Feb. 6, 2013
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State women's soccer head coach Mike Friesen announced his 2013 signing class on Wednesday. The newcomers will join the Aztecs for the 2013 season and they ink with a program that experienced its most successful season in school history in 2012. SDSU set numerous school records this past year as it led the nation with a 21-2-1 record, won both the regular-season Mountain West crown and tournament title, and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament.
"Obviously we are thrilled with our on-field accomplishments of this past season, but we were even more proud of how our team conducted itself off the field," Friesen said. "Our team camaraderie, chemistry and commitment to our goals was very gratifyin and led to our success. We feel like this class of young ladies will both contribute to our mission on the field and off. I want to say a special `thank you' to my assistants who worked tirelessly to identify and help recruit this class, and to our team who hosted recruit after recruit and selflessly gave of themselves to show our recruits what life as an Aztec is all about. With a group like this, San Diego State is very easy to sell."
Hailing from Fresno, Calif., Morgan Darling brings experience from the Cal North State Team, Region IV team and the 2010 National Development Camp. She has been a multi-year all-league player at Bullard High School and has played both basketball and soccer in the same season all throughout her prep career. She represented Cal Odyssey for her club soccer experience.
"Morgan Darling is an athletic and physical player," Friesen said. "We anticipate that she will come in and compete for a role as a wide back, but she also has the ability to play up top as a target striker."
Erika Leal, from nearby Carlsbad, Calif., joins the Aztecs as a multi-year member of the Cal South ODP team and a member of the Regional Team Pool for the past three years. Leal attended the ECNL National Camp and played her club soccer for the San Diego Surf where she was named the Most Valuable Player of the prestigious 2011 Surf Cup Tournament.
"Erika is a very versatile player," Friesen said. "I expect her to play in several spots during her time at SDSU. She has an ability to be very dangerous and score goals, but also be a lock-down defender. She is highly competitive and I believe her drive will help her, and our team, be successful."
Traveling to San Diego all the way from Wellington, New Zealand, is newcomer Evie Millynn. A member of the 2012 New Zealand U-20 National Team that competed in the 2012 World Cup in Japan, Millynn also participated in the 2010 U-17 World Cup in Trinidad and Tobago. As a youth player, she was named the 2009 Wellington Dominion Post Girls Soccer Player of the Year, 2010 Howick College Sportswoman of the Year and Eastern Suburbs Soccer Club Young Player of the Year in 2010.
"Evie has some experience that most college freshmen do not have," Friesen said. "She has played in two World Cups and has scored a goal on the biggest stage. She has a lot of personality in the way that she plays and I believe she will be a fantastic addition to our team."
Elise Nord comes to San Diego from Junction City, Ore., where she has been the starting goalkeeper all four years at Junction City High School. This past season she led her team to its first league title in school history and in 2011, led her squad to the Elite 8 of the state playoffs for the first time. She has been a four-year member of the Oregon ODP team and a member of the Region IV Regional Camp in 2011 and 2012. Nord most recently played her club soccer with FC Portland, which won the 2012 Oregon state championship, and played for the Eugene Metro Futbol Club and their WPSL team over the summer. A multi-sport athlete, she also received all-league honors in basketball as well as being named the 2012 league goalkeeper of the year for her final high school soccer season.
"Elise is a technical goalkeeper and reads the game very well," Friesen said. "We anticipate that she will come in and compete for the starting spot right away."
Julia Platter joins the Aztecs from Fair Oaks, Calif., where she has been honored as an all-league player for Bella Vista High School. She was selected for the regional ODP program in 2012. Platter plays her club soccer for the San Juan Spirits in the prestigious ECNL soccer league.
"Julia is a physical and competitive player, who has an ability to score goals," Friesen said. "She is versatile and will be able to play in the midfield and up top for us."
From Mission Viejo, Calif., Jen Rupey comes to The Mesa after being named to the all-Trinity League first team in 2012 at Santa Margarita Catholic High School. Rupey also has multiple years of ODP and regional pool experience and played her club soccer with the Slammers F.C.
"Jen has a lot of natural leadership ability," Friesen said. "She is a good player who will compete for playing time in the back, but she will also bring a leadership quality to our team that is equally important."
Morgan Simpson, out of Mission Viejo, Calif., heads south to SDSU as a multi-year letterwinner from Mission Viejo High School. In addition to serving as team captain this season, she brings ODP experience as a member of the 2011 State Residential Camp, and Summer and Winter Pools. She played her club soccer at Laguna Hills Eclipse where she has been team captain for two seasons. An excellent student, Simpson has also spent upward of 160 hours of community service in her neighborhood.
"We are excited about what Morgan will bring to our team," Friesen said. "She is a very active and technical player who will compete for time as a wide back and wide striker."
Sophia Trujillo signs with San Diego State out of Gulliver Preparatory in Miami, Fla. A goalkeeper, Trujillo was named the 2012 defensive player of the year and to the 2011 all-Dade County first team, while leading her squad to the 2011 state championship. Most recently, Trujillo led Gulliver to the 2013 state finals and was named the high school Hispanic athlete of the year. She will head west with ODP Florida State experience in 2010 and 2011, the last of which she was team captain. The Weston White U17 product also brings high character to the program as she was the senior ambassador for her class, while being a member of the National Society of High School Scholars.
"Sophia is a very athletic goalkeeper who will compete for the starting spot right away," Friesen said. "She has very good hands and a great work ethic."
The last of the newcomers, Fernanda Elizondo, is currently on campus and enrolled in school. Elizondo joins the Aztecs from the University of Monterrey in Mexico and has two years of eligibility left. The forward was in the pool for the U-15 Mexican National Team and was called into camp once. She was the 2011-12 MVP of the Conadeip League where her squad won the university national championship.
"Fernanda is a goal scorer," Friesen said. "She has a sense for the goal and an ability to finish with great composure. We are looking forward to having a player like her for the next couple of years."