Feb. 2, 2017
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State women's soccer head coach Mike Friesen announced the signing of Veronica Avalos, Sarah Broacha, Jordan Girman and Mia Root to National Letters of Intent. The quartet will join the program ahead of the 2017 season.
Avalos is a local product out of Eastlake High School and San Diego Surf U18 ECNL. Over the last year, she has gained valuable international experience while playing for the U17 Mexican National Team. As a member of the squad, Avalos played in the U17 CONCACAF Pre-World Cup tournament where Mexico finished in second place and then followed it with a third-place effort in the International Female Tournament of Nations before falling in the quarterfinal of the U17 Women's World Cup. Avalos also has ODP experience dating back to 2012 and 2013.
"Veronica will add a great deal of experience to our front line and potentially in the midfield," Friesen said. "She played in the U17 World Cup for Mexico this past fall and has played for the Surf Soccer Club her whole career, so she is another local product who we think will come in and help bring some different things than what we have already on the team. She is a sophisticated player, who is very good on the ball, and will give us a different look than we have had in the past."
Avalos on why she chose to become an Aztec: "San Diego State has always been my dream school. I wanted a school that has a balance of high education and elite soccer, and SDSU offers that. I fell in love with the campus and got nothing but good vibes from the coaching staff and team."
Broacha will head south to America's Finest City from Pleasanton and Foothill High School. An ODP national training camp participant in 2015, Broacha will arrive on Montezuma Mesa with extensive ODP experience having been in the state pool from 2011-15. In addition to being an all-star and top scorer at a number of tournaments, Broacha also won four varsity letters in both soccer and track during her time at Foothill.
"Broacha, who comes from the Mustang Soccer Club in Northern California, is a wide back and a wide striker," Friesen said. "She is super athletic and has a great ability to get up and down the flank. We are excited that she will be able to develop and create some attack coming out of the back in both of those roles."
Broacha on why she chose to sign with San Diego State: "I chose SDSU because I was in love with the school and its amazing location right next to the beach. I also felt I worked well with the coaches, making it the perfect option for a girl looking to work hard in school while playing the sport that she loves."
Girman, a native of Cotati, played her sophomore and junior years for Montgomery High School in Santa Rosa where she served as team captain her junior year. In each of those two seasons, she helped lead her team to the finals of the CIF North Section Championships, was voted to the all-league team and received defensive-player-of-the-year honors. At the club level, Girman played for the Santa Rosa United Tremors for seven years and has been team captain since 2010. During that time, she guided her team to four NorCal Sate Cup finals, winning two State Cup Championships. In addition, her team won more than 15 tournament titles, including summer Surf Cup, as well as one ECNL Northwest Conference Championship. Girman has also played for the NorCal PDP (ODP) State team since 2012, was a regular invitee to U.S. Soccer Federation Regional Training Centers (2013-2015), and was invited to U.S. Club Soccer ID2 Camp (2014). In 2015 and 2016, she was an ECNL Northwest PDP participant.
"Jordan is coming from Santa Rosa as an athletic wide back/center back, who is super smart, has a great work rate and has great leadership qualities," Friesen said. "We had a couple of players graduate along the backline so she is someone we will look to this year to add to that group and earn some minutes. We are hopeful she can contribute at a high level right away."
Girman on her decision to ink with the Aztecs: "I chose SDSU to be a part of what has become a tradition of excellence in the SDSU Women's Soccer program under the guidance of Mike Friesen and Juan Pablo Favero. I hope to do all I can to contribute as the program moves to the next level on the national landscape. I am also very excited to join the highly respected Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences Program at SDSU and to enjoy all aspects of the being a part of Aztec Nation."
Hailing from Pacerville, Root is currently at Charter University Prep while playing for Davis Legacy on the club circuit. She attended a pair of ID2 Camps, participated at the National Training Center and was a member of the NorCal State PDP from 2011-15. Root, who is the all-time NPL single-season goal record holder with 37 goals in 15 games, has experience playing with and against players at all different levels. She has played in both the Dana and Gothia Cups with a team comprised of Swedish and Danish players, traveled to England and Scotland to compete in games, and faced the U15 Japanese National Team while playing for the State NorCal PDP squad.
"Mia, who is a striker from the Davis Soccer Club, is a talented soccer player," Friesen said. "She is one of those players we call a footballer because she just understands the game really well. She is athletic, creative with the ball, a good passer and a good dribbler. We think she will contribute a great deal to our front line and can play in any of one of those three spots. I think she will be an impact player right away."
Root on why she chose SDSU: "I chose SDSU because the first day I stepped on campus I felt like I was at home. Coach Mike and JuanPa made me feel like I had joined a family. I was impressed with the school's soccer tradition and the success of some of their players after college. Lastly, you cannot beat the San Diego weather!!!!!!!"
The aforementioned foursome will join Mikayla Arcebido and Nikolina Musto, two Division I transfers who are already enrolled at SDSU, as newcomers in 2017. They join a San Diego State team that finished 2016 with a 10-7-4 record and advanced to the title game of the Mountain West Championship. The 10-win season was SDSU's sixth straight and 2017 will provide the program the opportunity to match the school-record streak of seven.