (Spain) 2010 All-Event Teams from 2011-12 ECNL National Showcase Event Series (Las Vegas) 94 ODP Region III Team 2010 94 Georgia ODP Team 2010 2010 Region III International Trip (Germany) 94 ODP Region III Team 2009 94 Georgia ODP Team 2009 2009 Region III International Trip (Costa Rica) 94 ODP Region III Team 2008 94 Georgia ODP Team 2008 U14 National ID Camp 2007 94 ODP Region III Pool 2007 94 Georgia ODP Team 2007 94 Georgia ODP Team 2006 High School Four-year varsity (2010-13) Georgia 4A High School State Champions 2011-2012 All County 2010-12 All-Region 2010-12 Region Player of the Year 2012 NSCAA High School Girls All-Region III Team 2011-2012 ESPN High School Soccer All-State 2011-2012 NSCAA All-American 2012 NSCAA Georgia Girls State Player of the Year 2012 NSCAA Girls Youth All-America Team 2012 Gabby has a gift for soccer. The game comes very naturally to her and that s why she s one of the best players in the country. She is a really advanced player who just gets it. Gabby can play anywhere on the field and be dominant. Her vision and distribution are fantastic. She can play with any surface of either foot. She can carve you up on the dribble. She can finish in a crowd or hammer a shot with either foot from 30 yards. She s very good in the air, she can defend, and she s got a great soccer IQ. Gabby is as complete a player as you ll find coming out of high school. - Georgia head coach Steve Holeman Gabby is one of the most talented players I ve had the honor to coach. She s very versatile as she s a great attacking personality as well as a very good 1v1 defender. I look forward to seeing her succeed in the very tough SEC and hope to see her on future All-SEC teams. UGA is lucky to have a talented player like Gabby. -Brian Moore, Concorde Fire
angelica tabares midfielder/forward phenix city, ala. hun school (nj) nlsa legends New Jersey Second Team All-Prep 2012 First Team All-MAPL 2012 Mercer 33 winner Coaches Award winner New Jersey Third Team All-Prep 2011 All-MAPL Honorable Mention 2011 Missed 2010 season due to knee injury New Jersey All-Prep Honorable Mention 2009 All-MAPL Honorable Mention 2009 Angelica can do things with the ball that no one on our team can do, including the coaches. She s so passionate about becoming the best possible player that she spends most of her free time with a ball at her feet. She s always trying to learn a new skill; always looking to add more tools to her toolbox. She s an excellent fit for our midfield because her skill set and her soccer brain are extraordinary. The best thing about Angelica is that now she has the chance to be surrounded by high-level players who understand the game the way she does, and I think that s when she ll really start to shine. - Georgia head coach Steve Holeman Angelica can beat you with speed or she can beat you with a move, or two or three. Angelica plays soccer with the skill and vision of an artist. Her skill and speed made her a target to be aggressively marked by all who played against us. She relished that challenge and never backed down from the chance to do her best. There s no question that her speed, her gifts, her grit and determination to succeed will propel her to a fantastic career at the University of Georgia. - Ken Stevenson, Hun School
lauren tanner forward buford, ga. mill creek gwinnett soccer association 2009 Region III ODP 2010 February ODP National Camp 2010 Costa Rica Tour 2010 Region III ODP 2011 February ODP National Camp 2011 Region III ODP 2012 ODP Region III Champion 2012 February ODP National Camp 2008 and 2010 State Cup Champions 2011 State Cup Finalist 2007, 2008, 2009 Atlanta Cup Champions 2008 Raleigh Showcase Champion 2008, 2010 Disney Showcase Champion 2009, 2010 R3PL Team 2010 National League 2010, 2011 Southern Regional Quarter finalist 2011, 2012 ECNL Team Gwinnett County Super Six 2010, 2011, 2012 Max Prep Player of the week Wendy s Heisman Representative for Mill Creek All County AAAAA Led all forwards in goals in AAAAA Gwinnett County Region 7 and 8 MVP 2010, 2011, 2012 Region Player of the Year 2012 Broke school record for career goals scored, boys or girls Lauren Tanner is smooth on the ball and has a good head for the game, but her defining quality is that she scores goals, and she scores them at big moments. She s one of those rare players who consistently puts herself in the right place at the right time and then has the composure to stick the ball in the net. I don t know how many times I ve watched her team play, but Tanner has scored nearly every time. - Georgia head coach Steve Holeman Lauren can play wide and down the middle, she will be a great addition to the team. Lauren has scored goals all through her career at GSA and I believe she will score more for UGA. - Campbell Chapman, GSA
caroline waters forward/defender woodstock, ga. etowah nasa elite 2011 Region III ODP Pool 2011 Region Camp 2011 ODP National Championship - Pheonix, Ariz. (Champions) 2010 ODP Region III Championship - Baton Rouge, La. Club NASA 13 Elite II - R3PL 2012 CASL Showcase Champion 2012 Atlanta Cup Champion 2012 State Cup finalist 2011 Atlanta Cup Finalist 2010 Disney Showcase Champion 2009 State Cup Champion 2009 CASL Semifinalist 2011 Cherokee County Player of the Year 2011 MVP 2011 First Team All County 2011 Lead goal scorer 2011 Scholar Athlete 2010 MVP 2010 1st Team All County 2010 Lead goal scorer 2010 Scholar Athlete 2010 Region 5AAAAA Champions Three-year varsity starter (on roster all four years after ACL reconstruction in 2012 season) If you went into a lab to design the perfect athlete, you d end up with someone who looks a lot like Caroline Waters. She s got incredible physical tools and she knows how to maximize them. If you can t run with her, she ll carve you up. As a winger, she s superb at turning the corner and making things happen in front of goal. When she plays as a back it, is very difficult to play in behind her because of her pace. She s also fierce into tackles and that makes her a very effective enforcer. - Georgia head coach Steve Holeman Caroline is a hard working athlete that constantly strives to improve herself. She has been extremely coach able and wants nothing more than to be successful and is committed to doing what it takes to get there. - Eric Ritter, NASA Elite
2013 SIGNING CLASS NAME POS. HOMETOWN HIGH SCHOOL CLUB Marion Crowder M/F Madison, Miss. Madison Central Chicago Fire Juniors MS Taylor Donohue MF Lawrenceville, Ga. Collins Hill GSA Phoenix Hannah Edwards M Johns Creek, Ga. Northview GSA Phoenix Rachel Garcia F Duluth, Ga. Greater Atlanta Christian GSA Phoenix Kara Looby GK Tampa, Fla. Plant TBU Premier Jill Maloney GK Alpharetta, Ga. Alpharetta GSA Phoenix Kelsey Nix F Roswell, Ga. Roswell NASA Elite Gabby Seiler M/F Peachtree City, Ga. McIntosh Concorde Fire Angelica Tabares M/F Phenix City, Ala. Hun School (NJ) NLSA Legends Lauren Tanner F Buford, Ga. Mill Creek GSA Phoenix Caroline Waters F/D Woodstock, Ga. Etowah NASA Elite 118 1