Feb. 6, 2012

Contact: Greg Murphy

CLEVELAND, Ohio - After signing six student-athletes to National Letters of Intent last week, Cleveland State head women's soccer coach Derrek Falor announced that three others have indicated their intent to enroll at CSU beginning in the fall of 2012.

Joining the Vikings will be Julia Balodis (Parma, Ohio), Becca Coleman (Brunswick, Ohio) and Alli Oathout (Erie, Pa.).

Balodis earned four letters at Holy Name H.S., helping the team to three league titles and a district finals appearance her junior and senior years. She earned second team all-district honors as a senior.

Coleman lettered four times as a goalkeeper at Brunswick H.S., earning first team all-league and all-county honors as a senior. Coleman tallied five shutouts and 139 saves as a senior, allowing just 21 goals in 15 games.

Oathout lettered four seasons at McDowell H.S., helping the team to four straight league titles and a state runner-up finish as a sophomore when the team went 21-4. She was a three-time Region 7 first team all-star selection and was named to the all-district team as a junior.

COACH FALOR'S COMMENTS

Julia Balodis:
"Julia is a feisty keeper who loves to come off her line to support her backs. She is really strong in one vs. one duals and does a great job of quickly getting her hands to ball. She has played well in many big games over the years and seems to come up with the key saves when the pressure is highest. She is a fierce competitor who will fit very well into the ideology of our team defense."

On Becca Coleman:
"We really like how aggressively Becca manages her box. She is very active in box management and is solid on cross collections. She has quick feet and is accurate with a variety of distributions options. Becca also directs with a confident voice. We feel like she has the right mental toughness to compete at this level and has shown us over time that she is eager to improve."

Allie Oathout:
"Allie is a versatile player who we believe can play as a wing defender or even possibly out wide in the midfield if needed. She has good speed and is tenacious in her one vs. one battles. She has the solid technical base that we like our backs to have so that they can help sustain our build-ups. Allie has shown us a growing confidence in her ability and desire to join the attack out of the back."