Feb. 3, 2005

Memphis, Tenn. - Memphis head women's soccer coach Brooks Monaghan has announced that nine student-athletes have signed National Letters of Intent to attend the University of Memphis and play soccer beginning next fall. Additionally, two other student-athletes have been accepted to the University and will walk-on to the soccer team.

The commitments are Caroline Allen of Little Rock, Ark.; Joanna Alexopulos of Mississauga, Ontario; Katy Booth of Colleyville, Texas; Lauren Everhart of Sevierville, Tenn.; Kylie Hayes of Piqua, Ohio; Chloe James of Cincinnati, Ohio; Lindsey Joseph of West Chester, Ohio; Maggie Leone of Cordova, Tenn.; Kate Murphy of Anchorage, Alaska; Laura Pfeffer of Rochester, Mich.; and Emiko Schwab of Highlands Ranch, Colo.

The signing class will continue to contribute to an already diverse makeup of the team as the class includes representatives from two countries and seven states. The 2004 edition of the Lady Tigers included players from five different countries and 12 different states. With the addition of this year's signees, the 2005 team will as of now include representatives from four different countries and 11 different states.

The Lady Tigers will lose six players from last year's squad to graduation. In addition to the group of 11 commitments, they will also return a pair of medical redshirts from last year, including 2003 All-Conference USA first-team midfielder Nicky McLeod. The group of signees and the return of the redshirts currently gives Memphis 25 players for next fall.

"We are extremely pleased with our 2005 recruiting class," said Monaghan. "The players in this class will fill some needs on our team and help us replace the players that we lost from last year with a very smooth transition."

Listed below is a brief profile of each student-athlete signee in alphabetical order along with a quote from Monaghan about each one.

Caroline Allen (Little Rock, Ark. / Little Rock Central HS), 5'5, Goalkeeper - Played soccer for four seasons and also participated in basketball ... Led Little Rock Central to back-to-back Class 5A state championships in 2002 and 2003 ... Named All-State, the tournament MVP of the state high school tournament, and was the Arkansas Gatorade Player of the Year this past season ... Has been a member of the Olympic Development Region III Team from 2001-04 ... A member of the National Honor Society.

"Caroline is a very athletic and experienced goalkeeper. She has played at a high level as a member of the regional team and we feel that she will come in here and push for a starting spot right away. She is hard working and very coachable. We think that being here will bring out the best in her and she will continue to get better."

Joanna Alexopulos (Mississauga, Ontario, Canada / Applewood Secondary), 5'3, Defender - A member of the Canadian Under 17 National Team, Alexopulos was also the MVP of her high school team each year from 2001 to 2003 ... Led her club team to a national championship in 2004 ... Also participated in volleyball at a setter and was a point guard on the basketball team ... Has been a member of the honor roll in each year during high school.

"Joanna is a very versatile back who can play at any position in the defense. She is equally good with both feet and is extremely dangerous on set pieces. She is a composed, hard-working defender who is also an experienced player, having played at a high level with the Youth Canadian National Team."

Katy Booth (Colleyville, Texas / Colleyville Heritage HS), 5'8, Midfielder/Forward - Helped lead Colleyville Heritage to a pair of District Championships in 2003 and 2004 and an area championship in 2003 ... Led the team to a 22-3-1 mark last year ... Named second team All-District in 2004 ... Led the team with 18 assists to go along with five goals during her junior year ... Plays for the D'Feeters `87 club team ... A four-year member of the honor roll and is also a member of the National Honor Society, student council, and leadership class.

"Katy is very athletic and hard working. We feel that she can play anywhere in the the midfield. We feel that Katy should be pushing for playing time right away and that she is yet to meet her potential. She will bring more athleticism to our midfield and we have confidence in her ability as a forward as well."

Lauren Everhart (Sevierville, Tenn. / Gatlinburg-Pittman HS), 5'7, Forward/Midfielder - Led Gatilinburg-Pittman to three straight District Championships from 2001-03, a Regional Championship in 2003, and an appearance in the State Sectional in 2003 ... Named All-District from 2001-04, All-Region from 2002-04, All-State in 2002 and 2003, the District Offensive MVP in 2002 and 2004, and the Regional MVP in 2003 ... Recorded four hat tricks during the 2004 season and ended her career with 84 career goals, including 27 her senior year in 2004 ... Also played basketball for three years and has run track for four seasons ... A member of the Tennessee Honors Program Class of 2004, a National Merit recipient, National Beta Club member, and the Senior President of the Student Council.

"Lauren comes from a smaller club team and a smaller high school and we think that when she is put in a larger atmosphere with some stronger players, like she will be at the next level, that will make her a better player. She is a tough, hard-nosed and hard-working player who will probably play the outside midfield for us. She is a blue-collar kid and is very coachable."

Kylie Hayes (Piqua, Ohio / Piqua HS), 5'6, Forward - Scored 141 goals and recorded 37 assists during her high school career, including 47 goals and eight assists during her senior year this past fall, which led the State of Ohio in scoring ... Her 141 career goals are the third-most in Ohio High School Athletic Association history ... Led Piqua High to a 13-4-1 record in 2004 ... Named first team All-District, All-Area, and All-Conference all four years of high school ... A four-time team MVP, and two time All-State selection ... Named the 2004 Area and Conference Player of the Year ... Had five separate five-goal games in 2004 ... Also participates in track, where she holds school records in the 100 meters, 4x200 and 4x400 relays ... A member of the All-Conference academic team and the National Honor Society, she has a 4.0 grade point average.

"Kylie is very athletic and is extremely fast. She will bring lots of speed up top and we feel she could also play outside midfield because of her speed and work ethic. She has scored a lot of goals in her prep career and we expect her to come in and score goals her as well. We recruited her as a goal scorer."

Chloe James (Cincinnati, Ohio / Roger Bacon HS), 5'6, Defender/Midfielder - A four-year starter at Roger Bacon High where she played all positions except for goalkeeper ... A two time first team All-Southwest Ohio selection ... Named the Division II Southwest Ohio Region Player of the Year, first team All-State, and the All-City Player of the Year in 2004 ... Also selected a Girls High School All-American in 2004 ... Third team All-State in 2003 ... A two-time first team All-Girls Greater Cincinnati League (GGCL) selection and the GGCL Player of the Year in the Grey Division in 2004 ... The GGCL is recognized as the most competitive league for girls' sports in Ohio ... A two-time GGCL first team selection and was also named to the second team as a sophomore ... An honor roll student.

"We feel Chloe can play any position that we ask her to. She has played almost every position on the field except for goalkeeper so she is very versatile. She also has valuable leadership skills both on and off the field. She is very vocal on the field. We feel she will do well at whatever position she is asked to play."

Lindsey Joseph (West Chester, Ohio / Lakota East HS), 5'7, Midfielder/Forward - A four-year member of the soccer team at Lakota East, where she also played softball for one year ... Helped lead her team to the Greater Miami Conference co-championship in both 2003 and 2004 ... Also led Lakota East to a District Championship and Regional semifinals in 2004, and the Regional semifinals in 2003 ... Led her club team to two State Cup finals appearances in 2002 and 2003 and the Club Soccer Regional Championship in 2003 ... A member of the Olympic Development Program Region II State Team from 2002-03 ... A member of the honor roll.

"Lindsey meets the criteria of what we are looking for in an outside midfielder, and that is she is hard-working, athletic, and has good pace. We feel she should compete for playing time at the outside mid position right away. She is another player that has not yet met her full potential as a player."

Maggie Leone (Cordova, Tenn. / St. Agnes Academy), 5'6, Defender - Led St. Agnes to a pair of Regional Championships in 2003 and 2004 ... A four-year starter ... As a senior, her team went 15-1-2 and was ranked #1 in the city and #6 in Region IV ... Also named All-State by the Tennessee Athletic Coaches' Association (TACA), Commercial Appeal Best of Preps All-Metro, and to the West Region Second Team ... As a junior, was named TACA All-State while leading St. Agnes to Tennessee State Semifinals ... Named All-State as a sophomore and to the Commercial Appeal Best of Preps All-Metro team as both a sophomore and junior ... Scored 21 career goals and recorded 10 career assists ... Played club soccer for the Germantown Soccer Club Fury, which is coached by Memphis assistant coach Jodi Fisher ... Helped lead the Fury to two state semifinals and two state finals during her time in high school ... Also participated in basketball and track ... A class officer and a member of several student clubs.

"Maggie is a gritty, hard-nosed defender who usually finds a way to get the job done in the backfield. She is very coachable and has not yet reached her potential as a player. We think that she will really develop over time as she is in this environment. The competition will make her better."

Kate Murphy (Anchorage, Alaska / West HS), 5'5, Defender/Midfielder - Will be the second native of Alaska on the Lady Tigers next year, joining former club teammate Halley Jo Sullivan ... A three-time first team Region IV All-Conference selection ... Led West High to a conference runner-up finish in the 2003 season ... Was nominated for the Alaska Gatorade Player of the Year in 2003 ... A member of the Olympic Development Program state team and the Alaska Goldstrikers Soccer Club team ... Led the Goldstrikers to three state championships ... Also earned two varsity letters in tennis ... A member of the honor roll, National Honor Society, and a recipient of an Academic Gold Star.

"We feel that we are very fortunate to get Kate because being from Alaska, she hasn't always had an opportunity to be seen as much as some players that play on the mainland. The sky is the limit for her. She is very hard working, technical, and an all-around good athlete that will only get better as she plays against a higher level of competition."

Laura Pfeffer (Rochester, Mich. / Rochester HS), 5'3, Midfielder - Led Rochester to District championships in 2002 and 2004 as well as appearances in the regional finals in both years ... Named first team All-State, All-Area, All-Region, All-League, and All-District as a junior last spring after scoring six goals and dishing out 15 assists ... A third team All-Area selection and an All-League and All-District pick in 2003 ... Helped lead her club team to th 2004 State Cup Championship in the Under-18 division ... Has been a member of the Olympic Development State Team ... Also played basketball for one year ... A four-time scholar-athlete and member of the National Honor Society

"Laura can play anywhere in the midfield. She is not only very technical but also scrappy. She is very coachable and a hard-working player. She is one of those first-to-show-up, last-to-leave type of players. She works very hard and will also make the players around her better."

Emiko Schwab (Highlands Ranch, Colo. / Grandview HS), 5'8, Midfielder/Forward - An All-Conference pick as a freshman in 2002 and as a junior in 2004 ... Has led the team in goals and points for the past three seasons ... Selected All-State in 2003 ...Currently has 16 career goals and 15 assists entering her senior season ... Holds the school record for career assists and is third all-time in school history in goals scored ... Named the team MVP in 2004 ... Plays club soccer for the Colorado Rush, who won the Colorado State Championship this past season ... Also played basketball for two years ... A member of her school's academic team.

"Emiko will provide a big, strong presence in the midfield. She is technically sound and has great vision. She will compliment Melissa Savage in the center midfield very well. She distributes the ball well and is good in the air. We feel she will give us a presence in the air in midfield that we have lacked in the past."