Feb. 3, 2005

Contact: Brian McCann

Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Seven high school student-athletes, six of whom are from the state of Ohio, have signed national letters of intent to attend Cleveland State and play women's soccer beginning in the fall of 2005. Head coach Derrek Falor made the announcement on Thursday.

Signing with the Vikings are Callie Carrera (Canfield, OH), Lisa Conway (Cincinnati, OH/Anderson), Brittany Coss (Grove City, OH), Michelle Sanker (Westlake, OH), Ashley Walchack (Erie, PA/Mercyhurst Prep), Natalie Wilson (Amelia, OH/Glen Este) and Erin Withrow (Cincinnati, OH/Glen Este). Each player will enter CSU as freshman with four years of eligibility.

"As a whole, this group goes a long way to filling some obvious holes for us that were exploited this past season," Falor said.

"One focus for us with this recruiting class was to significantly upgrade the size, strength, overall athleticism, and the tactical sophistication of our defense.

"The other emphasis was to bring in more high quality midfielders who excel at possession through creativity as well as being capable of providing a bit of scoring punch.

"I feel strongly that we have landed a group that gives us the opportunity to make the jump up to the top of the Horizon League next fall," Falor added. "I know that's a big jump but with this class, along with the return of a solid corp of players, it's a realizable goal."

The signing class includes four midfielders, three defenders and one goalkeeper.

Women's soccer debuted as an intercollegiate sport at Cleveland State last fall. The Vikings will begin their second season on Friday, August 26 at Bowling Green.

A synopsis on each of the seven signees follows.

Callie Carrera
5-10, Fr., Defender
Canfield, Ohio (Canfield H.S.)
High School: Two-time first team all-league choice at Canfield High, playing for coach John Vilchey. . . lettered four times in soccer, starting at midfield in each of her final three years. . . twice recognized by Who's Who in Sports. . . played six years of club soccer, three as a goalkeeper for the Internationals (2000-02) and the last three as a midfielder for Ohio Premier (2003-05). . . named to the Ohio North ODP team.
Personal: Born June 15, 1987 in Canfield, Ohio. . . daughter of Richard and Lavern Carrera. . . has one older brother. . . has volunteered time while in high school to work with mentally and physically handicapped students. . . undecided on a major.
Coach Falor's Comments: "After watching Callie play numerous times over the past couple of years, I have come to love her tenaciousness in one-on-one defending and her desire to make a physical impact on the game. She plays with her heart on her sleeve and will give us that solid central defender we can rely on day after day to destroy the opponent's offense. I expect her to add a significant presence for us in the air as well."

Lisa Conway
5-7, Fr., Midfielder
Cincinnati, Ohio (Anderson H.S.)
High School: Played only one year of high school soccer, electing to focus on club soccer. . . played the last three years for Ohio Elite, starting at midfield each year. . . key member of team that won the U.S. Club national championship in 2003. . . played for The Cardinals Soccer Club prior to 2003.
Personal: Born July 5, 1987 in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. . . daughter of Doug Conway and Becky Pessler. . . is the middle of five children, having two brothers and two sisters. . . member of the Honor Roll and Key Club in high school while also being involved on the student paper. . . interested in majoring in physical therapy.
Coach Falor's Comments: "Lisa is exactly the player we lacked this past year and the one we desperately needed. She is the prototypical holding midfielder that will switch the point of attack with either long services or on the ground, win air balls, defensively deny entry passes into opponent forwards, and just provide a sense of solidity and composure to our midfield. As a student of the game, Lisa will give us a sophistication that we have sorely lacked."

Brittany Coss
5-6, Fr., Defender
Grove City, Ohio (Grove City H.S.)
High School: Three-time all-league honoree at Grove City High, playing for coach Scott Spaine. . . second team all-league choice as a sophomore and first team pick as a junior and senior. . .also named second team all-district as a senior and team MVP as a junior. . . four-time defensive team MVP, scoring five career goals. . . served as team captain as a junior. . . played four years of club soccer for the Eagles. . . named to the Ohio North ODP team. . . lettered three times in track.
Personal: Born Sept. 24, 1986 in Columbus, Ohio. . . daughter of Ed and Debbie Coss. . . has one older brother. . . member of the National Honor Society in high school. . . received the school's PRIDE and Scholar-Athlete awards. . . volunteered time working in Peer Mentoring, tutoring and for the Red Cross Blood Drive. . . interested in majoring in biology and pre-med.
Coach Falor's Comments: "I like the intangibles that Brittany brings to the field. She's versatile enough to play anywhere along the back line and excels at keeping possession during the build-up. Brittany will be effective at proving us either a physical or cerebral presence, depending on what the game conditions call for."

Michelle Sanker
5-4, Fr., Midfielder
Westlake, Ohio (Christian Community School)
High School: Lettered three time as a member of the boy's soccer team at Christian Community School, playing for coach Brock Walter. . . started all three seasons, the last two at midfield, helping team to a 46-14-7 record. . . started as a freshman on the team that went 19-5-2, won the state title and finished fifth nationally. . . scored 15 goals with 28 assists during her career. . . missed junior season because of injury. . . lettered as both a freshman and sophomore in softball, playing both shortstop and catcher.
Personal: Born June 2, 1985 in Westlake, Ohio. . . daughter of James and Dianne Sanker. . . has one older sister and one younger brother. . . active in the choir and ski club in high school. . . volunteered time helping out in the rehab department of an area hospital while in high school. . . interested in majoring in nursing.
Coach Falor's Comments: "Michelle is one of those special players that seems to get better every time she steps onto the field. As a central midfielder, she's smooth on the ball, clean with her first touch, savvy at finding passing lanes and very capable of placing the ball onto her teammates feet no matter how she has to get it there. She's calm and focused and will certainly gives us an extremely dependable player who can excel at this level."

Ashley Walchak
5-6, Fr., Midfielder
Erie, Pa. (Mercyhurst Prep)
High School: First team all-region choice as a senior at Mercyhurst Prep, playing for coach Dave DiStanza. . . scored 27 goals with four assists for 58 points as a senior, helping team to a 20-1-1 record and the regional title. . . four-year starter on teams that averaged 16 wins a year, scoring 42 goals with 13 assists for 97 points in her career. . . played her first two years at McDowell High before transferring at the start of her junior year. . . played four years of ODP soccer, three with the Pennsylvania West squad and the 2004 season with Ohio North. . . played club soccer for two years with the Beadling Centennials (2001-02), starting on teams that won two state western titles. . . lettered in softball in both years at McDowell, starting at shortstop.
Personal: Born Feb. 26, 1987 in Erie, Pa. . . daughter of Susan Walchack. . . is an only child. . . volunteered time at the Shriner's Hospital while in high school. . . served as the sports editor of her high school paper. . . undecided on a major.
Coach Falor's Comments: "Ashley is a player that's hard to place into just one position. She is effective as a central midfielder or can play as a target up front as our central forward. She strikes a very hard and dangerous ball to goal, in that she possesses the technical ability to swerve and dip her shots. Her first touch is soft and she loves the ball at her feet so she can create options for her teammates. Ashley does a fantastic job of having an offensive impact on a game regardless of the opponent or conditions"

Natalie Wilson
5-7, Fr., Defender
Amelia, Ohio (Glen Este H.S.)
High School: Two-time all-league choice at Glen Este High, playing for coach Doug Conway. . . earned first team all-league honors as a senior and second team as a junior. . . tabbed as the team's best defensive player as a senior while earning the sportsmanship award as a junior. . . started all four years while in high school, three of which were on defense. . . served as team captain as a junior and senior. Personal: Born Jan. 23, 1987 in Owensboro, Ky. . . daughter of Ken and Teresa Wilson. . . has one older sister and one younger brother. . . member of the National Honor Society in high school, earning awards in biology, chemistry, mathematics and English. . . intends to major in biology and pre-med.
Coach Falor's Comments: "Natalie joins our team with the responsibility and ability of providing composure, tactical awareness and solid positioning in our central defense. Natalie reads the game extremely well, is good at organizing a zonal back four, and can be effective in the physical game when necessary. She's always exceedingly fit and works to her capacity to improve on a daily basis. She will be able to shine in our conference from the first game out."

Erin Withrow
5-7, Fr., Goalkeeper
Cincinnati, Ohio (Glen Este H.S.)
High School: Three-time all-league choice at Glen Este High, playing for coach Doug Conway. . . recorded five shutouts in goal as a senior to earn first team all-league mention. . . tabbed as the squad's defensive player of the year as a junior. . . was a second team all-league pick as both a freshman and junior. . . served as team captain as both a junior and senior. . . received an academic excellence award from the Ohio Scholastic Coaches Association. . . started all four years during high school. . . team scholar-athlete for three seasons.
Personal: Born Nov. 17, 1986 in Cincinnati, Ohio. . . daughter of Ed and Kandy Meadors. . . is the oldest of three children, having one brother and one sister. . . member of the National Honor Society in high school. . . was active in the League of Leaders, attending several leadership conferences. . . interested in majoring in secondary English education.
Coach Falor's Comments: "We were very lucky to find Erin. She is ready to improve her game and is on the cusp of growth by leaps and bounds. Erin is on the verge of going from good to great as she's physical, has clean hands, and is dependable on a daily basis. Her personality is such that she rises to meet the occasion whenever asked and will be a big addition to our defense. Her game is ready for the Horizon League and we expect her to come in ready to post clean sheets when the opportunity calls."