National Champions Ink 10 to National Letters of Intent

TAMPA, Fla. - The 2008 NCAA II national championship University of Tampa women's soccer team has announced the signing of nine prep standouts and one junior college transfer to National Letters of Intent, as announced by Head Coach Gerry Lucey. The group also represents the first full class for the second year coach.

The class represents a very successful group of student-athletes who are expected to make an immediate impact to the team. The group hails from eight different states, including a pair from New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

"This is a very talented and deep recruiting class and I am very excited to have the opportunity to work with them over the coming years," says Lucey. "I have been very impressed with their abilities and predict that they will all have a huge role to play at UT in 2008 and beyond. In addition to their skills on the field, this class has also excelled in the classroom and will continue UT's proud tradition of maintaining a team GPA of 3.25 or higher."

Briana Tyson, a native of Philadelphia, Pa. is a transfer from Sounderton Community College and is the captain of the Philadelphia Liberty in the WPSL. Briana is expected to take up a berth in either a central defensive or midfield position.

"Briana is a wonderful addition to our family at UT," states Lucey. "She has personality, presence and will bring additional leadership to our team. She is an intelligent player with experience and knowledge. I am very excited about Briana's decision and look forward to working with her on the field."

Caroline Spencer comes to UT from Albuquerque, N.M. Spencer plays her club soccer at NM Rush and plays primarily as a forward and outside midfielder.

"Caroline's strength is her speed and size and will cause more than a few problems for opposing defenses this year," says Lucey. "She has good technical ability and is a strong competitor. She has spent time with the ODP program in NM and will hopefully bring a new dimension to our attack."

Ansley Waller, a native of Southlake, Tex., plays her club soccer with Aces 90 in Dallas. She has just concluded her HS career as the all-time top scorer with 58 goals and 74 assists.

Ansley will bring more offensive power to our team," says Lucey. "Ansley is very technical with great vision. A former ODP player, I expect Ansley to bring creativity to our offense. We will look for her to add a lot in both the goals and assists column over the coming years."

Caitlin Fox, from Mount Laurel, N.J., plays her club soccer at the South Jersey Banshees and will compete for the starting goalkeeping position for the Spartans.

"Over the last few years, we have been blessed with one of the top keepers (Shannon Aitken) in any division in the nation," states Lucey. "Caitlin will be expected to fight for the #1 jersey at UT. She has strong technical goalkeeping skills, is fearless and will add character to the squad."

Samantha Kay comes to UT from Ocean, N.J. Kay plays with Ocean Elite in NJ has the ability to play out of the back or in the midfield.

"Samantha is a player that I recruited at my previous school," says Lucey. "She is a tremendous player with speed, athleticism and strong technical skills. She will be a force to be reckoned with in a central position either at the back or in the midfield. Samantha is a strong tackler and has received many accolades through the years. She is also a former ODP and regional level player."

Charlotte White, a native of Seattle, Wash., plays for the top Washington state team, Fenix '89. Charlotte plays as an outside back and marking back.

"Charlotte will be an instant hit at UT," says Lucey. "She has great defensive principles, loves to attack and has a brilliant attitude. I spotted Charlotte playing at Disney and have recruited her for awhile. I am really looking forward to working with Charlotte and seeing how far she develops over the coming years."

Kendall Bourdon, a goalkeeper from Virginia Beach, Va., plays club soccer with Beach FC. Kendall is the number-one keeper at Beach FC and will look to continue her winning ways at UT.

"Kendall is another ODP product that will be joining our program this Fall," states Lucey. Kendall will be expected to compete for the #1 jersey too with Caitlin Fox. Kendall is a great communicator and controls her box very well. Technically, she is clean and I anticipate she will become even better in all aspects over the coming years."

Christine Walters, from Slidell, La., plays her club soccer at Mandeville Soccer Club. Christine has played in many different positions with both her club and Salmen High School.

"Christine will be played in a few different positions, but I would anticipate she will primarily be on defense," says Lucey. "She has great athleticism, speed and strength. Christine plays with passion and drive. Christine has also spent time with the Louisiana ODP system."

Brittan Spence, from Southampton, Pa., plays her club soccer with FC Delco just outside of Philadelphia. Brittan plays either as a forward or outside midfielder.

"I am delighted to add Brittan to our squad," says Lucey. "Brittan was another player that I took interest in while I was at West Chester. Brittan has explosive speed and the ability to play as a striker or outside midfielder. Brittan will be expected to add immediate impact to our offense. Brittan has spent time developing her skills at one of the top clubs in the nation."

Jazmin Perry, who hails from Worthington, Ohio, plays her club soccer at Blast FC. Jazmin is a speedy outside midfieder or forward.

"She is another product of the ODP system, this time from Ohio," says Lucey. "Jazmin is an excellent outside midfielder or striker who will cause opposing players many problems. Jazmin is technically strong and has a good understanding of the game. We expect many positive displays from Jazmin over the years."

With the loss of its top goalkeeper and two of its top three defenders, UT will also be replacing 11 departed letterwinners from the national championship team. The group will be eligible beginning in the Fall of 2008.

"I honestly believe that this is a very soccer savvy recruiting class than can help us remain in the upper echelon of college soccer," says Lucey. "This program has worked very hard over the years to become a powerhouse and we believe that these incoming players can help us in that quest. "One of our goals a few years ago when I worked alongside former coach Bobby Johnston, was to eclipse the top programs and become regionally and nationally a force to be reckoned with. I believe that we have the ability to continue our growth with the returning players and this incoming class."