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DURHAM, N.C. - Duke University Women's Soccer Head Coach Robbie Church announced the addition of nine commitments for the 2010 campaign on Monday in what is expected to be the highest rated class during Church's nine-years at the helm of the Blue Devils.
"We're very excited about the class," said Church. "The group covers everything that we're looking for. First of all, we've got some really, really fine young ladies that have a lot of high character and they're very, very good student-athletes. So the criteria that we have in that area, they cover it very strongly."
Natasha Anasi of Arlington, Texas, Gilda Doria of West Palm Beach, Fla., Kaitlyn Kerr of Bensalem, Pa., Mollie Pathman of Durham, N.C., Avery Rape of Dallas, Texas, Alex Straton of Oakton, Va., Meghan Thomas of Castle Rock, Colo., Katie Walter of Chapel Hill, N.C., and Laura Weinberg of Boca Raton, Fla., will all attend Duke University in the fall and play soccer.
"This is a very diverse class in the sense that they cover all our positions -- we bring in a goalkeeper, we bring in some back players, we bring in midfielders, we bring in some forwards," commented Church. "We're excited about their ability, and what they bring to our team. There's something unique about each and every one of these players, and we feel like they'll fit very, very well into our system of play."
The seven-member class includes five players who are ranked in the top 85 of the TopDrawerSoccer.com Girls 2010 listing. Duke was one of only five teams in the nation to land five of the top 100 prospects in the nation. The Blue Devils also added the top player out of Pennsylvania (Kerr), second-best player out of the South Atlantic Region (Pathman), the fourth and sixth-best players from Florida (Weinberg & Doria) and the fourth-best standout from Texas (Anasi). Three of the signees were Gatorade State Players of the Year as juniors - Kerr (Pennsylvania), Pathman (North Carolina) and Weinberg (Florida).
A player-by-player listing is below:
Natasha Anasi
5-6 * Defender/Midfielder * Arlington, Texas * James W. Martin High School
Prep: Ranked No. 9 on TAKKLE's TOP 50 High School Girls Soccer Players ... named to the 2009 NSCAA/adidas Girls' High School All-America team ... ranked No. 36 in TopDrawerSoccer.com Girls 2010 Top 100 Players ... listed as the fourth-best player in the state of Texas ... helped lead her team to three straight district championships and an area championship her senior year ... has tallied 31 goals and 28 assists in her career ... twice earned All-District first team honors ... selected to the Star Telegram and Dallas Morning News' Players to Watch List three times from 2007-09 ... named to the Ft. Worth-Star Telegram's Super Team All-Area for three straight years ... twice earned TASCO All-Region First Team honors ... named District 8-5A Newcomer of the Year for three years ... co-captain of her team her junior and senior year ... voted team co-MVP and Outstanding Midfielder for three straight years ... has yet to finish her senior season ... as a junior, netted nine goals and eight assists ... a four-year letterwinner ... collected 11 goals in each of her freshman and sophomore campaigns, while totaling a career-best 15 assists as a sophomore ... a member of the Dallas Texans 92G Red club team ... helped lead her ODP and USYS squads to national championships in 2008 ... has traveled to Spain and Brazil with her ODP team ... an NTSSA State Team member ... three-year member of Spanish Honor Society ... member of the National Society of High School Scholars ... member of Key Club and Psychology Club ... served as a student mentor for four years.
Personal: Natasha Anasi was born Oct. 2, 1991 in Irving, Texas ... daughter of John and Jane Anasi ... has two brothers, Andre (13) and Kevin (37) ... has one sister, Stephanie (16) ... older brother, Kevin, played rugby at the University of Texas at Austin from 1996-98 and at the University of Houston (1998) ... plans to enroll in pre-med studies at Duke.
Quoting Church on Anasi: "Natasha is an unbelievable athlete - that's the first thing. That's one of the key things in this class - we really bumped up our athleticism. I think Natasha's at the top of the charts there. She can play any of the four positions that we play in the back. She can play the midfield; she can also score goals and play up front. Natasha is going to give us a real presence - she's very, very good, both in defending and attacking. She's going to be one of our main targets on set plays and we're just real excited to get Natasha in and perform. Natasha is going to have a major impact on our program."
Gilda Doria
5-7 * Midfielder * West Palm Beach, Fla. * The King's Academy
Prep: Member of the U-17 USA National Team pool ... ranked No. 85 in the TopDrawerSoccer.com player rankings ... listed as the sixth-best player in the state of Florida ... helped The King's Academy to four-straight district championship titles from 2007-09 ... in three years, collected 83 goals and 66 assists ... as a senior, totaled 17 goals and 12 assists in 17 games ... guided her team to the state final four her junior season ... selected to the National Christian School Athletic Association second team All-America as a junior ... a first team All-State pick and All-State player of the year finalist as a junior ... a first team all-area selection by The Palm Beach Post and Sun Sentinel as a sophomore and junior ... team captain as a sophomore, junior and senior ... voted team MVP her junior season ... named Female Athlete of the Year by The King's Academy in 2009 ... following a sophomore season of 34 goals and 21 assists, she scored 26 goals and 21 assists as a junior ...has yet to finish her senior season ... a five-year letterwinner ... served as team captain of her ODP squad in 2009 and 2010, when she helped her team to a second-place finish at the regional championship ... named MVP of a game against Honduras in the 2008 FIFA Costa Rica International Tournament ... she has traveled with her ODP team to Portugal, Denmark, Sweden and Costa Rica ... attended three ODP inter-regional events ... a member of the club team, Team Boca, from 2007-present, ranked one of the top 10 teams nationally ... helped her club team to the Region III Southeastern Premier League Championship and the Florida state championship in 2008 ... selected for an athletic scholar award for four straight years from 2006-09 ... member of the track & field team, who captured the 4x800 gold medal at the state championship ... three-year member of the Science National Honor Society and National Honor Society ... treasurer of Key Club ... Student Government President ... Student Ambassador from 2005-10 ... selected to homecoming court as a senior.
Personal: Gilda Giannina Doria was born March 8, 1993, in Asuncion, Paraguay. ... daughter of Robert and Gloria Doria, who are both doctors ... has two brothers, Guillermo (21) and Esteban (19) ... both brothers attend Florida State University.
Quoting Church on Doria: "Gilda is one of the craftier players we'll see in the country with the ball. Sometimes you think the ball is kind of tied to her feet. She's very, very good in tight spaces. We'll look at Gilda as in the attack and midfield positions. She's very good at putting forwards in, good at running at players and 1-v-1 defending. She can score goals. She can strike a ball; she can hit a ball from a distance. We did lose a number of players in the attacking position, and we think Gilda's going to be one of the ones who helps us replace some of those players."
Kaitlyn Kerr
5-5 * Midfielder * Bensalem, Pa. * The Pennington School
Prep: Listed as the top player in the state of Pennsylvania and ranked No. 48 in TopDrawerSoccer.com Girls 2010 Top 100 Players ... led her team to its seventh consecutive New Jersey Prep A State Championship as a senior, contributing four assists in the 4-0 finals win ... named New Jersey's Gatorade Girls Soccer Player of the Year in 2008 ... twice named to the ESPN Rise High School Fall All-America first team ... earned NSCAA/Adidas Youth All-America recognition in 2008 and 2009 ... led Pennington to a 68-7-3 record and four state championships during her career ... she finished her senior season with a team-leading 15 goals and 20 assists, setting a new single season assist record ... led Pennington to an 18-0-0 record and No. 1 National ranking in both the NSCAA (fall) and the ESPN RISE FAB 50 (all seasons) rankings her junior year......helped Pennington to the No. 6 NSCAA and No. 5 ESPN RISE FAB 50 rankings and a 16-1-2 record as a senior ... also led her team to three straight Mercer County Championships from 2007-09 ... selected as Prep Player of the Year by The Newark Star Ledger and The Trenton Times as a junior and senior ... selected to New Jersey First Team, All-Prep for three straight years from 2007-09 by The Newark Star Ledger, The Trenton Times and The Trentonian ... selected by ESPN Rise as the Girls National High School Soccer Player of the Week and the Girls East Region Athlete of the Week during her junior season ... named to the EA Sports/ESPN RISE Entire Season High School All-America first team as a junior ... named Player of the Year by the Trentonian as a junior ... earned all-county honors all four years ...as a freshman, named All-Prep Honorable Mention by The Trentonian after missing half the season due to injury ... totaled 52 goals and 51 assists during her career at Pennington to finish second on the career points and assists list ... voted team captain as a senior ... as a senior, registered 15 goals and 20 assists ... posted 19 goals and 16 assists during her junior campaign and notched 12 goals and 12 assists as a sophomore ... captain of her club team, the FC Bucks Vipers, for eight years ... led the FC Bucks Vipers to a USYSA National Championship in 2009 and a USYSA 3rd place finish in 2008 ...selected to the Adidas Elite Soccer Program All-Star Team....helped lead her club team to three USYSA regional championships, eight state cup championships and two regional Premier League championships ... has traveled to Portugal, Spain, Italy and Holland with her Regional ODP squad ...attended under-14 national camp and placed in the National Team Pool in the under-15 year.......a four-year letterwinner in basketball and softball ... broke a school record in scoring for basketball as a junior, scoring 49 points in a December 2008 game ... led the New Jersey Prep League in scoring for basketball as a junior, when she averaged 20.0 points per game ... a Dean's List student ... a member of the Yearbook Committee and Sustainability Club.
Personal: Kaitlyn Katherine Kerr was born Feb. 7, 1992, in Philadelphia, Pa. ... daughter of Ron and Carol Kerr ... has one brother, Kevin (14).
Quoting Church on Kerr: "Kaitlyn is a central midfielder, who can play either as attacking or holding central midfielder. She's a very, very versatile player. She's a great passer of the ball. She connects people. She connects well, she changes her point of attack, and she plays fast through midfield. She's got a competitiveness that I just absolutely love. She competes at everything she does. She's a great basketball player. She's had a great high school career and club career. And the other thing about Kaitlyn is she's a winner. Look at the teams that she plays on. They all win, and a lot of it comes through her competitiveness and her tenacity when she gets on the field."
Mollie Pathman
5-3 * Forward * Durham, N.C. * Durham Academy
Prep: Ranked as the 20th best player in the nation in the TopDrawerSoccer.com Girls 2010 Top 100 ... listed as the second-best player in the South Atlantic Region ... has tallied 99 goals and 45 assists in her career ... has yet to finish her senior season ... a four-year letterwinner ... a member of the U.S. Soccer Under-18 Women's National team pool ... named North Carolina's Gatorade Girls Soccer Player of the Year as a junior ... selected an All-America by ESPNRISE as a junior ... selected as a National Soccer Coaches Association of America Youth All-America her junior season ... selected to Parade's All-America High School Girls team as a junior ...helped lead her team to the state finals as a sophomore, and to the state semifinals as a freshman and junior ... named Conference Player of the Year her junior season ... has earned All-State and All-Conference recognition for three straight years ... earned All-South distinction as a junior ... voted team MVP three times ... a member of the 91 Navy Triangle club team ... contributed to her club team's North Carolina State Cup championship as a sophomore ... a member of the youth national teams since the age of 14 and current member of the U-18 national team ... named the 2009 NSCAA/Adidas Girls High School Scholar Athlete of the Year ... earned high honors for three straight years ... served as class treasurer for four years ... also served as a peer educator.
Personal: Mollie Elizabeth Pathman was born July 1, 1992, in Chapel Hill, N.C. ... daughter of Don and Beth Pathman ... has one brother, Josh (19) ... plans to study sports medicine at Duke.
Quoting Church on Pathman: "Obviously, we're very excited to have Mollie join our program. She's another great versatile player. She's a left-sided player. She can play anywhere - she can play wide as an empty player at 4-4-2, she can play as a wing player in a 4-4-3, she can play up front as a forward. She's got a great, great service of the ball. She can beat players 1-v-1. She can score goals herself. She scored goals at all levels of her play. She's one of the top players in the country. She's, again, another one that connects passes. She's a great possession player. But she's got an extra gear - she's got athleticism - I think people really enjoy watching, especially on the attacking side of the ball."
Avery Rape
5-6 * Forward/Midfielder * Dallas, Texas * Greenhill School
Prep: The all-time leading scorer in Greenhill School history with 63 goals and 38 assists in her career ... a four-year letterwinner ... has yet to finish her senior season ... posted 20 goals and 13 assists in 17 games so far as a senior ... led her team in scoring her junior year, with 16 goals and 14 assists ... helped her squad to Southwest Preparatory Conference Championships as a junior and freshman ... earned All-Conference recognition as a junior ... scored a team-high 21 goals as a sophomore ... named All-North Zone as a sophomore ... a three-year member of the Sting Dallas Royal '92 club team ... helped lead her club team to the State Cup semifinals in 2007 ... contributed to her club team's two consecutive regional championships in 2006 and 2007, when her squad also made showings at the national championship ... also, a four-year letterwinner in track ... helped her track team to a conference championship as a sophomore ... a member of the National Society of H.S. Scholars ... an Honor Roll student ... a member of the Quill and Scroll Society ... staff member of her school's newspaper and yearbook ... active in community service organizations.
Personal: Avery Laurenne Rape was born Oct. 31, 1991, in Denver, Co. ... daughter of Scott Rape and Deborah Schrier-Rape ... has one brother, Austin (21) ... has one sister, Ashley (19) ... her sister, Ashley, is a sophomore defender on the Duke women's soccer team ... her grandfather, Robert Schrier, played basketball and baseball at DePauw University (1953-57) ... plans to pursue a career in sports management.
Quoting Church on Rape: "Avery is a very, very good player. She's, again, another versatile player. She's a left-sided player. She can play as a back, and she can attack out of the back. She's got many, many skills. She can score goals and assists. She's about ready to break Ashley's high school records at Greenhill for both goals and assists in a career there. We think Avery is getting stronger, she's getting faster. She connects passes well - she can play a long pass and she can play short passes. We look forward to Avery having a major impact on program."
Alex Straton
5-3 * Forward/Midfielder * Oakton, Va. * Oakton High School
Prep: Selected to the Washington Post's High School Soccer Second Team All-Metro in 2009 ... helped her team to the state semifinals and a second-place finish at the regional tournament in 2009 ... named to the Second Team All-District for three straight years from 2007-09 ... selected to the Washington Post's Fairfax All-Extra Soccer Team in 2009 ... team co-captain in 2009 and 2010 ... a four-year letterwinner ... won the state championship in 2009 with her club team, VISTA Shockwave, and in 2007 with VISTA Fury ... in two years with the Vista Shockwave club team, has tallied 15 goals and 15 assists ... helped her club team to the Region I semifinals in 2009, and to the state semifinals in 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2010 ... also, a two-year letterwinner for indoor track and a letterwinner in 2009 for outdoor track ... was district champion in the long jump (17'5.5) in 2010 ... set a new record for the 300-meter dash in her 2009 indoor track season ... named an All-State athlete for the 4 x 200 relay in indoor track ... also named an All-Region Athlete for indoor and outdoor track, as well as an All-District Athlete for outdoor track ... a scholar athlete in soccer, indoor track and outdoor track ... three-year member of National Honor Society and Spanish Honor Society ... a Quill and Scroll Member of Journalism Honor Society ... an All 'A' Honor Roll and Journalism Honor Roll student ... selected for a Top Achiever Award by the Washington Post in 2007 ... Editor-in-Chief of her school's newspaper as a senior.
Personal: Alexandra Ann Straton was born Dec. 7, 1991in Lansing, Mich. ... daughter of Mark C. and Lee Straton ... has one brother, JC (19) ... plans to pursue a career in business or marketing.
Quoting Church on Straton: "What we like about Alex is that she's got unbelievable motivation. She's always working, she is also a winner and she loves to compete. We saw Alex at our camp last summer. We noticed her right away and followed her all week and all through the fall. She's very versatile. She can play outside back, she can play outside midfielder, and she can play up front. But every time she steps on the field, she puts her heart out there - she works hard, she's a tireless worker up and down the field. She's a good connector of balls. She can serve a ball from flank positions. We really think Alex is going to have an impact on our program."
Meghan Thomas
6-2 * Goalkeeper * Castle Rock, Co. * Regis Jesuit High School
Prep: Team captain her junior and senior seasons ... has yet to finish her senior season ... a four-year letterwinner ... selected to the Continental League First Team as a junior ... earned All-State honorable mention honors her junior year ... voted defensive MVP for three straight years ... helped lead her team to the 4A State Finals as a freshman ... earned Continental League Second Team honors as a freshman ... led her Real Colorado Club team to Region IV semi-finals in 2006, and CO State Cup finalist for 2010, team captain since 2006, ECNL 2007-09...CO ODP Region IV team member 2006-09, captain 2009, led her ODP squad to the Region IV Championship Finals her sophomore year ... earned CHSAA Academic Achievement awards for soccer her freshman, sophomore and junior seasons ... a member of National Honor Society and Key Club ... earned Highest Honors as a freshman, junior and senior ... active in community service in leadership roles ... recipient of the Loyola Leadership Award ... team captain and MVP of her basketball team as a freshman and sophomore.
Personal: Meghan Judith Thomas was born Apr. 3, 1992 in Aurora, Colo. ... daughter of Peter and Cynthia Thomas ... has two sisters, Katherine (23) and Laura (20) ... plans to pursue a degree in the medical field.
Quoting Church on Thomas: "Meghan comes from a very good club - Real Colorado. She is an outstanding goalkeeper. Obviously, her height is something that we really like in a goalkeeper. She's very good on crosses, she's very good as a shot stopper. Meghan has an outstanding high school club, but I really think she's starting to come into her own. We have two very good goalkeepers. We're fortunate to be adding Meghan to that mix. She's going to make that a very competitive position."
Katie Walter
5-3 * Midfielder * Chapel Hill, N.C. * East Chapel Hill High School
Prep: Earned All-State recognition as a freshman and junior ... has yet to finish her senior season ... a four-year letterwinner ... selected to the NSCAA/Adidas Scholar All-America Team as a senior ... a four-year member of her ODP squad ... notched six goals and six assists her junior year, while leading her East Chapel Hill squad to a 21-2-2 record ... selected for All-Region and All-Conference honors for three straight years ... missed part of her sophomore year due to injury ... posted three goals and three assists ... guided her high school team to PAC VI Conference Championships as a sophomore and freshman ... her high school team had a 23-2-2 record ... named All-Conference Soccer Player of the Year as a freshman ... registered nine goals and six assists her freshman campaign ... led East Chapel Hill to a 21-5-1 record ... helped lead her club team, Triangle FC, to a North Carolina State Cup Championship as a junior ... contributed to her club team's four consecutive appearances in the State Cup Final Four ... led East Chapel Hill to final rankings of No. 9 or better each of her varsity years and as high as No. 5 as a sophomore and junior ... also a four-year letterwinner in field hockey ... led her field hockey team to back-to-back state championships her junior and senior seasons ... twice earned All-Conference honors for field hockey ... an Academic Honor Roll student ... a member of French Club and Badminton Club ... active in community service projects.
Personal: Kathryn Otylia Walter was born Dec. 25,1991 in Durham, N.C. ... daughter of Chip Walter and Diana Perkins ... has two brothers, Chris (24) and Nick (21) ...her uncle, William Murphy, played football at the University of Maryland (1972-75) ... her cousin, Valerie Murphy, played volleyball at the University of Delaware (2001-05) ... her grandfather, John Keith, played basketball and baseball at Brown University (1954-57) ... her uncle, Brian Keith, was a three-time All-America lacrosse player at the United States Naval Academy (1986-1990) ... her aunt, Andrea Keith, played field hockey at Towson State University (1987-1991) ... cousin, Darric White, has committed to play lacrosse at Middlebury College ... her aunt, Joanne White, played volleyball at Smith College (1979-1983) ... her uncle, Robert Perkins, graduated from Duke in 1987 ... plans to pursue a career in pediatrics.
Quoting Church on Walter: "Katie Walter comes to us from Triangle Futbol Club here in Durham, N.C. As a local girl, we're excited to have Katie come in. She's a good connective passer and we look at her as a central midfielder. We're fortunate we have a number of players in there. She will add to that mix of central midfielders and will add depth in that position. She can score goals and she can beat people 1-v-1. We're just excited to have Katie come in our program."
Laura Weinberg
5-9 * Forward * Boca Raton, Fla. * St. Andrew's School
Prep: Ranked as the 59th player in the TopDrawerSoccer.com Girls 2010 Top 100 and the fourth-best player in the state of Florida ... has totaled 117 career goals ... selected to the Tri-Area All Country First Team for three straight years ... a four-year letterwinner ...has yet to finish her senior season, but has totaled 29 goals and seven assists so far on the year ... 2009-10 ESPN RISE All-South Florida Area Team ... named Florida's Gatorade Girls Soccer Player of the Year for 2008-09 ... selected as an All-America by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) in 2008 ... twice named Player of the Year by the Sun Sentinel ... tallied 33 goals and seven assists as a junior ... voted Team MVP in 2008 ... registered 27 goals and 11 assists as a sophomore ... helped her team to the crown at the 3A State Championship Tournament in 2007, where she was named tournament MVP as a freshman ... totaled 24 goals and 10 assists as a freshman ... featured in Sport's Illustrated's "Faces in the Crowd" in February, 2008 ...plays for the Team Boca club team, which was a state finalist in 2008 ... a four-year member of her Region III ODP squad ... was named an adidas ESP Camp All-Star in 2008 ... she has traveled to Brazil and Spain with her ODP team ... traveled to the Fiji Islands in 2008 for the Soccer & Service program ... has coached youth soccer at local summer camps ... member of Key Club.
Personal: Laura Elizabeth Weinberg was born Oct. 12, 1991, in Miami, Fla. ... daughter of Lawrence and Keri Weinberg ... has one sister, Alexandra (16).
Quoting Church on Weinberg: "Laura is another goal scorer, who has scored goals at every level that she has played. We're very, very excited. She's got great pace, she's got great acceleration. She knows how to put herself in positions to score goals. She can beat players 1-v-1. What we like about Laura is her versatility - her ability to play on the right and left side of the field. She's just an out-and-out goal scorer, and I think she's going to see plenty of time, plenty of minutes and have a major impact on our program."
Duke returns seven starters from a year ago including goalkeeper Tara Campbell, defender Erin Koballa, defender Gretchen Miller, defender Maddy Haller, defender Libby Jandl, forward Cody Newman and midfielder Nicole Lipp. The Blue Devils also return seven student-athletes who started at least one contest - Kendall Bradley, Marybeth Kreger, Emily Nahas, Lynnea Pappas, Carey Goodman, Rebecca Allen and Chelsea Canepa. Other letterwinners returning include Meaghan FitzGerald and Molly Mack.
"We wish we could get this group here tomorrow," said Church. "But we're very happy with where our girls are, our returning girls right now, and our springtime practices. Speaking to these young ladies that we have coming in, they're excited about coming to Duke, and what they can bring to our program. We are really looking forward to the 2010 season. I think we have more depth than we've ever had on our team. I think we'll have a chance at more points. We'll have more competition in our practices than we've ever had. I just can't wait until August to get here so we can take it and put it all together. We have really unlimited potential."
The Blue Devils will also welcome back redshirt sophomore Ashley Rape, redshirt freshman Callie Simpkins, redshirt freshman Kim DeCesare and senior Molly Lester who all missed the 2009 campaign due to injuries. Duke will be without graduating seniors Elisabeth Redmond, KayAnne Gummersall and Jane Alukonis who combined to register 65 goals and 57 assists over the last four years.
"We just finished individual meetings with our returning players," commented Church. "We're going to have more depth than we've had in the past and we're going to have more athleticism. But who's going to step up and score the goals? That's the big question. That's the thing that we're working on and we'll do in the spring with the returning players. And then we'll incorporate that in August when the new players come in. KayAnne and Elisabeth were wonderful players in our program for four years and they left their mark on Duke soccer. The challenge is out there for our returning team, as who is going to step up and score the goals. We knew KayAnne was always there, we knew Elisabeth was always there. Now we've got to find some other players. I think we have a number of candidates that can do that. I know from the early part of our spring, our girls are working extremely hard, and we're excited to see who's going to step into that role."
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