Feb. 9, 2009

LOGAN, Utah - Utah State head soccer coach Heather Cairns announced that six players have signed letters of intent and two have signed acceptance of admissions letters to play for the Aggies in 2009.

"I am excited to announce a talented group of newcomers to Aggie soccer," Cairns said. "We have added some dynamic attackers, but a large focus from this recruiting class is on the defensive side of the ball after we graduated two starting defenders in Jessie Malaska and Alyssa Lowry, along with our starting goalkeeper Ali Griffin."

Midfielder Courtney Cowley from Savannah, Ga. (Windsor Forest), forward/midfielder Jamee Dyches from Bountiful, Utah (Viewmont HS), defenders Amy Marple from Vancouver, Wash. (Union HS), Natalie Norris from Sandy, Utah (Alta HS) and Lindsay Obray from Layton, Utah (Clearfield) and goalkeeper Ashlyn Mulford from West Valley City, Utah (Cyprus HS) have all signed national letters of intent. Both Kami Montgomery from Highland, Utah (Lone Peak HS) and Kelsey Sax from Cary, N.C. (Apex HS) have signed letters of acceptance

"The group we brought in is accomplished and has earned state cup and high school championships, all-state accolades and competed in ODP and in the WPSL. Off the field, they are members of National Honor Societies and serve in leadership positions at their high schools. They are going to be great additions to Utah State University and to our soccer team," Cairns added.

Cawley is a three-year starter at Windsor Forest High School in Savannah, Ga. for head coach Cam Turner. Cawley was named Freshman of the Year in 2006 and Offensive Player of the Year in 2007. In 2008, she was named MVP. In her first three years, she scored 62 goals, while adding 72 assists. She is the fifth sibling in her family to play collegiate soccer. She played both midfielder and forward on her club team AFC Lightning '91.

"Courtney is a wonderful possession-focused center midfielder who plays simple and keeps the ball moving. She is the type of player that makes her teammates look good, but at the same time she can be counted on to make big plays," said Cairns.

Dyches is another Utah product who played at Viewmont High School under head coach Eric Landon. In 2008, she was named Salt Lake Tribune second-team all-state. Dyches played on the Utah Rush Soccer Club for head coach MJ Tate and Jamie Shock. She also played on the Utah ODP squad from 2003-2007.

"Jamee is a welcome addition to our attack," Cairns said. "She is a speedy lefty who is skilled at taking opponents on, can whip a great cross in, and also has the ability to finish."

Marple played varsity for four years at Union High School in Vancouver, Wash., where she earned first-team all-league honors her junior year. As a senior, the defender was named all-league Defensive Player of the Year as well as earning all-region and first-team all-state honors. In 2008, her Union high school squad was district champions with a 15-3-1 record which included 14 shutouts. In the classroom, Marple was a four-year scholar-athlete. Marple also plays for the under 18 FC Portland Crimson team in Portland, Ore.

"Amy has experience playing various positions, but most recently has been a defender. With her ability to win balls out of the air, strike a long ball and tackle, she will play either in the defensive midfield or back for us," said Cairns.

Montgomery is a four-time letterwinner at Lone Peak High School in Highland, Utah. She is a two-time defensive MVP as well as earning all-Valley Defensive MVP honors. The Deseret News named her Prep Player of the Week. Montgomery was also a two-time all-state first-team honoree. She was part of a Lone Peak High School squad that was a two-time region champion as well as being a 5A state finalist. She also played for the Utah Avalanche club team that were two-time state champions.

"Kami is a skilled defender whose strengths are her ability to defend 1-vs-1 as well as her heading ability. Her skill is complemented with a great defensive attitude that makes her hard to beat," Cairns said.

Mulford was a four-year letterwinner at Cyprus High School in West Valley City, Utah for head coach Todd Howell. The goalkeeper was a team captain her junior and senior seasons. Her team was PVSC Spring Classic Champions in 2006 and 2007. She played for the Razzia Futbol Club on the Razzia Elite-U18 team. Academically, she was named to high honor roll all four years of high school.

"Ashlyn is a great overall athlete who participates in basketball as well as soccer. She is technically sound and has an exceptional work rate that will allow her to be successful at the college level," Cairns said.

Norris played at Alta High School in Sandy, Utah under head coach Lee Mitchell. Her senior season, she played every minute of every match (1,600 minutes) and scored six goals to go along with three assists. Her Alta High School squad completed a three-peat as State 5A Champions her senior season. Norris was named Deseret News MVP her senior season along with earning Salt Lake Tribune first-team all-state honors her junior and senior years. Norris most recently was a starter for the Spartan United '91 Premier club team for head coach Dennis Burrows.

"Natalie is an experienced defender who can play either at a wide back or a center back position. She has great recovery speed, courage to tackle and really excels at reading the game, " said Cairns.

Obray played her junior and senior seasons at Clearfield High School under head coaches Jimmie Powell (2007) and Adam Shumway (2008). She earned player of the year honors both her junior and senior seasons. She received all-region honors in 2007 and 2008. Academically, Obray excelled as well, earning academic all-region honors in 2007. She played for the Utah Avalanche Club team that were state champions in both 2006 and 2008. She was also a member of the Utah State Olympic Development Team in both 2007 and 2008.

"Lindsay is a solid defender who possesses great individual defending skills. What sets her apart is her tactical knowledge in a flat back four system, this allows her to be a vocal leader who is comfortable organizing and keeping the back four working as a group," said Cairns.

Sax is a three-year letterwinner at Apex High School, where the Lady Cougars were three-time North Carolina Tri-Eight Conference Champions from 2006-08. In 2007, they also were NSCAA/Adidas Girls High School National Champions along with being 4-A State Champions. Sax is also an Apex High School honor roll member as well as being vice president of the Apex High School National Honors Society. Sax played for the CASL '90 Spartan club team that won the President's Cup in North Carolina in 2006 and were finalists in 2007.

"Kelsey is another great addition to our attack. She is a natural goal scorer who gets herself in the right place at the right time to finish," Cairns said.

Utah State returns seven starters and 18 letterwinners from last season's squad that posted a 13-8-1 record. USU also had a perfect 7-0-0 Western Athletic Conference record as the Aggies won their first regular season WAC crown. Heather Cairns earned her first WAC Coach of the Year honor and Shantel Flanary became the second Aggie to earn the WAC Freshman of the Year award.

2009 USU SOCCER SIGNEESNAME    POS.    HOMETOWN (HIGH SCHOOL)Courtney Cawley M   Savannah, Ga, (Windsor Forest HS)Jamee Dyches    MF/F    Bountiful, Utah (Viewmont HS)Amy Marple  D   Vancouver, Wash. (Union HS)Kami Montgomery D   Highland, Utah (Lone Peak HS)Ashlyn Mulford  GK  West Valley City, Utah (Cyprus HS)Natalie Norris  D   Sandy, Utah (Alta HS)Lindsay Obray   D   Layton, Utah (Clearfield)Kelsey Sax  F/MF    Cary, N.C. (Apex HS)