Women’s Soccer Signing Day Central
2/6/2013 5:00:30 AM | Women's Soccer
VIDEO: Coach Vanderspiegel Discusses the 2013 Signing Class
STATESBORO, Ga. – Georgia Southern Women’s Soccer is proud to announce the addition of its signing class of 2013. The following student-athletes have submitted their National Letter of Intent with the Eagles and will help Georgia Southern in defense of its 2012 Southern Conference Championship.
“We are very excited about this class,” said Head Coach Lindsey Vanderspiegel. “We’ve had some players that have been verbally committed to us for a year and a half and some that have committed more recently, but we feel like these players are going to fit in every well with our returners and compete for playing time immediately.”
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JENNIFER WITTICK
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F
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5-10
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Downingtown, Penn.
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Downingtown West H.S. |
Penn Fusion Academy ECNL
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Jennifer Wittick, a native of Downingtown, Penn. will join the Georgia Southern Women’s Soccer team for the 2013 season after playing at Downingtown West High School and with the Penn Fusion Academy ECNL team.
“I would expect Jen to translate right away,” said Vanderspiegel. “She is a college player all-around. From her size, to her strength, to her speed, to her technical ability, I’m a big fan of Jen Wittick and we think that the success that she has had at the high school and club level will translate right away to the college game.”
Last season, Wittick scored a career-high 30 goals with nine assists after injuries affected her sophomore and junior seasons. As a freshman, Wittick scored 18 goals with two in the state semifinal victory that propelled the Whippets to the PIAA Class 3-A State Championship. She was also named a High School Player to Watch by ESPN in 2011 to go with 2012 All-State honors, 2012 Daily Local Player of the Year and Ches-Mont League MVP awards.
With the Penn Fusion Academy team, Wittick has been an ECNL participant for the last two seasons while leading the team in scoring each season. In 2012, Wittick scored 17 goals and five assists. In 2010 Penn Fusion Academy won the EPYSA State Cup Championship.
The daughter of Tom and Jackie Wittick, Jennifer plans to major in health promotion. She is a member of the National Honor Society at Downingtown West High School.
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MELINDA LUKAS
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F
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5-4
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Cape Coral, Fla.
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North Fort Myers H.S. |
Clearwater Chargers
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Melinda Lukas has signed with Georgia Southern after playing at North Fort Myers High School and with the Clearwater Chargers.
“Melinda is a fun one, she has excessive speed and is a very versatile player,” said Vanderspiegel. “She usually plays on the flank, but we are going to look at her for a few different positions. Clearly she has a knack for goal and for assists, and hopefully that translates well to the college game. I think she has done a very good job over the last year to develop her technical game and to make smarter decisions on the ball.”
With the Red Knights of North Fort Myers, Lukas led her team in scoring each season en route to a school record with 103 career goals. She was a NSCAA All-America Scholar as a senior. North Fort Myers won its conference in 2010 and was a district semifinalist in 2011 and 2012.
With the Clearwater Chargers, Lukas led the team in scoring for three seasons, posting 27 goals during the 2010-11 campaign. The Chargers reached quarterfinals for the Florida State Cup in 2010 and 2011 and was ranked as the No. 2 team in Florida. In 2011 she was ranked as the No. 11 “Player to Watch” in the state of Florida.
The daughter of Michael and Jennifer Lukas, Melinda plans to major in exercise science. She is a member of the National Honor Society at North Fort Myers High School.
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ATALIA RAMIREZ
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MF
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5-2
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Warner Robins, Ga.
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First Presbyterian |
Concorde Fire South
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Atalia Ramirez joins the Eagles for the 2013 season after a prep career at First Presbyterian Day School and with the Concorde Fire South club squad.
“Atalia is very fun to watch,” said Vanderspiegel. ”She is very comfortable with the ball at her feet and constantly demands the ball at her feet. She has great vision in the midfield and plays almost like a quarterback would. We expect her to come in and play as an attacking midfielder role or as a target forward where she would play with her back to goal and orchestrate play.”
While playing for the Vikings, Ramirez’ team has is a perfect 62-0, winning a pair of GHSA State Championships. She was the top-scorer for the 2012 team and scored the game-winning goal in the 2011 Championship Game.
Ramirez is a Georgia ODP player since 2011 and played with the Region III team in national competitions, playing with fellow Georgia Southern signee Taylor Burns. She is also a member of the Puerto Rico U-20 National Team, playing at the 2012 CONCACF Women’s U-20 Championships in Cuba.
The daughter of Luis F. and Yolanda Ramirez, Atalia plans to major in nutrition with a minor in psychology.
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TAYLOR BURNS
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F/MF
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5-5
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Suwanee, Ga.
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North Gwinnett H.S. |
Gwinnett Soccer Association ECNL
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Following an outstanding career at North Gwinnett High School and with the Gwinnett Soccer Association ECNL, Taylor Burns will join the Eagles for the 2013 campaign.
“Taylor is a very good player,” said Vanderspiegel. “She is super capable on the ball and plays very well with her back to goal. She is a very technical and very smart player in the attacking third. We look for Taylor to come in and be an asset for us right away either on the flank or in midfield.”
Burns won a GHSA State Championship in 2010, scoring 13 goals with five assists as a freshman. In 2011 as a sophomore, Burns scored 23 goals, finishing as GHSA Class 5-A State Runners-Up. In 2012 Burns picked up her second-straight all-region honor as the Bulldogs reached the GHSA 5-A Quarterfinals. She scored 19 goals with 14 assists on the year.
On the club side, Burns was a Georgia State ODP member from 2010-2012 and earned an ODP Region slot in 2012 where she played with fellow 2013 Georgia Southern signee Atalia Ramirez. Burns played three seasons at Atlanta Fire United with fellow signee Margaret Corry before moving to Gwinnett Soccer Association for 2012,
The daughter of Neil and Gina Burns, Taylor is a member of the National Beta Club, the National Society of High School Scholars and earned the 2012 Scholar Athlete Award at North Gwinnett. She plans to major in exercise science with a minor in multimedia communications.
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MARGARET CORRY
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D
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5-3
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Suwanee, Ga.
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Lambert H.S. |
Atlanta Fire United ECNL
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Margaret Corry will continue her career at Georgia Southern following a high school career at Lambert High School. She also played with the Atlanta Fire United ECNL side.
“Margaret may be small in stature, but she is very feisty,” said Vanderspiegel. “She has good distribution out of the back and she is a smart soccer player. We look for her to come in and compete for playing time immediately, probably at outside back.”
While at Lambert, Corry’s teams reached the state tournament each year. In 2011 as a sophomore, the Longhorns were a state semifinalist with a regional championship to their name. In Corry’s freshman and junior season, the Longhorns finished runners-up in the region and reached the GHSA Sweet 16.
With Atlanta Fire United, Corry’s teams were state cup semifinalists at both the U15 and U16 levels. She played for three seasons alongside fellow 2012 signee Taylor Burns.
The daughter of Eric and Sara Corry, Margaret is a member of the National Honor Society at Lambert High School.
Georgia Southern begins preparation for defense of its 2012 Southern Conference Championship with the 2013 spring season. The spring campaign begins on March 9th at home against Georgia College & State University.
Fans can follow their Eagles at GeorgiaSouthernEagles.com or receive short updates at facebook.com/GSAthletics, twitter.com/GSAthletics or on Google+ at gplus.to/GSAthletics.
