University of North Carolina Athletics
Dorrance Announces Nine-Woman Recruiting Class For Women's Soccer
May 3, 2009 | Women's Soccer
May 3, 2009
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The University of North Carolina women's soccer program officially announced a cadre of nine scholarship and recruited non-scholarship prospective student-athletes who will join the Tar Heel program in August 2009. This group will look to help replace the loss of four valuable seniors from Carolina's 2008 NCAA championship team.
Carolina is losing two starters, one co-starter and a valuable reserve from the '08 team - senior midfield starters Yael Averbuch and Allie Long, senior goalkeeping co-starter Anna Rodenbough and reserve forward Mandy Moraca.
Joining Carolina this fall will be Megan Brigman of Laurinburg, N.C.; Lucy Bronze of Northumberland, England (Ainwick Dirstrict); Amber Brooks of New Hope, Pa.; Hannah Daly of Stateline, Nev.; Kristine Welsh-Loveman of Wellesley, Mass.; Barkley Minton of Raleigh, N.C.; Ranee Premji of Calgary, Alberta; Alyssa Rich of Cincinnati, Ohio; and Kylie Watt of Valatie, N.Y.
Brigman is a forward who is graduating this spring from Scotland High School. She holds her high school record for most goals scored in a career with more than 150. Brigman played club soccer with the Charlotte Soccer Club, earning representation on the North Carolina Olympic Development Program (ODP) Team. At Scotland, she was named all-conference and all-region from 2006-09 as well as being named All-State in 2008 and the conference's co-player of the year the same season. She played four years of basketball as an all-conference performer and was the 2009 conference player of the year. She played tennis as a freshman and sophomore, winning a regional doubles title as a sophomore and being named all-conference twice.
Bronze is graduating from high school a year early in order to attend Carolina. She is a defender whose preparatory school studies have come at Dutchess's Common High School. Bronze plays for the Sunderland Club Team. She was born October 28, 1991 in Berwick-upon-Tweed and made her debut with the British U17 Team versus Scotland in March 2007 at age 15. She has accumulated 12 overall caps for England and has been playing for the Sunderland Soccer Club since she was four. She played for England in the New Zealand World Cup in October 2008 and with her club team in the FA Women's Cup semifinals versus Chelsea in March. This spring, she was called up to the English U19 Women's National Team for a friendly tournament in Spain.
Brooks lives in New Hope, Pa. and attends Pennington School (N.J.). Brooks is currently a member of the U20 Women's National Team pool. She is a multi-purpose defender who was born January 23, 1991 in Evansville, Ind. She plays for the Arsenal World Class club team where Tar Heels Yael Averbuch and Brittani Bartok also played. With Aresenal World she was an NSCAA Youth All-America from 2006-08. The defender earned a prominent role on the U.S. U17s when they captured the silver medal in the inaugural FIFA U17 Women's World Cup last year. She went the whole way in five starts, twice wearing the captain's band. Originally slated for the right back position, she played defensive center midfield at the World Cup. Prior to the World Cup, she started all 12 matches in 2008 for the U17s, including all five matches in the 2008 CONCACAF U17 qualifying tournament where she played every minute. Brooks played with the U16 National Team in both 2006 and 2007 and as a member of the U14 camp in 2005. She's been on the Eastern Pennsylvania ODP Team since 2003 and the Region I ODP squad since 2004. She played three years of high school soccer at Pennington, scoring 62 goals and adding 30 assists. She did not play as a senior because of National Team commitments. As a freshman she was first-team All-Mercer County after scoring a county-leading 28 goals. She again earned All-County honors as a sophomore after scoring 18 goals. In her junior year she led Pennington to an 18-0 record, a sixth straight Prep-A state title and a third Mercer County crown in five years. She was a Parade High School All-America as a junior and later in the year was the winner of the NSCAA girls' scholar-athlete of the year while being ranked by ESPN Rise as the 2009 No. 1 recruit. Brooks also competed in track and field for four years at Pennington.
Daly is a second incoming Tar Heel this season who is graduating from high school a year early in order to attend North Carolina. A goalkeeper, Daly has played club soccer for Neusport '91 and Hannah is currently playing club soccer with Sereno 92. Daly will soon graduate from George Whittell High School. Daly is a veteran of various U.S. youth national teams. She hails from the Lake Tahoe, Nevada area. She plays for a club team in Phoenix, Ariz. which is 578 miles from her hometown. She has worked her way up the ODP ladder to make youth national teams despite this geographic obstacle. She is a heptathlete and has competed in the Junior Olympics. She is also a member of the fellowship of Christian Athletes.
Welsh-Loveman is the younger sister of Monica Welsh-Loveman, a rising junior goalkeeper on the Tar Heel team. Kristine Welsh-Loveman is a native of Wellesley, Mass. She is both a midfielder and defender who has played for the MPS Boston Renegades for the past five years, including being captain of the team the past four years. She captained her high school team and was its MVP as a senior. She earned Bay State League first-team All-Star honors, Eastern Massachusetts first-team all-star status and was also named All-State and Boston Herald All-Scholastic. Welsh-Loveman played basketball and tennis in high school and was captain of the tennis squad.
Minton is a defender and in-state recruit come to the Tar Heels from the Triangle region. A native of Raleigh, she attends Broughton High School where she was named all-conference and all-region from her freshman through junior years. She was also an All-State selection last year. She represented North Carolina in the "Battle of the Carolinas" all-star game in 2008. At Broughton, she also competes in basketball and tennis. Minton has been a member of the N.C. ODP Team from 2005-08 and has attended regional camps and Super Y national camps. She has played for the '90 CASL Elite team for nine years where she has been the team captain.
Ranee Premji is the first Canadian to come to Chapel Hill since defensive standout Robyn Gayle joined the Tar Heels in 2004. A native of Calgary, Alberta, she is a powerhouse at 5-1 as a midfielder for her club team, the U18 SW United Premiers 90 FC. She attends the Edge School for Athletes and also plays for the Calgary Callies in the Women's Major League. She was named in 2008 to the Canadian U17 Women's World Cup Team player pool and was a member of Canadian national team pools from the U14 through U17 levels. Recently, she was elevated to the U20 National Pool. She was an original member of the Calgary SWU Premiers 90 since 2002 and with the Calgary Callies since 2007. Has played for club teams that have gone 275-61-35 (.816), including two Canadian national medals, six Alberta provincial championships and 11 Calgary city championships.
Alyssa Rich is another U.S. youth national team player joining the Carolina title. A forward and midfielder, she plays her club soccer for Ohio Elite Soccer Academy and will soon graduate from Milford High School. She has been a member of both the U15, U16 and U17 National Teams. A prolific goal scorer for Ohio Elite, she has led her team to six successive state titles, scoring a combined 17 goals in four state title games, including a game in which she scored all five goals in a 5-0 victory. A member of national team pools since age 10, she has been named All-City, All-State and a Parade High School All-America at Milford High School.
Watt is a forward and midfielder for the Adirondack Lynx WPSL Reserves club squad. She attends Ichabod Crane High School and is a member of the Eastern New York ODP Team. She lives in Kinderhook, N.Y., the hometown of U.S. President Martin Van Buren. At Ichabod Crane High, she has played varsity soccer for six years, leading the team in scoring all six years, scoring 157 career goals. A three-time team captain, she was a regional All-America in 2008. She made nine appearances with the Adirondack Lynx in the WPSL in 2008 and will play again for the team in the summer of 2009.
