Sarah Olin, Staff Writer
Armstrong Pirates’ soccer head coach Eric Faulconer and assistant coach Kayley Ralton have announced the addition of nine student-athletes for the upcoming 2016 roster.
Fatima DiModica (Naples,FL/Nova Southeastern University), Erin Ferris (Altanta, GA/Grady HS), Mallary Hedden (Cartersville, GA/Troy University), Ashley Lewis (Lawrenceville, GA/Mountain View HS), Miranda Lucas (Saint Cloud, FL/Harmony HS), Haleigh Meuninck (Fayetteville, GA/Whitewater HS), Renae Moken (Somerdale, NJ/Highland regional HS), Michelle Watson (Marietta, GA/Walton HS), and Lauren Yoss (Peachtree City,GA/Starr’s Mill HS) have all committed to the Pirates for the fall
“We feel strongly that our 2016 recruiting class will help address our immediate needs for the upcoming season and beyond,” said Faulconer.
DiModica is a goalkeeper who played at Gulf Coast High, where she was selected on the Florida High School All-State team and All-Conference team all four seasons, and was a 2014 All-Class 4A selection and 2014 Naples Daily News All-Area team member. She will transfer from Nova Southeastern University in the fall.
Ferris is a midfielder, outside forward, or defender who played club soccer for SSA Chelsea 98G Elite. She helped her team reach the Georgia State Cup Finals in 2015, while also appearing in the USYS Region III Championship. She was team captain at Grady High and 2015 Team MVP.
Hedden is a defender who played at Cass High and earned Offensive Player of the Year all four seasons while also being named All-County Offensive Player of the Year twice. Hedden transferred from Troy University, where she scored the game winner against Texas State in the Sun Belt Conference tournament semifinals, to Armstrong for this spring semester.
Lewis is a forward or attacking midfielder who played at Mountain View High as team captain, and also making the All-Region 7 AAAAAA team three years straight. She is tied for most goals (40) in Gwinnett County, and also awarded Most Valuable Offensive Player for three seasons.
Lucas is a midfielder who was rated 15th best player in Florida by Top Drawer for her recruiting class. She played at Harmony High where she was team captain and named FACA 4A All-State team. Also playing at Orlando City on the ECNL team, she went to the ECNL Nationals in 2015.
Meuninck is a midfielder or defender who played at AFC Lightning in Region III Premier League for club, where she helped her team advance to the semifinals at the 2015 Georgia State Cup. She played at Whitewater High as team captain and was named First Team All-Region and First Team Fayette All-County in 2015.
Moken is a midfielder who played at Highland High where she was team captain and awarded MVP for two straight years. She was a member of the New Jersey ODP State team where they were national finalists in 2014 and Region 1 champions in 2013.
Watson is a goalkeeper and team captain at Walton High. She is a member of the Georgia ODP ’97 team, as well as the Region III ODP ’97 team. She played club soccer for Concord Fire, where she was also team captain.
Yoss is a defender or forward who played for Starr’s Mill High. She earned a goal and an assist to help her team win the 2015 5A State Champion title game. She was Starr’s Mill’s 2015 MVP and 2015 Class 5A Region 4 Player of the Year, as well as Fayette County Player of the Year and was First Team All-County.
It looks like the Pirates have another strong class heading into next fall. They look to advance to the NCAA Tournament for a third straight year and compete for their first Peach Belt Conference championship since 2012.
