UCF Women’s Soccer Signs 10 for the 2009 Season

Knights once again put together one of the top recruiting classes in the country.

2/11/09

ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) – Coming off a season in which it reached the NCAA Tournament for the seventh time under 10-year head coach Amanda Cromwell, the UCF women’s soccer team continued to reload when it signed 10 players on Wednesday for the 2009 campaign. The class includes five players from the Sunshine State, three from New Jersey, one from Pennsylvania and one from Finland.



Name Pos. Class Hometown (High School/Junior College) Club Team

Alex Brandt M Fr. Mechanicsburg, Pa. (Mechanicsburg Area) PA Classics/Freestate

Amy Carhart M/D Fr. Manalapan, N.J. (Manalapan) PDA Pride

Marleigh Howard M Fr. Niceville, Fla. (Niceville) First Coast KYX

Tishia Jewell F Fr. Satellite Beach, Fla. (Satellite) Cocoa Expo

Stacy Kadell D Fr. Upper Saddle River, N.J. (Northern Highlands Reg.) PDA Pride

Kim Newsome F Jr. Apopka, Fla. (Apopka/Polk CC) Inter United

Justine Quick D Fr. Fleming Island, Fla. (St. John’s Country Day) JYS Fury

Nicolette Radovcic F Fr. Rockaway, N.J. (Morris Knolls) PDA Pride

Chloe Stokes M/F Fr. Hobe Sound, Fla. (Jensen Beach) Parkland Predators

Tiia Tikkanen F Fr. Naantali, Finland (Aurajoki) Turun Palloseura, TPS



“This class has a chance to be really special,” said Cromwell. “We would like to thank Keith Tribble, Dave Hansen, Sarah Hill, Harry Myers, Leah Schoen and all of the UCF family for helping us secure what could be one of the best classes in UCF history. We feel as though we have addressed some specific needs and are very excited about the overall level of student-athlete that is joining us. What really strikes us is the versatility and character of this group, and that should be a key for us in the future. They are great students, people and athletes. We are very excited and we welcome them to our UCF family.



“In terms of the make-up of the group, we are excited to have tapped into some different areas of the country as well as Finland. We have three girls, Stacy Kadell, Amy Carhart and Nicolette Radovcic, who hail from PDA, which was ranked by Soccer America as the No. 4 girls soccer club in the country. The training environment they come from is what we look for. They are proven winners who play with a little bit of that northeast bite. Alex is from Pennsylvania and comes from a very good soccer background. Her father is one of the most respected men’s soccer coaches in the country and she definitely has picked up some soccer IQ and an intense passion for the game. She brings something very unique to the game and we know these four ladies will compete to contribute immediately.



“The Florida girls we couldn’t be happier with. Chloe has enrolled in the Spring and has had opportunities to play some in Europe as well as the Region III team. Tish comes from Melbourne but plays in Tampa. She is extremely athletic and tough and we consider her to be one of the top, if not the top forward out of Florida this year. Marleigh comes from the panhandle, loves the game and adds energy and enthusiasm to everything she does. Justine might be the best athlete of them all. She is a state champion in the long jump and 4x400, a seven-time junior Olympic swimmer, as well as a two-time Florida State Soccer Club Champion.



“We added a JUCO transfer and an international student-athlete who will both compete to make an impact immediately. Kim could very well be the surprise in the conference. She will be one of our fastest athletes but is also very strong, smart and technical. The sky is the limit for Kim. Tiia comes to us with that international experience. She has played in over 40 games for the Finnish National Teams and brings experience, maturity and sophistication to her game. She reminds me of a young Tiff Milbrett.



“Overall we couldn’t be happier. Colby Hale has done a great job identifying and bringing in some of the top players in the country. We have five kids that have region team experience and three with national team experience. These young ladies have won high school state championships, club, state, regional and national championships, ODP national championships, and we believe they will bring that same winning mentality to the UCF family.”



Alex Brandt

5-1 – M

Mechanicsburg, Pa. (Mechanicsburg Area)

PA Classics/Freestate



High School Accomplishments

-Three-time First Team Mid-Penn League selection

-Named all-state and a Patriot News Big 11 and a Sentinel News Big 11 performer as a sophomore and a junior

-Recorded seven goals and a school-record 22 assists for 36 points to help Mechanicsburg reach the District-3AAA playoffs during her junior season



Club/ODP Accomplishments

-Olympic Development Program PA State Team in 2007 and 2008

-Olympic Development Program Region I Team in 2007 and 2008

-Club team reached the regional finals



Academic Accomplishments

-Spanish National Honors Society

-Honor Roll



Personal

-Born Jan. 27, 1991

-Daughter of Diane and Dave Brandt

-Has one brother, Daniel

-Father is the head men’s soccer coach at Navy



Coach Don Overmier (ODP coach): “Alex possesses remarkable athletic ability in every aspect, including speed, quickness, agility, mobility and strength among others. Her creative ball handling combined with her dynamic style of play makes her a very dangerous attacking player. What allows her to excel at every level is her undying work rate, passion for the game and desire to become better every time she steps on the field.”



UCF Associate Head Coach Colby Hale: “Alex is so good with the ball at her feet and loves to play the game. Her change of direction is first rate and she is one of the more shifty and creative players in the country. Alex comes with a lot of tools, and like all of the girls in this class, should compete to play right away.”



Amy Carhart

5-7 – M/D

Manalapan, N.J. (Manalapan)

PDA Pride



High School Accomplishments

-Four-year starter and two-year captain

-Recorded 53 career goals and 38 assists for 144 points

-Helped Manalapan claim the 2008 Class A North championship

-Selected 2008 All-Shore First Team, Second-Team All-State Group Four and First Team Monmouth County

-Voted MVP in the senior All-Shore All-Star Game

-Lettered in basketball as a freshman



Club/ODP Accomplishments

-2008 U.S. Club national champions

-2008 U.S. Club regional champions

-2006 USYSA national runner-up

-Four-year member of the New Jersey Olympic Development Program state team (2003-07)

-Two-year member of the Region 1 ODP Team (2004-05 and 2005-06)

-ODP team claimed the Region 1 title in 2006 and 2007, and was the national champions in 2006 while serving as a national finalist in 2007

-Invited and attended the 2005 interregional training event

-Participated in the 2006 National Development Camp

-Took part in the 2007 Nike Premier 50 Camp



Personal

-Born Jan. 28, 1991

-Daughter of Brian and Denise Carhart

-Has two sisters, Ashley and Allison



Coach Justin Renna (club): “Amy is one of the most effective, versatile players to come through the PDA in recent years. Amy is an outstanding wide back and midfielder as she possesses great pace and fitness through the duration of a match. Currently, Amy excels as a wide forward in our three-front system. She has greatly improved in her ability to take players on from her wide positions and has learned how to get behind teams with very well timed slanted runs. Amy is a very coachable player, has a great personality which makes her a positive teammate and above all, she possesses what no one can teach...great athleticism! We look forward to watching her grow as a college player at UCF.”



UCF Associate Head Coach Colby Hale: “Amy is a great athlete, comfortable on the ball and is versatile enough to play any position on the field. She comes from one of the top clubs in the country. Her regional and national experience should help in the transition to college soccer and we expect big things from Amy in her four years at UCF.”



Marleigh Howard

5-2 – M

Niceville, Fla. (Niceville)

First Coast KYX



High School Accomplishments

-Four-year starter, serving as the only freshman on the varsity team in 2006

-Niceville advanced to the 5A final four after winning the district title her sophomore year

-Named to the all-county team her first two seasons

-Ran cross country as a freshman



Club/ODP Accomplishments

-2008-09: Disney Showcase champions

-2007-08: First Coast KYX was the U.S. Club National Cup Region C champions, the 11 v 11 President’s Day crown, a Las Vegas College Showcase (Starlight) semifinalist, a U.S. Club National Cup national semifinalist and a Region III Premier League third-place team

-2005-07: Pensacola Futbol Club won the 2006 Southern Regional title and was a 2006 Florida State Cup semifinalist

-Olympic Development Program Florida State Team regional pool 2005-08



Academic Accomplishments

-GPA of 3.55

-A-B Honor Roll all four years

-Member of SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions), FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Spirit Club, Senior Counsel and GAPS (Group Advanced Placement Studies)



Personal

-Born Aug. 27, 1991

-Daughter of Blevins and Jennifer Howard

-Has one brother, Bailey



Coach Mike Walker (club): “Marleigh is an exciting, energetic and creative talent to watch on the field. She plays with a never-quit attitude which is exemplified in her tenacious play. An innovative player that frustrates her opponents with dangerous passes, penetrating moves and vigorous defense. Her vision and technical knowledge are both top-notch. Marleigh is very coachable and always puts the team before herself, playing anywhere on the pitch to aid in the team’s success. Marleigh will be playing soccer her entire life and will make UCF elated to have such a talent.”



UCF Associate Head Coach Colby Hale: “Marleigh is a creative attacking player who had good vision, plays a great final pass and hits a ball very well. Her personality and competitiveness is contagious and we are lucky to have Marleigh.”



Tishia Jewell

5-6 – F

Satellite Beach, Fla. (Satellite)

RSL



High School Accomplishments

-2008-09 captain for Satellite High

-2008 Michelle Akers Courage and Leadership Award

-Team was the FHSAA 5A district and regional champions, and finished second at the state tournament in 2008

-Satellite claimed the state title in 2007

-2007 FHSAA 5A Most Valuable Player

-All-Space Coast First Team and Cape Coast All-Conference Team in 2007 and 2008

-Rise Magazine Florida All-Area Soccer Team Jan./Feb. 2008

-Florida Today Athlete of the week during Jan. 2008

-A member of the track and field team since 2005



Club/ODP Accomplishments

-Member of the Women’s Premier Soccer League Cocoa Expo Team

-R3PL Premier League, RSL U-18s

-Florida State Olympic Development Team from 2005-08

-2007 U-17 Disney champions

-2007 Dallas Cup Spring Classic and Vulcan Cup champions

-2006 U.S. Club Soccer state champions



Academic Accomplishments

-GPA: 4.50

-Highest GPA of 2007-08 5A FHSAA academic champions

-Dual Enrolled



Personal

-Born June 30, 1991

-Daughter of Malcolm and Telethia Jewell

-Has three siblings, Chris, Sarah and Theron



Coach Ben Strawbridge (club): “Tishia has some of the best goal-scoring capability I have ever coached. She has an unbelievable ability to find a way to score. She is an outstanding team mate and will be an asset to their program off the field as well as on. I know she will make an impact on UCF.”



UCF Associate Head Coach Colby Hale: “Tish should score many goals in the upcoming years as part of the UCF family. She is strong, good with the ball, plays well with her back to goal and her first few steps are second to none.”



Stacy Kadell

5-4 – D

Upper Saddle River, N.J. (Northern Highlands Regional)

PDA Pride



High School Accomplishments

-2008 all-league first team, all-county third team and all-state recognition at Northern Highlands Regional

-Previously a member of Immaculate Heart Academy

-2006 Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League (NNJIL) champions and state section finalists

-2005 and 2006 All-NNJIL First Team



Club/ODP Accomplishments

-2008 U.S. Club Soccer National Champions

-2006 USYSA National Finalists

-New Jersey State Cup semifinalists in 2006 and 2007

-Olympic Development Region I Team from 2007-08

-Invited to attend the Kuban Spring Tournament in March 2009 in Krasnodar, Russia, with the U-19 Region One Team. They will be playing against the U-19 Russian, Polish, Ukranian and Croatian National Teams

-Participated in the 2007 Interregionals in Coral Springs, Fla.

-Member of the New Jersey Development Team 1991 from 2003-08, claiming the 2006 and 2007 Region 1 titles as well as the 2007 national championship



Academic Accomplishments

-High honor roll student



Personal

-Born April 30, 1991

-Daughter of Lewis and Michele Kadell

-Has one brother, Todd



Coach Justin Renna (club): “Stacy Kadell is one of the most versatile players I have worked with at the PDA. As a back, Stacy is a great marking back because of her speed, ability to win the ball and ability to trigger our counter attack with both feet. As a midfielder, she is a relentless worker and technically clean as a playmaker and distance passer and shooter. Finally, as a forward, Stacy has the ability to create problems for opposing backs as she is able to beat players off the dribble and shoot from long range. I feel UCF will benefit from Stacy’s versatility and intensity in both training and games for the next four years.”



UCF Associate Head Coach Colby Hale: “Stacy is a very versatile player with a lot of experience. She plays for one of the top clubs in the country and has been a member of the regional ODP team. She has a toughness and competitiveness about her that we are excited about. She has good speed and is technically proficient.”



Kim Newsome

5-7 – F

Apopka, Fla. (Apopka/Polk CC)

Inter United



Junior College Accomplishments

-Two-time NJCAA and NSCAA All-American while at Polk Community College

-Captain both seasons for a team ranked sixth in the country in 2007-08 and eighth in 2008-09

-2007 Polk Women’s Athlete of the Year

-Named to the All-National Tournament Team in 2007



High School Accomplishments

-Finished with 110 career goals and 40 assists at the high school level, playing for Apopka her final three seasons and Evans High School as a freshman

-Captain of Apopka as a senior, while also serving as the captain for the Florida All-Star East Team

-Earned all-metro, all-county and all-Central Florida honors three seasons



Club/ODP Accomplishments

-Captain all four years for IUS Hayasa of the Region III Premier League

-Placed third in the Donnelly Cup nationals

-Member of the 2006-07 U-23 National Camp/Pool

-Helped the Florida Women’s Select Team to a second-place finish in regionals in 2004-05, and a regional championship in 2007

-Florida Olympic Development Team from 1999-05, as it grabbed fourth place in the 2005 nationals



Personal

-Daughter of Roosevelt and Geneiva Newsome

-Has two brothers and two sisters



Coach Jim Powell (club): “Kim is a great player and an even better person. She will excel at whatever she does and I know UCF will be a great fit for her. I expect big things from Kim in her years at UCF and am glad to have the opportunity to get out and watch her play in her new environment.”



UCF Associate Head Coach Colby Hale: “Kim is a game changer. She has speed, strength and can play anywhere on the field. She is a JUCO transfer and we see her impacting the team in a major way from day one.”



Justine Quick

5-5 – D

Fleming Island, Fla. (St. John’s Country Day)

JYS Fury



High School Accomplishments

-Co-captain as a junior and a senior

-2006-08 district champions, while the team advanced to the state final four in 2006 and 2008

-FHSAA Class 2A state champions in 2007

-2007 state champion in the long jump and 4x400 as a member of the track and field team

-District and regional champion the past three seasons in long jump and triple jump

-Holds the school record in the long jump, triple jump and 300m hurdles

-Seven-time Junior Oympian in swimming



Club/ODP Accomplishments

-Played three seasons for Clay County United

-Florida State Cup champions in 2006 and 2007

-Currently playing for JYS Fury



Personal

-Born April 4, 1991

-Daughter of Tim and Mindy Quick

-Has one brother, Jason, and one sister, Janese



Coach Mike Pickett (high school): “Justin is a versatile athlete who has excelled in many sports. In soccer, she reads the game really well and is extremely quick to the ball. She is good in the air and can play with the ball at her feet. The best quality Justine possesses is her leadership ability and being a team player.”



UCF Associate Head Coach Colby Hale: “JuJu has tremendous upside. She is a state champion in the long jump and 4x400. She is very good in the air, has good speed, reads the game well and has the composure for a defender that you love.”



Nicolette Radovcic

5-4 – F

Rockaway, N.J. (Morris Knolls)

PDA Pride



High School Accomplishments

-Ranked among the top 10 leading scorers in Morris County

-Earned New Jersey Girls Soccer Association all-state accolades

-Was a first-team all-county, all-area and all-conference honoree

-Member of the girls basketball team



Club/ODP Accomplishments

-2008 U.S. Club National Champions

-2008 U.S. Club regional champions

-2006 USYSA National Finalists

-New Jersey State Cup semifinalists in 2006 and 2007



Academic Accomplishments

-High/merit honors



Personal

-Born Nov. 13, 1990

-Daughter of Boris and Angela Radovcic



Coach Justin Renna (club): “Nicolette has the ability to make opposing teams adjust the way they intend to play. She does this on attack by threatening to get behind the backs on every service because of her pace and one the dribble when she finds defenders 1v1 in wide areas. When our team defends, it starts with the relentless pursuit of the ball led by Nicolette. Her attitude to defend disrupts opposing teams’ ability to find a rhythm out of the back and creates many turnovers in the top half of the field for our team. I look forward to following Nicolette as an impact player at UCF.”



UCF Associate Head Coach Colby Hale: “Nic has tremendous speed, good change of direction and is dangerous going at players. She can score goals in bunches and has the ability to change a game with her pace and work ethic.”



Chloe Stokes

5-5 – M/F

Hobe Sound, Fla. (Jensen Beach)

Parkland Predators



High School Accomplishments

-Top goal scorer and recorded the most assists in the county

-All-area selection her first three seasons

-Team MVP as a freshman, sophomore and junior

-Also Team MVP Attacking Player from ninth to 11th grade

-Collected over 90 goals in her career

-Posted over 50 assists at the high school level

-Registered 30 goals and 14 assists during the 2006-07 season



Club/ODP Accomplishments

-Led the Region III Premier League in goals and assists

-Won the U-14 state cup, and participated in the final four every year since U-13

-Member of the Olympic Development Region III Team

-Captained the 91 Girls A Team every season



Personal

-Born Jan. 7, 1991

-Daughter of Mark and Lori Stokes

-Has one sister, Sydney



Coerver Regional Director Paul Gibbons: “Chloe is a very special. One of the most determined people I’ve ever been around, male or female. She is Paul Scholes and Wayne Rooney mixed into one, with a pony-tail. I look forward to following her career at UCF.”



UCF Associate Head Coach Colby Hale: “Chloe is a creative attacking player who loves to score goals. She is comfortable inside the 18 and is versatile in her ability back to goal or running at players. She is a true soccer junkie. Chloe is enrolled in the spring and we see big things from her during her four years at UCF.”



Tiia Tikkanen

5-9 – F

Naantali, Finland (Aurajoki)

Turun Palloseura, TPS



Club/ODP/National Team Accomplishments

-Played in 40 Finnish National Team games and scored 14 goals from 2005-08

-Competed in the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Championship in Russia

-Also participated in the UEFA Women’s U-19 qualifying tournaments in Boznia and Herzegovina, Wales, Belarus and Austria

-Member of teams that played in the Women’s U-18 Open Nordic Championship Tournament and the Women’s U-17 Four Nations Tournament

-Collected 13 goals in the Finnish women’s league in 2008



Personal

-Born Oct. 10, 1990

-Daughter of Kirsi and Jouko Tikkanen

-Has one sister, Sara



UCF Associate Head Coach Colby Hale: “Tiia is a special player. She has great speed, quickness and agility. She is very comfortable in front of goal and brings a sophistication and passion to the game. We are excited Tiia will be joining us next year.”