JU women’s soccer signs six student-athletes for the 2007 season
Dolphins look to build on their 2006 championship run with new recruiting class

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Feb. 20, 2007 After winning the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament title in 2006, the Jacksonville University women’s soccer team looks to build on that success with the signing of six student-athletes for the 2007 season.

The Dolphin coaching staff announced the signing of Tamara Cormier (Coquitlam, British Columbia), Devon Dowell (Vienna, Virginia), Liz Fink (Cumming, Ga.), Emme Graham (Marietta, Ga.), Liza Grimsgaard (Eatontown, N.J.) and Reba Stott (Tallahassee, Fla.).

“I am very excited for this class to join our current team,” said JU head coach Chris Kouns. “This year marks my third recruiting class at JU and I believe it continues to build on the foundation we want for our program.

“These in-coming freshmen are good soccer players, good students and good people. Hopefully these combinations will help us repeat our 2006 A-Sun Tournament Championship performance, earn us our third consecutive NSCAA Team Academic Award and second straight NSCAA Team Ethics Award.”

Cormier has been the top scorer in the Vancouver Metro Women’s Soccer League over the last three seasons. At the club level, she played for the North Shore Select which earned a British Columbia Provincial Gold Medal during the last two years and took the Bronze medal at the 2006 Canadian National Championship. She was also a member of the Canadian Soccer Association National Training Center and the Canadian National Team Pool from 2004-05.

“Tamara is going to bring a wealth of experience and composure to our attack,” said Kouns. “She has been successful at some of the highest levels available in Canada and I know she will compliment our current Canadian striker (Keri Zwikker) very well.”

Dowell has earned three consecutive all- district honors and two all-Met honors, while playing at Madison High School. She was also a high school teammate of current Dolphin player Jamie Kuykendall. Dowell played at the club level for Braddock Road Attack, which won the 2005 Virginia State Cup Champions. Her club team also won the 2004 WAGS Division I and USYSA Director’s Cup National Championships.

“Devon is a perfect fit for our program,” said Kouns. “She is a great student leader and a great soccer player. She has the ability to help us attacking out of the back or by setting up as a target player up top. She brings much needed height and we are looking forward to teaming her back up with Jaime next year.”

Fink was named all-county the last two seasons after leading Forsyth Central High School to the state playoffs, including an Elite Eight berth in 2006. She was also named Forsyth Central’s “Best Offensive Player” in 2005. At the club level, she played with the Georgia Olympic Development Program and Tophat 07’ Gold. Fink helped lead Tophat 07’Gold to two consecutive Region III Premier League Championships.

“Liz will be a huge addition to our midfield,” Kouns said. “She controls the field as a true field general and with her regional pool experience, she should make an impact for us quickly. She is blessed with the ability to strike bombs on goal from distance and should really open up things for our offense next year.”

Graham, currently a senior at Walton High School, helped guide the Raiders to a Region 5-A championship in 2004 and lead her team to the state playoffs in each of the last two seasons. In 2005, she led the team in scoring to earn Most Outstanding Midfielder and the Golden Boot Award. Graham is a also a teammate of Fink on the Tophat 07’Gold and the Georgia ODP team.

“Emme is a terrific soccer player,” said Kouns. “She is one of the most knowledgeable players of the game I have ever seen and that translates into an extremely composed player. She has big game and big goal experience, which we expect her to continue for us in the fall.”

Grimsgaard has helped Red Bank Catholic High School win three consecutive New Jersey Parochial State Soccer Championships. She also participated two seasons with the Red Bank Catholic Lacrosse and track teams. At the club level, she played with Hibernian Breeze, which were the 2005 Jags and PDA Tournament Champions. The Breeze has also competed in International soccer tournaments in England, Scotland and Wales.

“Liza brings a target presence to JU that we have not had in our program for a long time,” said Kouns. “She has excellent size and has the ability to hold the ball very well. She possesses great ball control and she has all of the tools to help us be successful in the attacking third this fall.”

Stott earned four consecutive all-Big Bend honors as a goalie at Lawton Chiles High School in Tallahassee, Fla. In 2006, she helped lead the Wolves to a district championship and a berth in the regional finals. She earned “Newcomer of the Year” honors as a freshman after recording 11 shutouts en route to a district championship. Stott played for the Tallahassee United at the club level, who won the 2005 Southeast Invitational and made it to of the 2005 MGSA Youth Soccer Classic finals.

“Reba offers us a unique player combination,” said Kouns. “She will be competing right away to replace A-Sun Tournament MVP Michelle Kmiotek and does so with the foot skills of a field player. To play goalkeeper for her club team and defender for her high school team proves she is an intelligent young lady and a tireless competitor.”

In 2006, the Dolphins posted their first double-digit win total since 2002, their second A-Sun Championship in school history and earned an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.

Off the field, JU earned it's second consecutive National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Team Academic by posting a 3.19 grade point average for the 2005-06 school semester. They also earned the Team Ethics Award Bronze honor from the NSCAA for only having nine cautions in 2006.