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Lady Tiger Soccer Signs Six for 2006 Season
Feb. 8, 2006
For Immediate Release MEMPHIS, Tenn. - University of Memphis head women's soccer coach Brooks Monaghan announced today that six prep standouts have signed national letters of intent and will join the team for the 2006 season. Among those six are two of the best players in this year's class from Memphis in midfielder/defender Brittany Baldwin and defender Lia Fannin. The Lady Tigers also signed a player with National Pool ODP experience in forward Laura Laufenberg out of Littleton, Colo. Memphis will have the Evansville, Ind., player of the year in forward Leslie Walker and Victoria Dalton, an all-sectional midfielder from Belleville, Ill. Also representing the state of Tennessee is goalkeeper Chelsea Brooks out of Knoxville. "Last year our recruiting class ranked 27th nationally, and this year we looked to continue the tradition," said Memphis head coach Brooks Monaghan. "We have a strong group coming in for the 2006 season, and they will have the opportunity to compete and help bolster our lineup." The Lady Tigers lost only two players to graduation and return 20 players from last year's roster, including the Conference USA Offensive Player of the year Shoko Mikami. Memphis is coming off a record-setting season in 2005 where the team set school records in wins and ranked nationally in offense. Brittany Baldwin One of two local players to sign with the Tigers in 2006 ... Will compete for time at the center mid and center back positions ... An all-state player out of Collierville High School ... Selected to Commercial Appeal's Best of Preps her sophomore through senior years ... Lettered all four years as a center midfielder ... Helped Collierville win the state championship as a senior in 2005 and finish the year with a 20-4-1 record ... Coached at Collierville by Juliann Lacy ... Played club soccer with the Memphis Mercury coached by U of M assistant Jodi Fisher and was a teammate of fellow signee Lia Fannin ... A member of the Tennessee ODP for the past five years. "Brittany is one of the top players to come out of Memphis this year," Monaghan said. "She comes into our program with great size and is a very skillful and technical player. Not too often do you find a player with that type of mixture and ability." Chelsea Brooks An all-region goalkeeper who lettered three years at Karns High School ... Will compete for starting time at keeper with U of M junior Isabel Briones ... An all-district selection in 2003 and 2005 ... helped Karns earn district runner-up in 2003 and 2004 ... Played club soccer for the Knoxville Futball Club ... Helped club team win a state championship and take runner-up twice ... Knocked down 22 saves in the 2002 state championship game while not allowing a goal ... Has been the team captain for her club since 2002 ... A National Honor Society member. "Chelsea has the potential to accomplish great things at Memphis," Monaghan said. "She is one of those players that loves to work and is very coachable. During her time here, she will have the opportunity to develop into a great goalkeeper." Victoria Dalton A forward/midfilder out of Belleville East High School in Belleville, Ill. ... An all-sectional honorable mention from 2002-04 ... Selected to the all-conference second team as a sophomore and junior and the third team as a freshman ... The team MVP as a sophomore ... Scored 15 goals with 10 assists and two-game winners as a junior ... Has 33 goals and 80 points through her junior year ... Played club soccer with Metro United, one of the top clubs in Illinois ... Also played basketball as a freshman and sophomore ... Is an honor student. "Victoria is a crafty, technical player in the mold of senior Melissa Savage," Monaghan said. "She is small, but extremely feisty and is a hard worker who could play several positions for us. She also provides another scoring threat for us." Lia Fannin One of two local players to sign with the Tigers in 2006 ... A four year letterwinner out of Houston High School ... An all-state selection as a junior and senior and all-region as a senior ... A Commercial Appeal Best of Preps finalist in 2005 and a Best of Prep in 2004 ... Helped Houston win the 2004 Tennessee AAA state championship ... Also played two years on the Tennessee ODP team ... Played club soccer with the Memphis Mercury coached by U of M assistant Jodi Fisher ... Club teammate of fellow Tiger signee Brittany Baldwin. "Lia is one of those people who are competitive in everything they do," Monaghan said. "In our program and the environment we provide, she will develop into a great player. She has strong work habits and is every coach's dream to have on their team." Laura Laufenberg A forward out of Columbine High School coached by Peter Horvath ... An all-state honorable mention in 2004 ... The third leading scorer in Colorado in 2004 with 24 goals ... Scored a single-game high five goals in 2004 ... Sat out the 2005 season with an injury ... A National Pool ODP player in 2002 and Regional Pool in 2003 ... Played club soccer for the Colorado Rush ... Helped club team win the state championship in 2002 and 2003 and the runner-up in 2004-05 ... Also lettered in cross country at Columbine ... A National Honor Society member who volunteers regularly at the Denver Rescue Mission ... Is the second Memphis player to come out of Colorado, joining sophomore Emiko Schwab. "Laura brings lots of experience as a National Pool ODP player that adds a tremendous bonus to our team," Monaghan said. "She is a strong technical player who reads the game very well. We feel very fortunate to have her as a part of our team." Leslie Walker The Evansville player of the year out of Central High School in 2005 ... A NSCAA/Adidas All-Region III team selection as a senior ... An all-state and all-district player as a junior and senior ... Earned academic all-city in 2003 ... Helped Central High earn a trip to the state Final Four in 2005 and 2004 ... Team captain as a senior ... Scored the game-winning goal to advance to regionals as a junior ... Played club soccer with the Evansville Elite ... Club team was the 2003 and 2002 Indiana State Cup runner-up ... Played on the Indiana ODP team ... Also ran the 100 yard and 1600 relay on the track team. "Leslie will add dept up front to our lineup," Monaghan said. "She has the ability to make an immediate impact and will push the other forwards for playing time. She has a knack for finding the goal and is deceptively quick."
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Memphis Tigers
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