Ball State University Athletics
Soccer Announces Signing Of Eight High School Standouts
March 04, 2009 | Soccer
MUNCIE, Ind. ? Ball State soccer head coach Michael Lovett has announced the signings of eight players to national letters of intent Wednesday afternoon. The Cardinals added Coco Cammon (New Hope, Minn./Wayzata), Skylar Chew (Mason, Ohio/Mason), Maggie Brown (West Chester, Ohio/Lakota West), Nicole Wood (Strongsville, Ohio/Strongsville), Brigit Reder (West Chester, Ohio/Lakota West), Paige Stroinski (Granger, Ind./Penn), Amanda Dreyfus (Grove City, Ohio/Grove City) and Alyssa Ables (Huntertown, Ind./Shattuck St. Mary's).
“This is a very deep and talented recruiting class,” Lovett said. “We went after specific needs and I think we fulfilled them. These players will make an impact on our program for the next four years and we are excited to begin working with them.”
Cammon, a 5-9 defender from New Hope, Minn., was a four-year letter winner at Wayzata High School for coach Tony Peznecker. She guided her team to a 53-16-4 record during her career, including third place finishes in the state tournament in 2006 and 2008. As team captain, she guided the Trojans to a 16-5-3 record as a senior.
Cammon also played club soccer for the Minnesota Thunder Academy West for Steve and Sarah Bellis. She helped her team to the 2005 state championship and three state runner-up finishes (2004, 2006, 2007). She is the daughter of Toni and Reginald Cammon.
“Coco is going to add dominance and athleticism to our defense and will provide more options for us on our set pieces,” Lovett said.
Chew, a 5-8 defender from Mason, Ohio, was a three-year standout at Mason High School for coach Katie Barnes. As team captain, she guided the Comets to a 16-3-1 record as a senior as she earned Second Team All-Greater Miami Conference honors. She led her team to 10 shutouts on the season as the defensive anchor and was named the team Most Valuable Player. During her career, Mason posted a 36-14-8 overall record and tallied back-to-back seasons of 10 shutouts.
Chew played club soccer for the Ohio Elite and coach Keri Thoman. She was a four-year team captain and also was the 2006 Olympic Development Program (ODP) State team captain. She is the daughter of Joyce and Bill Chew.
“Skylar is a crafty and bruising defender who works extremely hard,” Lovett said. “She is not only intelligent on the field, but in the classroom as well. She displayed a true passion to be a Cardinal during her visit to Muncie.”
Brown, a 5-7 defender/midfielder from West Chester, Ohio, was a four-year standout at Lakota West High School for coach Tara Kalkoff. She help guide Lakota West to a 41-24-11 record during her career as she scored six goals and dished out four assists.
She played club soccer for the Ohio Elite Academy and coach Doug Bracken. She helped her team to the State Cup championship for six straight seasons and a Regional championship in 2005. She is the daughter of Elizabeth Brown.
“Maggie is a versatile player who should provide immediate impact for us either in middle or outside midfield positions,” Lovett said.
Wood, a 5-7 goalkeeper from Strongsville, Ohio, was a four-year letterwinner at Strongsville High School for coach Jon Felton. She led her team to a 53-5-6 overall record during her career as she never lost more than two games in any season and tallied 40 career shutouts. She posted a 14-1-1 record as a senior with 15 shutouts as she recorded 73 saves. She earned First Team All-Conference accolades twice and was a All-Greater Cleveland Honorable Mention selection.
Wood guided her team to the Ohio State championship in 2005 and back-to-back Ohio State runner-up finishes in 2007 and 2008. Strongsville was also named the NSCAA 2008 High School Team Of The Year. She played club soccer for the Internationals under coach Zdranko Popovic. She helped her team to the National Super “Y” League championship in 2005 and 2007. She is the daughter of Pam and Jim Wood.
“Nicole will no doubt fight for the starting goalkeeper position this fall,” Lovett said. “She has great range and her kicking is one of the best from a goalkeeper that I have seen.”
Reder, a 5-8 defender/midfielder from West Chester, Ohio, was a four-year standout at Lakota West High School for coach Tara Kalkoff. She help guide Lakota West to a 41-24-11 record during her career as she was named First Team All-GMC and was an Honorable Mention All-City selection. She was also a two-time Academic All-GMC recipient as a junior and senior.
She played club soccer for the Ohio Elite under coach Keri Thoman. She helped her team to the 2008 Raleigh Showcase championships. She is the daughter of Natalie and David Reder.
“Brigit is one of the most athletic high school athletes I have seen in years,” Lovett said. “She will provide an impact and add depth in multiple positions this season.”
Stroinski, a 5-2 forward from Granger, Ind., was a three year standout at Penn High School for coach Mike Luber. She guided Penn to a 68-15-4 record during her career and four straight Northern Indiana Conference (NIC) championships. She scored 17 goals and dished out 11 assists as a senior when she earned All-Conference and All-District honors. She helped her team to the Indiana State runner-up finish in 2007 and a semi-state appearance in 2008.
Stroinski played club soccer for the Indiana Invaders and the Junior Irish. She is the daughter of Kristin and Jeff Stroinski.
“Paige comes from a winning tradition,” Lovett said. “Adding a proven goal scorer to this class and our team, makes us more potent in the future.”
Dreyfus, a 5-6 midfielder/defender from Grove City, Ohio, was a four-year starter at Grove City High School for coach Kathy Faulk. She guided her team to a 40-20 record during her career and four straight appearances in the district semifinals. She scored 16 career goals and dished out 24 assists, including 10 assists as a junior.
Dreyfus was named Second Team All-Ohio Capitol Conference as a senior and First Team All-OCC as a freshman. She played club soccer for Ohio Premium for coach Chris King. She helped her team to four Ohio State Cup semifinal appearances and one State Cup finals appearance. She is the daughter of Lori and Ron Dreyfus.
“Amanda is a tenacious, athletic, technical outside back,” Lovett said. “Her tenacity and willingness to battle is going to provide her quality minutes and makes us have a better back line.”
Ables, a 5-3 midfielder from Huntertown, Ind., played at Shattuck St. Mary's (Minn.) for coach David Linenberger as a senior and played at Carroll High School for coach Rick Smith. She was named Shattuck St. Mary's Most Improved Player and was named First Team All-Conference and Second Team All-District as a sophomore at Carroll.
Ables played club soccer for Shattuck St. Mary's and coach David Linenberger. She helped her team to the 2008 MYSA runner-up finish, the 2008 MRL Regional championship as well as the US Club Soccer National Cup runner-up finish in 2007. She is the daughter of Lynn and Bobby Ables.
“She is one of the most tenacious, hard working players that I have seen,” Lovett said. “There has never been a battle that she hasn't wanted to be a part of. She doesn't shy away from any type of challenge and will be a very versatile player for us.”
The Cardinals are entering Lovett's second year at the helm of the program after posting a 9-10-1 record last season. Ball State begins its spring season April 4 when it plays Western Michigan in Fort Wayne, Ind.
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