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Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Women's Soccer Adds Six for Class of 2010
April 06, 2006 | Women's Soccer
April 6, 2006
PRINCETON, N.J. - Six women's soccer student-athletes have been admitted through Princeton's early-decision process and will comprise the program's Class of 2010, head coach Julie Shackford announced Thursday. The incoming class stretches from coast to coast with three players from the Mid-Atlantic region, two from the South and one from California.
The task that awaits the newcomers and returners is no small one as the women's soccer program has advanced to the NCAA Championship in six of the last seven years including a College Cup appearance as NCAA semifinalists in 2004. Princeton became the first Ivy school to advance to the national semifinal of a 64-team tournament in any sport. After graduating 10 seniors following that historic campaign, the team lost seven seniors following the 2005 season.
Vicki Anagnostopoulos was a high school teammate of current sophomore Melissa Whitley at Our Lady of Good Counsel High School in Wheaton, Md. A three-time all-state honoree, Anagnostopoulos was named All-Met Player of the Year last season and was a 2005 NSCAA Scholar All-America. She is also rated as a top-150 recruit nationally by SoccerBuzz.com. Outside of her high school program, she was a member of the Bethesda Eclipse club team, the Maryland state champions each of the last six seasons. She was also included in the Olympic Development Program's Region I pool in 2003 and 2004.
"[Anagnostopoulos] can play both up top and in the midfield and has the ability to both create and score goals. She was one of the top scorers in the D.C. metropolitan area this season," Shackford says.
Melissa Seitz will be one of three New Jersey natives on the 2006 squad. The daughter of a Princeton alumnus, Seitz led her Ridge High School team to a conference championship last season and was named to the Associated Press and Star-Ledger all-state teams each of the last three years. She was also named to the NSCAA Regional All-America team. As part of the PDA Wildcats, Seitz's team was a USYSA national champion in 2003, a regional champion in three of her four years and the New Jersey state cup titlists in all four seasons. Shackford says Seitz is "a composed central defender with good feet who has the ability to play out of the back. She is also comfortable taking set pieces from anywhere on the field."
A yellow-jerseyed Tiger is also included in the Class of 2010 as the team returns only one goalkeeper, current sophomore Maren Dale. Jesse George-Nichol comes to Princeton from Chapel Hill, N.C., a town very familiar with high-caliber women's soccer. A keeper Shackford describes as having "great physical presence" at 6-0, George-Nichol played for East Chapel Hill High School and the CASL Spartan Elite club team, which finished third at the USYSA national tournament and was the regional champion last season. Her father was recently named president of another institution known for its strong academics, the College of William and Mary, Shackford's alma mater.
Marci Pasenello, a native of Honeoye Falls, N.Y., enters Princeton after a career at Honeoye Falls-Lima High School that saw her score 108 goals and earn two NSCAA All-America honors in 2004 and 2005. She was the NSCAA New York State Player of the Year and the Gatorade New York Soccer Player of the Year as well as a three-time first-team all-state honoree. SoccerBuzz.com has ranked Pasenello as a top-150 recruit nationally. Outside of her high school program, Pasenello played for the Rochester Rhinos club team while participating in the ODP Region I team for the last three years. She is also in the U-17 national pool.
"She is a forward with a ton of speed," Shackford says of Pasenello, "and has the ability to break down defenses on her own."
Caitlin Alev will be coming to Princeton from Granite Bay, Calif., where she was named defender of the year and a first-team all-league player at Granite Bay High School. Alev's club team was a two-time state cup semifinalist and a three-time U.S. club regional champion. Alev was also part of the California state ODP pool.
Shackford says Alev "is a central or wide defender. She has very good speed, good skill and is very good in the air. She is very comfortable attacking out of the back."
Lauren Thomas, says Shackford, "is one of the best players in the South region. She is a very fast, hardworking midfielder who has the ability to open up defenses on the dribble." As common in the state, the native Texan did not play for her high school team but competed on the club level and is a part of the ODP Region III team. For her highly-ranked club team, the Dallas Texans, Thomas was a six-year team captain and led the team in scoring each season en route to state cup titles in 2004 and 2005.
The 2006 Tigers return 18 players and add six with this class. Princeton begins the season on-campus at Lourie-Love Field against Boston University on Sept. 2.