VIDEO: Sonia Curvelo on the Recruiting Class
CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Cleveland State women's soccer team signed eight student-athletes to National Letters of Intent. Head coach Sonia Curvelo made the announcement on Thursday morning.
Joining the women's soccer program beginning in the fall of 2015 will be Carly Cerny (Rochester, Mich.), Toni Dickson (North Ridgeville, Ohio), Sydney McCourt (Burlington, Wis.), Stacie Morris (Cincinnati, Ohio), Devan Obendorfer (Glenmoore, Pa.), Dani Sowinski (Oconomowoc, Wis.), Ashley Thiss (Cincinnati, Ohio) and McKenna Vento (Hartland, Wis.).
"This is such an exciting moment for our Women's Soccer Program with the addition of eight quality players that will contribute right away," Curvelo said. "This will be the first recruiting class I have be able to bring together. I had an opportunity to watch each player a couple of times and each of them have shown growth in their game, which is great to see.
"This class has already displayed their commitment in developing their game daily and looking for ways to get better, which is part of our philosophy at Cleveland State. We are looking to be contenders every year for the Horizon League championship and feel that these additions will provide more depth to the quality that we already have on our squad. We are looking forward to the 2015 season."
Following are complete bios on each of the eight newcomers.
Carly Cerny
5-6, Fr., Defender
Rochester, Mich. (Stoney Creek)
COACH CURVELO'S COMMENTS
"Carly has played in a fullback and attacking positions. She does a good job in making runs forward to be involved in the attack and looks to combine with other players, which allows her to be more dangerous going forward. She is very aggressive in her 1v1 and will make it difficult for the forwards on her side of the field. She will be able to come and fill that gap we need in our team and provide us with depth. We look forward to her contribution."
HIGH SCHOOL
Helped team to league championship as a junior and senior... team was a district finalist her sophomore and senior seasons... was an all-league and all-district selection as a junior... totaled 16 goals and 24 assists over her first three seasons... was a Scholar-Athlete in each of first three years... played in the Elite Champions National League.
PERSONAL
Born July 29, 1997, in Rochester, Mich... daughter of Jeff and Carolyn Cerny... has one sister... father played baseball for four years at Central Michigan... member of National Honor Society... plans to major in criminology.
Toni Dickson
5-8, Fr., Defender
North Ridgeville, Ohio (Holy Name)
COACH CURVELO'S COMMENTS
"Toni will offer us more depth in the back line and holding midfield positions. She can also play center forward as well and also provide us with many options in our formation, which is important. She works really hard and is strong in the air, which will help us in defending and attacking set pieces."
HIGH SCHOOL
Lettered all four years for head coach Brian Michealson... led team to district championship as a senior... two-time first team all-conference selection and three-time all-area pick... named team MVP as a junior.
PERSONAL
Born June 30, 1997, in Middleburg Heights, Ohio... daughter of Rachele Meadows-Dickson and Tony Dickson... has one sister... earned first honors all four years in high school... member of National Honor Society... undecided on a major.
Sydney McCourt
5-7, Fr., Defender
Burlington, Wis. (Burlington)
COACH CURVELO'S COMMENTS
"Sydney has played center back and will be able to provide us with strong leadership qualities in the backline. She is very consistent in her play and understands the game very well defensively. She knows where and when to be in defensive transition. She is strong and will make it difficult for the forwards she goes up against. She will be an impact play for the program and looking forwarding to contributions."
HIGH SCHOOL
Lettered three years, helping team to a pair of conference titles and a runner-up finish... earned all-conference honors all three years... played four years for Lake County United, winning state title all four years.
PERSONAL
Born April 10, 1997, in Elkhorn, Wis... daughter of Dan and Jackie McCourt... has one sister... earned academic honors all four years... plans to major in education.
Stacie Morris
5-2, Fr., Midfield/Defender
Cincinnati, Ohio (Mount Notre Dame)
COACH CURVELO'S COMMENTS
"Stacie plays in a holding midfielder position and does excellent in providing support for the backline and connecting with midfielder players. She is committed in improving her game daily and has strong ambition to be successful."
HIGH SCHOOL
Lettered all four years, helping team to runner-up finish in league as a senior, the best finish in school history... helped team to sectional title and district runner-up finish as a freshman... second team all-league and team captain as a senior... named team Most Improved as a sophomore.
PERSONAL
Born April 14, 1997, in Cincinnati, Ohio... daughter of Daren and Julie Morris... has two sisters... earned honors in every quarter in high school... Academic All-Southwest Ohio for two years... plans to major in exercise science.
Devan Obendorfer
5-7, Fr., Defender
Glenmoore, Pa. (Downingtown West)
COACH CURVELO'S COMMENTS
"Devan plays in a center back position. She is a player will be consistent and keep things simple in the back through her distribution. She does a great job communicating and organizing players around her and also provides leadership qualities. She will be able to contribute right away."
HIGH SCHOOL
Lettered four years, helping team to combined 53-24-2 record... led team to league titles as a sophomore and senior, including an undefeated league record in 2012... team qualified for state tournament her sophomore season and district tournament all four years... served as team captain as a senior... was an all-league and all-area selection... played in Elite Champions National League.
PERSONAL
Born Nov. 29, 1996, in Glenmoore, Pa... daughter of Andre and Maureen Obendorfer... has one brother and one sister, who played lacrosse at Ohio State... member of National Honor Society... received Distinguished Honors... plans to be a pre-med major.
Dani Sowinski
5-6, Fr., Forward
Oconomowoc, Wis. (Oconomowac)
COACH CURVELO'S COMMENTS
"Dani plays in the forward position. She is very quick and does a great job getting behind the backline. She is fearless in attacking players 1v1 and given a small window to shoot, she will and this is something we will need from her. She has scored some great goals and I feel that she will be able to produce goals for our program."
HIGH SCHOOL
Lettered four years, helping team to a pair of conference titles... team won regional championship her sophomore year and sectional title her junior season... totaled 29 goals and nine assists as a junior and 11 goals and 16 assists as a sophomore... earned all-league and all-state accolades... two-time Scholar-Athlete.
PERSONAL
Born May 19, 1997, in Hartland, Wis... daughter of Scott and Wendy Sowinski and Carl and Nicole Isely... has four brothers... earned high honors in high school... plans to major in health sciences.
Ashley Thiss
5-4, Fr., Forward
Cincinnati, Ohio (Sycamore)
COACH CURVELO'S COMMENTS
"Ashley plays central midfield. She has shown tremendous strides in developing her game with Ohio Elite ECNL team. She will be an impact in our midfield and create opportunities to attack in the middle and final third and does a great job in transition to defending. She has a great attitude and looking forward to having her with our program."
HIGH SCHOOL
Earned first team all-league honors as a junior and senior... first team all-city selection as a senior after totaling eight goals and four assists... scored 20 goals with 11 assists for her career... earned four letters... played in Elite Champions National League.
PERSONAL
Born July 3, 1996, in Cincinnati, Ohio... daughter of Mark and Helene Thiss... has one brother and one sister... mother played soccer at Wisconsin... member of National Honor Society... plans to major in physical therapy.
McKenna Vento
5-7, Fr., Midfield
Hartland, Wis. (Arrowhead)
COACH CURVELO'S COMMENTS
"McKenna plays in the forward and midfield position. She has a lot of quality on the ball and will provide our program with something different. She does a great job beating players on the dribble with full speed when she wants to. She has excellent vision and can play the balls that create attacking opportunities in the final third. I look forward to her contribution right away."
HIGH SCHOOL
Led team to regional final as a junior and sectional final in each of first two seasons... has amassed 27 goals and 10 assists in her first three seasons... first team all-conference and second team all-state as a junior... honorable mention all-league pick as a sophomore... team MVP as a junior... is leading scorer in school history after just three seasons.
PERSONAL
Born Jan. 4, 1997, in Waukesha, Wis... daughter of Joel and Sonya Vento... has one sister... undecided on a major.
