Coach Jon Lipsitz announced the addition of 12 commitments to the 2008 roster. |
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Back-To-Back A-10 Champs Receive 12 Commitments For The 2008 Season
Feb. 8, 2008
CHARLOTTE, NC - Charlotte 49ers women's soccer coach Jon Lipsitz has received 12 new commitments to a 2008 team that returns 19 letter-winners and eight starters from the 2007 A-10 Regular Season and Tournament Championhips team. Lipsitz welcomes Oni Bernard of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Heather Carter of Badin, North Carolina, Kellie Dean of Raleigh, North Carolina, Jonna Handra of Port Vue, Pennsylvania, Liz Hawes of Valdez, North Carolina, Brooke Kocian of Brenham, Texas, Natalie LaVigne of Rochester, New York, Maro Mansourian of Boca Raton, Florida, Jenna McKeon of Bayside, New York, Kathryn Page of Raleigh, North Carolina, Kait Roberts of Charlotte, North Carolina and Macky Wingo of Raleigh, North Carolina.
This year's recruiting class comes off the heels of a 2007 recruiting class which was ranked 19th in the nation by Soccer Buzz. Last season's class played an integral role in helping the 49ers capture their second straight A-10 regular-season title and the A-10 Tournament title as well as earn the program's third trip to the NCAA Tournament. "We are very excited to bring another strong recruiting class to Charlotte. ," said Lipsitz, the 2007 Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year. "My assistant coaches Sari Rose and Allison Graham have secured another tremendous class that builds upon our national recruiting class from last spring. This class should really help the 49ers continue their return to national prominence. We expect most of them to contribute right away and help us compete for the Atlantic 10 title and a return trip to the NCAA Tournament." Bernard, a 5-foot-8 forward/midfielder, was a member of the Canadian U-16 National Team. She also played many years for the Ontario provincial team. As a member of the Richmond Hill Raiders club team, she played an integral role in them capture the U-16 National Championship. She also helped Richmond Hill capture three Ontario Cup Championships. She also played basketball where she led Agincourt Collegiate Institute in scoring and assists. She captured the 400 meter and 800 meter regional championships in track and field.|
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"Oni is one of the top international recruits that are coming to a U.S. school," Lipsitz said. "She has a knack for scoring goals. She is a fantastic athlete that will make our team more dangerous on the offensive attack." Carter, a 5-foot-4 midfielder/forward, is a member of the North Carolina State ODP team. She earned conference player of the year honors twice at North Carolina's North Stanly High School. She was a three-time first-team all-conference selection. She finished her high school career with 116 goals and 39 assists. At North Stanly, she also earned all-conference honors twice in basketball. Carter played club soccer for FC Carolina Alliance. "Heather is a prolific goal scorer," Lipsitz said. "She is great all-around athlete who has only scratched the surface of her potential. We are really excited about seeing her realize her full potential as a 49er for the next four years." Dean, a 5-foot-2 forward, was a 2007 SYL ODP selection. She played a integral role in helping Raleigh's William Enloe High School capture the 2007 Conference Championship. She was a second-team All-SYL selection as a junior who played for the highly successful Triangle Futbol Club team. "We are really excited about getting a late commitment from Kellie," Lipsitz said. "She is a very smart and technically sound player who has been well-coached at the club level." Handra, a 5-foot-2 forward/midfielder, was selected to the National ODP camp. She was a two-year member of the Region I ODP team. For the past six years, she has been a member of the Pennsylvania West ODP team. She scored 178 goals in her career at Pennsylvania's South Allegheny High School to finish third in WPIAL's all-time career goals scoring list. She earned Eastern Region All-American honors after leading the WPIAL in scoring twice. She is a four-time all-section selection and two-time all-state selection. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette named her Athlete of the Year twice. Handra played club soccer for Penns Forest. "Every time we saw Jonna play she scored goals," Lipsitz said. "We know that she will have an immediate impact for us either in the midfield or up front. She is a tremendous finisher which will make us very dangerous." Hawes, a 5-foot-6 defender, has participated in the Super Y National ODP camp. She is a five-time member of the North Carolina State ODP team. She is a three-time all-conference and a two-time all-region selection at North Carolina's East Burke High School. After leading East Burke in goals and assists in each of the last three seasons, she would finish her career with 54 goals and 23 assists. She helped the Winston-Salem Twins win numerous club championships including the 2005 Atlanta Silverback Classic. She led the Winston-Salem Twins to two appearances in the NCYSA State Cup semifinals. "Liz is a ferocious competitor who plays with a great deal of pride," Lipsitz said. "She will continue the Charlotte 49ers women's soccer program's tradition of tough no-nonsense defenders. She will add to our physically imposing backline." Kocian, a 5-foot-8 defender, was two-time team captain on a Brenham High School team that made three appearances in the state regional playoffs. She is a two-time member of the Region ODP team as well as a State ODP player. She earned All-District honors twice and as a senior she was named all-region and all-state. She played club soccer for the Texas Rush. "Brooke has already enrolled at Charlotte for the spring semester which is a huge advantage for her," Lipsitz said. "She will have time to adjust to the demands of college and collegiate soccer before preseason practice in August. She is already fitting in and beginning to contribute right away." LaVigne, a 5-foot-9 goalkeeper, led Rochester, New York's Aquinas Institute to the 2006 state championships. She helped her team capture three section titles and accumulate 51 wins over her final three seasons. She earned all-league honors twice and first-team all-region honors as a senior. She helped the Rochester Junior Rhinos to the 2006 New York West State Cup Championship. She was a four-year member of the New York State West ODP team. "When assistant coach Sari Rose saw Natalie play during the recruiting process, she was always making big saves," Lipsitz said. "She possesses great hands. She will challenge for playing time right away." Mansourian, a 5-foot-4 defender, led her Team Boca Club to four State Cup Final-Fours. She was a Region III ODP Pool Player and a three-time member of the Florida State ODP team. Risemag.com named her a South Florida All-Area Players after she completed a stellar career at Boca Raton's Spanish River Community High School. She earned all-county and all-conference honors twice. She has been selected to play in the Senior All-Star game. "Maro is a coach on the field," Lipsitz said. "She reads the game really well and brings tremendous technical skills to our team. It is also exciting to be able to reconnect to the fertile Florida recruiting grounds with the addition of Maro to our program." McKeon, a 5-foot-5 midfielder, was a six-time member of the Region I ODP team and Eastern New York ODP State team. She was invited twice to the United States National Camp. She is a three-time captain of the ODP State team. In 2007, she earned W-League Team of the Week honors while playing with the Long Island Rough Riders. Her East Meadow Dynamo club team captured three state championships. She was a three-time first-team Timesledger CHSAA All-Queens selection at New York's St. Francis Prep High School. She also ran cross country as a freshman and a sophomore. "We needed to replace the graduating A-10 Midfielder of the Year Lindsey Ozimek," Lipsitz said. "We think we may have found her replacement with Jenna. She has a way to dominate the rhythm of the game which is similar to Lindsey. With her ability to play at the national team level, we expect Jenna to take over in the midfield for us." Page, a 5-foot-10 forward, helped the CASL Spartan Elite Club team capture five NCYSA State Championships. The CASL Spartan Elite captured the USYSA Region III East Premier League Championship and two USL Super Y League South Atlantic Championships with Page on their roster. She was a USL Super Y League ODP selection and was named one of TopDrawerSoccer.Com Players to Watch. She graduated from Raleigh, North Carolina's Leesville Road High School which is the same high school as former 49er standout Kim Miles. "KP missed most of the last two years with injuries," Lipsitz said. "When at full strength, KP is a dominating presence near the goal. She gets her head or a foot on any ball that is served into the box and has knack for finishing crosses.." Roberts, a 5-foot-6 forward, earned first-team All-Conference honors after leading Charlotte, North Carolina's Ardrey Kell High School to the State Tournament quarterfinals. She played an integral role in helping the Charlotte Soccer Club `90 Blue team reach the State Cup semifinals. As a freshman and sophomore, she led Charlotte's South Mecklenburg High School to the third round of the North Carolina state playoffs. "We are excited that this hometown player has decided to stay at home," Lipsitz said. "Kait has a great passion for the game of soccer. Her level of sophistication will be a great addition to our program." Wingo, a 5-foot-1 forward/midfielder, was a three-year member of the Region III ODP team. She attended the 2007 U.S. National Camp where she won the Golden Boot award for the leading goal scorer at the camp. She was a two-time member of the USL Super-Y League National Select team and a three-time member of the USL Super-Y League South Atlantic Regional ODP team. She also played five years for the North Carolina State ODP team. She earned all-state and all-region honors twice at Raleigh, North Carolina's Saint Mary's School. As a member of the CASL club team, she helped them to two North Carolina State titles and two Region III Premier League Championships as well as three Super-Y League Championships. "Many people outside the Charlotte women's soccer program think that Macky will rewrite the 49ers record books," Lipsitz said. "We are very excited to add a player to our program that was recruited by many of the nation's top programs. At every level that she has played she has shown the ability to score goals and set up her teammates." These 12 newcomers join eight returning starters and 19 returning letter-winners as the 49ers begin their fourth season under Lipsitz at perennial national power North Carolina, Friday, August 22. "Last year we started six freshmen a majority of the season," Lipsitz said. "So last year's nationally-ranked recruiting class played a major role on our NCAA Tournament team. We expect even bigger things from this year's recruiting class. Our coaching staff and players can not wait to get started in August."
2008 Recruiting Class
| Name | Hometown | High School | Club Team |
| Oni Bernard | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | Agincourt Collegiate Institute | Richmond Hill Raiders |
| Heather Carter | Badin, North Carolina | North Stanly | FC Carolina Alliance |
| Kellie Dean | Raleigh, North Carolina | William Enloe | Triangle Futbol Club |
| Jonna Handra | Port Vue, Pennsylvania | South Allegheny | Penns Forest |
| Liz Hawes | Valdez, North Carolina | East Burke | Winston-Salem Twins |
| Brooke Kocian | Brenham, Texas | Brenham | Texas Rush |
| Natalie LaVigne | Rochester, New York | Aquinas Institute | Rochester Junior Rhinos |
| Maro Mansourian | Boca Raton, Florida | Spanish River Community | Team Boca |
| Jenna McKeon | Bayside, New York | St. Francis Prep | East Meadow Dynamite |
| Kathryn Page | Raleigh, North Carolina | Leesville Road | CASL |
| Kait Roberts | Charlotte, North Carolina | Ardrey Kell | Charlotte Soccer Club |
| Macky Wingo | Raleigh, North Carolina | Saint Mary's | CASL |
