Aubry adds 15 newcomers

FAYETTEVILLE – Arkansas soccer head coach Erin Aubry has an incoming class of 15 student-athletes for the 2011 season, she announced on Friday.

The class includes three forwards, six defenders, four midfielders and two goalkeepers. Nine of the new Razorbacks are from Texas, one from Arkansas, three from Oklahoma, one from Colorado and one from Kansas.

Aubry’s newcomers are Tyler Allen, Kaylyn Cooper, Kendall Jordan, Emily Lillard, Maddee Loughlin, Jeri Ann Okoro, Cori Parkins, Hailey Pescatore, Margaret Power, Haley Pratt, Kelly Roliard, Beth Stratton, Allie Tripp, Courtney Williams and Sam Wolf.

"Overall, we are very excited about this recruiting class," Aubry says. "We are starting to see our vision come to fruition with the addition of these players to the roster. We have all worked very hard to build the current foundation (team) that is in place and feel confident that these very intentional recruits will complete the picture. More importantly, they are fun, confident and strong young women who will be a joy to have around each day in training, on the road and in competition. It is a very exciting time for the staff, the current players and the incoming class."

Allen, a 5-7 defender/midfielder, is from Plano, Texas. She attends Trinity Christian Academy and plays club for the Sting Dallas 93 Girls.

"Tyler is one of the most consistent players I have ever seen," Aubry says. "She thrives under pressure and that tells us we will be able to count on her very early in her career. We will most likely rely on Tyler to help us on our back line or in the midfield this fall as she is a tremendous ball winner and distributer."

A three-time co-captain with the Sting, she earned all-state honors at Trinity Christian. She helped the Sting win four Texas Cup titles, 2007 and 2008 Region 3 Premier League championships, and a USYS national championship in 2007.

Cooper is a 5-2 defender from Parker, Colo. She played club for REAL Colorado and preps at Chaparral High School.

"Kaylyn will find herself in a very crucial role on our back line quickly," Aubry says. "She is first and foremost a very smart player, but has all the speed, agility and skill that the highest level requires. She hails from the same club as (former Razorback) Kathleen Paulsen and will bring much of the same knowledge of the game."

A Class 5A all-league selection and a two-year captain in high school, she helped Real Colorado win the U16 state title and advance to the quarterfinals in regional competition. As a freshman in high school, she helped Chaparral reach the state semifinals.

Jordan is a 5-6 midfielder/forward from Tomball, Texas.

"Kendall will be a wonderful addition to our attack in the fall," Aubry says. "She is a pure athlete that is fast, strong and tenacious. She will fit seamlessly into our midfield and possibly our front line, and will give us great determination around the goal to stick in those loose balls. Her grit and feistiness are her strengths, and she will lead the team in those areas in 2011."

Jordan plays at Tomball High School and played club for Challenge Soccer Club.

Lillard is a 5-11 goalkeeper from Overland Park, Kan.

"Emily may be the most gifted goalkeeper athletically in her class in the country," Aubry says. "We are very excited to get her into a daily training environment that will push her to reach her full potential. She is extremely good with her feet as well, which will allow us to do some new things as a team when we transition into attack. Her bounds are truly limitless and she will be exciting to watch defend the Razorback net."

Lillard plays at Blue Valley Northwest High School and club for the Blue Valley Stars.

An all-state selection in high school, she helped Northwest reach the state finals as a junior. She also played on the Kansas Olympic Development team.

Loughlin, a 5-4 defender, is from Tulsa. She plays at Union High School and for the Hurricane Futbol Club.

"Maddee is hands down one of the toughest defenders I have ever seen," Aubry says. "She is extremely athletic and fearless, which makes her a tremendous ball winner and one-on-one defender. I expect Maddee to play in the back in the fall, but she may also find time in the midfield as well."

She helped Class 6A Union win the state title as a freshman and advance to the finals as a junior. Her club team won U12, U14, U16 and U18 state championships.

Okoro is a 5-2 forward from DeSoto, Texas. She helped the Sting Dallas 93 Girls club team win the U18 Region 3 West championship, and advance to the 2008 region semifinals and the 2009 U.S. Youth Soccer Region 3 semifinals.

"Jeri Ann is a very special player that will give us great speed and talent in our attack immediately," Aubry says. "She will definitely be the player that our fans come out on Friday nights to see light up the back of the net."

Playing for DeSoto High, she scored 20 goals and had 10 assists as a junior in earning first-team all-district honors. DHS won region championships and finished second in the state her freshman, sophomore and junior seasons.

Parkins is a 5-6 forward from Broken Arrow, Okla. She attends Broken Arrow HS and plays for the Hurricane Futball Club.

"Cori has a special flare in her attacking ability that will be fun to develop in our system," Aubry says. "She is a natural finisher and loves to take on defenders two at a time. She is extremely strong and physical, and will give us a presence in the penalty box."

Parkins helped her club team win U12, U14, U16 and U18 state championships and twice advance to the regional quarterfinals.Pescatore is a 5-7 defender from Allen, Texas. A two-time All-District 9-5A selection from Allen High School, she was also a member of the district’s all-freshman team.

"Hailey is another player to join us from the Dallas Sting and will most likely fit into our back line," Aubry says. "She is very aggressive and physical in the air, which is something we lack overall as a team right now. Hailey is another player with an intangible work ethic that will raise our training environment."

She helped Allen win district titles as a sophomore and junior, and advance to the state quarterfinals as a freshman.

Power is a 5-9 defender from Bentonville. She attends Bentonville High School and plays cub for the NWA Lightning.

"Margaret is another physical presence we have added to the roster for 2011," Aubry says. "She is a standout Arkansas native and we are proud to have such a dedicated, hard-working and successful player from the area joining the family. Because of her fearlessness in the air and ability to defend with such courage on the ground, we will see her contributing to our defensive unit in the fall."

Pratt, a 5-5 midfielder from Plano Texas, attends Plano West High School and also plays club for the Sting Dallas 93 Girls.

"Haley will bring a lot of great energy and enthusiasm to our midfield this fall," Aubry says. "She is one of the hardest workers I have ever seen and she is a true product of her Dallas Sting club. She will help raise the bar of our daily standards both in training and competitions."

She led Plano to the 2008 Class 5A region quarterfinals. She played club for FC Dallas and helped her team advance to the USYS Region 3 semifinals in 2008. She joined the Sting the following season and helped her new team win the Region 3 Premier League title.In track, she was a member of the Plano Independent School District record-holding 1,600-meter relay team.

Roliard is a 5-10 goalkeeper from Spring, Texas. She attends Class 5A Klein High School and played club for Challenge SC.

"Kelly is another tremendous goalkeeper that we are signing in this class," Aubry says. "She is extremely technical and detail oriented with an impeccable training mentality. This program is truly fortunate to have two very good, young goalkeepers that share different areas of excellence such as Kelly and Emily."

Roliard also played for the South Texas Olympic Development team. She helped Challenge finish third in the 2009 Disney Showcase and in the Texas state tournament. A team captain as a senior in high school, as a sophomore, she was first-team All-District 15-5A with 10 shutouts and only two goals allowed. She also earned all-district honors as a junior.

Stratton is a 5-6 midfielder from Friendswood, Texas. She preps at Clear Book High School and also plays for the Space City Futbol Club.

"Beth is one of the most fun players I have seen in a very long time," Aubry says. "She is super crafty on the ball, and one of those players that you have to give creative license to the majority of the time. She adds a lot of athleticism and size to our midfield, and we expect her to make an immediate impact."

Stratton helped Clear Brook win a Class 5A area championship as a sophomore and advance into the regional semifinals as a junior. She also helped Space City win the U14 state title, and U18 Orange Classic and Disney championships. She also played on the South Texas Olympic Development team.

Stratton was the MVP of the Orange Classic, and was the District 24 offensive MVP as a freshman and sophomore in high school. As a junior, she was first-team all-district and all-region, and second-team all-greater Houston.

Tripp, a 5-11 midfielder from Carrollton, Texas, attends Creekview High School and played for FC Dallas. A two-time All-District 9-5A selection, she helped Creekview win the district title as a junior and earn a spot in the state tournament three times.

"Allie is another player that will add a physical dimension to our roster," Aubry says. "She pushes six feet and will most likely play up top in our attack to give us a presence in the air around the goal. She has great mobility for an attacker that tall and her work ethic to get in the box will be rewarding."

On the club level, she helped FC Dallas win the U12 SoccerFest title, the U14 Dr. Pepper Fair Play Tournament and finish third in the U16 2008 regional tournament.

Williams is a 5-2 midfielder from Broken Arrow, Okla., who may be used as an attacker. She led Broken Arrow High to the state semifinals as a sophomore and junior. A captain as a senior this year, she was her team’s Rookie of the Year and Forward of the Year as a freshman, and the Defensive Player of the Year as a sophomore.

"Courtney will impact our attack very quickly this fall," Aubry says. "Although she has spent most of her club and high school career in a defensive role, I believe we will use her more offensively. She has a never say die attitude to go to goal and has a tremendous amount of skill to back it up. She will also be a player that our fans find truly exciting."

She helped the Hurricane Futbol Club win U12, U14, U16 and U18 state titles, and advance to the regional quarterfinals at the U14 and U16 levels.

Wolf is a 5-7 defender from Plano, Texas. At Plano West High School, she’s earned district MVP honors, along with all-district honors in both soccer and volleyball.

"Sam can probably play anywhere on the field and be a star," Aubry says. "She is the kid that sweats through her jersey every day and therefore finds success wherever you put her. She will help us everywhere in the fall, but will most likely be a constant on the back line."

At the club level, she played U12 and U14 with the Solar SC before going to the Dallas Texans for U16 an U18, and advancing to nationals and regionals, respectively.

2011 Razorback Soccer NewcomersName, Position, Height, Hometown, Club, High SchoolTyler Allen, D/M, 5-7, Plano, Texas, Sting Dallas 93 Girls, Trinity Christian AcademyKaylyn Cooper, D, 5-2,Parker, Colo., REAL Colorado, Chaparral HSKendall Jordan, M/F, 5-6, Tomball, Texas, Challenge SC, Tomball HSEmily Lillard, GK, 5-11, Overland Park, Kan., Blue Valley Stars, Blue Valley Northwest HSMaddee Loughlin, D/M, 5-4, Tulsa, Okla., Hurricane Futbol Club, Union HSJeri Ann Okoro, F, 5-2, DeSoto, Texas, Sting Dallas 93 Girls, DeSoto HSCori Parkins, F, 5-6, Broken Arrow, Okla., Hurricane Futball Club, Broken Arrow HSHailey Pescatore, D, 5-7, Allen, Texas, Sting Dallas 93 Girls, Allen HSMargaret Power, D, 5-9, Bentonville, Ark., NWA Lightning, Bentonville HSHaley Pratt, M, 5-5, Plano, Texas, Sting Dallas 93 Girls, Plano West HSKelly Roliard, GK, 5-10, Spring, Texas, Challenge SC, Klein HSBeth Stratton, M, 5-6, Friendswood, Texas, Space City Futbol Club, Clear Brook HSAllie Tripp, F, 5-11, Carrollton, Texas, FC Dallas, Creekview HSCourtney Williams, M, 5-2, Broken Arrow, Okla., Hurricane Futbol Club, Broken Arrow HSSam Wolf, D, 5-7, Plano, Texas, Dallas Texans, Plano West HS