Feb. 2, 2011
Contact: Brian McCann
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Fresh off their best season in program history, including setting records for overall wins (nine), home wins (seven) and goals scored (24), the Cleveland State women's soccer team has continued to improve its ranks by signing seven high school student-athletes to national letters of intent.
Head coach Derrek Falor made the announcement on Wednesday (Feb. 2).
Signing with the Vikings are Sabrina Abram (Sarnia, Ontario), Abby Crotteau (Plover, Wis.), Kelcey Fischer (Parma, Ohio), Brittney Koester (Sidney, Ohio), Shea Levi (Williamstown, N.J.), Lynsay Strahorn (Dayton, Ohio) and Sarah Wood (Spokane, Wash.). Each player will enter CSU as a freshman with four years of eligibility.
"This is no doubt the most talented class we've ever brought in," Falor said. "There's no question about it. There are no projects in this group. All of them could have started for us last season.
"We had a tremendous outgoing senior class, and we knew our incoming class needed to be strong. This group is solid both in the classroom and on the field, and I know they are going to help us right away."
Abram, a defender and midfielder, helped lead her North Collegiate High squad to multiple city and regional championships. She also helped her club team, the North London Galaxy, win the Ontario Women's Soccer League in 2009.
Crotteau, a goalkeeper, was an All-Wisconsin Valley Conference selection following her freshman and junior seasons at Stevens Point Area High. A three-year starter in goal, she has led her team to 24 wins the past three seasons, making 159 saves.
Fischer, a forward and defender, was named to 2010 All-Ohio first team and the All-Greater Cleveland first team. She finished her senior season with the Normandy High record for goals after scoring 24 this past fall, earning team MVP honors. Playing club soccer for the Internationals, Fischer was a Super Y League Olympic Development Program (ODP) All-Tournament Team selection in 2010.
Koester, a forward and midfielder, was selected to the All-Ohio second team in 2010. Playing at Sidney High in Dayton, Koester was selected first team All-Dayton Area, first team all-conference and team most valuable player following each of her four high school seasons.
Levi, a midfielder, was ranked No. 13 in New Jersey on Top Drawer Soccer's "Players to Watch" list. A three-time All-Tri County and All-South Jersey Team selection, she was also named all-state in 2009 and 2010. Playing club soccer for the Penn Fusion '92 Gaels of the Penn Fusion Academy, Levi was a member of the 2007 and 2008 Super Y League ODP national teams.
Strahorn, a forward and midfielder, was named to the All-Greater Cincinnati League second team and the All-Dayton Area third team following her senior season. She was also the captain of her Chaminade Julienne high team in 2010.
Wood, a goalkeeper, was ranked the No. 16 prospect in the Pacific Northwest on Top Drawer Soccer's "Players to Watch" list. She was named first team All-Greater Spokane League as a senior and second all-league as a junior. The captain and defensive MVP of her Lewis & Clark High team as a senior, Wood helped lead the team to the 2009 and 2010 state quarterfinals. Also a member of the Spokane Shadows, she helped lead her club team to the state cup semifinals in 2009 and 2010 and to the US Club Regional Finals in 2010.
In addition their accomplishments on the soccer field, each of the signees is also strong in the classroom, as the average GPA of the seven players is 3.9.
A biography on each of the seven additions follows.
2011 Cleveland State University Women's Soccer Recruiting Class Biographies
Sabrina Abram
5-9, Fr., Defender/Midfielder
Sarnia, Ontario (Northern Collegiate High)
COACH FALOR'S COMMENTS
"Sabrina is a very intelligent and smooth player who can excel as a defender and/or midfielder. Because of her excellent tactical awareness and instincts, she rarely gets caught in a bad position. She does have the speed to cover a large area of the field and make the plays both on and off the ball. We really like her very good technical skill level she lends in the attack that will provide us with another back end player who will help us possess the ball in order to ignite our offense too."
HIGH SCHOOL
Won multiple city and regional championships playing at Northern Collegiate High...won the 2009 Ontario Women's Soccer League playing on the North London Galaxy club team...played on the defending national champion club team in the 2010 Ontario Cup.
PERSONAL
Born November 10, 1993...daughter of Dan and Marion Abram...Four-year Ontario Scholar Honors Award winner...won city and regional championships in track and cross country.
Abby Crotteau
5-7, Fr., Goalkeeper
Plover, Wis. (Stevens Point Area)
COACH FALOR'S COMMENTS
"In watching Abby play, it is clear that she brings an intensity to the field that will translate very well to our level. She is quick off her line, covers her box very well, and is extremely good with her feet. She is a great fit for our possession game given her coverage range and solid technical foot skills which will allow us to play through her as needed. Abby's upside is tremendous and her willingness to compete is obvious in everything she does. Her skill set and her athleticism will allow her to compete for playing time right away."
HIGH SCHOOL
All-conference selection as a freshman and junior...trained for seven years with goalkeeper coach Eric Wiberg at the Wiberg Wisconsin Goalkeeper School.
PERSONAL
Born September 1, 1992...daughter of Tim and Susan Crotteau.
Kelcey Fischer
5-0, Fr., Forward/Defender
Parma, Ohio (Normandy)
COACH FALOR'S COMMENTS
"Kelcey has been an impact player in multiple positions at the highest level of club soccer, playing as both a forward and outside defender for one of the best teams in the country. That tremendous versatility that she brings will be a great asset for us as we can see her making an immediate impact in a number of positions in our 4-4-2 formation. Her soccer intelligence and technical ability on the ball allows her to play the game at a high level no matter where she fits in best for us. She is simply a creative, sound soccer player that makes the game flow and the players around her better."
HIGH SCHOOL
Three-time first team all-conference selection...2010 All-Ohio first team honoree...All-Greater Cleveland first team selection...set Normandy High record for most goals scored in a season as a senior...team MVP as a senior...earned Super Y League Olympic Development Program (SYL ODP) All-Tournament Team honors in 2010 and was chosen to the SYL ODP National Camp Select Team in 2008.
PERSONAL
Born April 13, 1993...daughter of Billy and Susan Fischer.
Brittney Koester
5-9, Fr., Forward/Midfielder
Sidney, Ohio (Sidney)
COACH FALOR'S COMMENTS
"Every time we watched Brittney play we couldn't help but notice that she always finds ways to make a positive impact on the games due to her athleticism, creativity, and technical ability. She's one of those attacking players that simply seem to always find ways to create chances on goal for her team. Her combination of size, speed, and solid technical level will allow her to be versatile in such a way that she can fill any of the positional roles in our attacking 6. As a tough competitor who is used to being the leader of a team and thrives under that pressure, we are confident she will quickly produce at our level."
HIGH SCHOOL
All-Ohio second team selection...four time team MVP playing at Sidney High...named to the Greater Western Ohio Conference first team all four years...four-time first team All-Dayton Area honoree...2008 Olympic Development Program State and Regional Player of the Year.
PERSONAL
Born September 30, 1992...daughter of Myron and Sharon Koester.
Shea Levi
5-1, Fr., Midfielder
Williamstown, N.J. (Williamstown)
COACH FALOR'S COMMENTS
"Shea joins our team as probably the most technically proficient player we've recruited in our program's short history. She is a soccer junkie who lives with a ball at her feet and always seems to find a way to break down opposing defenses within the flow of a game regardless the amount of time, space, or pressure. Combine her excellent distribution with her high level soccer IQ and she has the tools to immediately become an impact play-maker for us. She is the kind of player who we expect to not only do well for herself, but also provide the kind of service and passing ability to make everyone else in our attack better too."
HIGH SCHOOL
Named All-State as a junior and senior...three-time first team All-Tri County selection...three time first team All-South Jersey Team honoree...named to the New Jersey Olympic Development Program (ODP) State Team three years in a row (2005-2007)...chosen to the Super Y League ODP National Team in 2007 and 2008...helped lead her club team, the Penn Fusion '92 Gaels of Penn Fusion Academy, to win the 2010 state championship...ranked one of the "Top 20 in South Jersey" as a senior.
PERSONAL
Born October 23, 1992...daughter of Troy and Angel Levi.
Lynsay Strahorn
5-7, Fr., Forward/Midfielder
Dayton, Ohio (Chaminade Julienne)
COACH FALOR'S COMMENTS
"Lynsay's speed and tremendous work rate make her an ideal fit either as a flank player or up top in our system. She can run from box-to-box all day long, joining the attack and getting back to defend. As we've watched her continued development, Lynsay's growth on the ball is proving to be the final piece of the puzzle towards her becoming an excellent 1 v. 1 attacker that causes real problems for opponents. Her anticipated involvement in the university's academic honors program is a great example of her excellent all around work rate and commitment level to her life, which makes her the model student-athlete that is at the core of our program."
HIGH SCHOOL
Named third team All-Dayton Area...selected second team all-conference...team captain as a senior.
PERSONAL
Born November 30, 1992...daughter of Derrick and Kris Strahorn.
Sarah Wood
6-0, Fr., Goalkeeper
Spokane, Wash. (Lewis & Clark)
COACH FALOR'S COMMENTS
"We are looking for Sarah to come in and immediately provide a strong presence in goal. After watching her for a couple of years we are very confident that she has got the drive and ability to become a very strong keeper. Her height at 6 feet tall, which she utilizes extremely well, is going to allow her great box control. She is an excellent shot stopper and excels in managing her defensive back line well. Once she finds her leadership voice and gets comfortable organizing the box she is going to quickly become one of the top keepers in our league."
HIGH SCHOOL
First team All-Greater Spokane League selection as a senior and second team all-league selection as a junior...team captain and defensive MVP as a senior...helped her Lewis & Clark High team to the 2009 and 2010 state quarterfinals...helped her Spokane Shadow club team to the state cup semifinals in 2009 and 2010 and the US Club Regional finals in 2010...named one of Top Drawer Soccer's "Players to Watch," ranked No. 16 in the Pacific Northwest.
PERSONAL
Born April 9, 1993...daughter of Chris and Patty Wood.
