By Kyle Cape-Lindelin
Despite a highly successful 2009 season that garnered UP women's soccer a 21-2 overall record and a close loss in the quarter finals of the NCAA Championship, they aren't finished yet.
Head women's soccer coach Garrett Smith announced the 2010 recruiting class, which included seven recruits.
Six are ranked in the top 50 college recruit rankings while also garnering the No. 1-ranked women soccer player in Portland according to ESPN.com, Sarah Bridges.
Along with Bridges, Micaela Capelle (Gresham, Ore.), Michelle Cruz (Thousand Oaks, Calif.), Erin Dees (Downers Grove, Ill.), Nichole Downing (Carlsbad, Calif.), Amanda Frisbie (McKinney, Tex.) and Ellen Parker (Paradise Valley, Ariz.) make up the 2010 class.
"The field players are all offensive-minded players that will only enhance our attack from last year. They all have great offensive gifts and a capacity to work hard on defense," Smith said.
Sarah Bridges
Bridges, a left-footed 5'8" midfielder, is a two-time NSCAA High School All-American. She was named the Oregon State Player of the Year after leading Jesuit to the state championship and a No. 1 national ranking by ESPN Rise in 2009.
Bridges was also named to the all-state team for three straight years and guided Jesuit to four consecutive Metro League Championships. Bridges finished her high school career with 32 goals and 19 assists.
Bridges has also been a member of the regional and state Olympic Development Program teams since 2007.
Bridges has played for the FC Portland club system since 2004, helping her team reach the state finals in 2008 and state semifinals in 2009.
Bridges is known for her passing and scoring abilities but much credit is given to her work ethic,
"She wants to play every second, I couldn't keep her off the field. She's definitely one of the top five players to come out of Jesuit," Jesuit head women's soccer coach Ken Skipper said.
"To be able to recruit top talent out of region shows that the University of Portland name is being recognized and players want to come here to UP which will only help us in the future," Smith said.
Micaela Capelle
Capelle, a 5'4" forward, is a three-time all-state honoree and two-time Mt. Hood Conference Player of the Year.
She scored 28 goals as a senior, en route to her fourth consecutive first team all-conference award. Capelle, also a teammate of Bridges with FC Portland, has been with the club for three years.
"Micaela is another great athlete that brings flair and creates many scoring opportunities for herself and teammates. We are excited that another top local player has chosen to attend to be a Pilot," Smith said.
Michelle Cruz
Cruz, a 5'6" midfielder/forward, has been involved with the USA Youth National Teams and is a current member of the Under-18 National Team.
Cruz has played with her club soccer team, Real So Cal, since 2006 and has since helped the team garner six championships.
As a junior, Cruz led the Thousand Oaks High School to the 2008 CIF-SS Division II title as a senior.
She also led them to the 2009 Marmonte League Championship. She was listed as the No. 39 recruit according to the TopDrawerSoccer.com Top 100 and was ranked No. 5 overall in 2009 according to Takkle.com, both popular high school soccer ranking sites.
"Michelle is a player that brings a wealth of national team experience to our squad. She is creative in the attack and has the pace to go by people as well," Smith said.
Erin Dees
Dees, a 5'10" goalkeeper, helped the renowned Eclipse Select club team to the 2009 U-17 USYSA National Championship after posting a runner-up finish at nationals in 2008.
She won the Golden Gloves Award at the 2009 championship for her four saves.
Dees is rated the No. 29 national recruit according to the 2010 TopDrawerSoccer.com's Top 100.
Nichole Downing
Downing, another 5'8" goalkeeper, played two years of high school soccer and was named All-San Diego Second Team by XK San Diego, a popular high school soccer statistics website. She finished her senior season with 73 saves, four shutouts and only allowed 22 goals scored.
Downing also competed with the club team San Diego Surf, which she helped lead to nine championships since 2006. She was rated the No. 63 player in the 2009 TopDrawerSoccer.com's Top 100 and No. 18 according to the Takkle.com's Top 50 in 2009.
"Erin and Nichole provide us with two of the top goalkeepers in the country. Both have national team experience and have excelled with top club teams. Both will help stabilize us defensively which we have grown accustomed to," Smith said.
Amanda Frisbie
Frisbie, a 5'8" left-footed forward, was rated the No. 45 recruit by TopDrawerSoccer.com and No. 13 on Takkle.com.
Frisbie has an uncanny ability to score goals as evidence from her 27 goals scored as a sophomore before joining the Olympic Development Program. Frisbie was also named to the North Texas State Team for all four years and was named to ESPN Rise's All-Area Team in 2010.
With the loss of three top scorers from last season, Frisbie is going to be depended on to help with the scoring load.
Ellen Parker
Parker, a 5'7" midfielder, has been a member of the USA National Team pools at the Under-18 and Under-20 levels. She is rated No. 49 on the TopDrawerSoccer.com Top 100 recruits.
"Parker has a technical side of the game and an understanding of it that makes everything she does look easy. With her experience and skill, I can see her contributing next season for us," Smith said.
Despite losing four seniors, the Pilots have reloaded with skilled, experienced talent that should help UP rebound after last season.
