APSU Lady Govs Soccer adds eight on National Signing Day

Clarksville, TN – Head coach Kelley Guth is pleased to announce the addition of eight new Lady Govs to Austin Peay State University women soccer’s 2014 spring signing class.

With the departure of eight players responsible for the most successful four-year stretch in program history, Guth is re-loading a roster that lost 60 percent of its goal-scoring and 55 percent of its assists from a squad that advanced to the Ohio Valley Conference tournament semifinals last season.

“We’re very excited about this class,” said head coach Kelley Guth. “We’re expecting them to step in and help fill some shoes that need to be filled. This group is very talented and we think they’ll come in and compete.”

With that in mind, a trio of forwards signing National Letters of Intent, Wednesday, figure to be useful contributors next season. Kirstin Robertson hails from Harpeth Hall High School, where she scored 27 goals and added seven assists en route to TSSAA Division II Class AA Middle/East Region Most Valuable Player, All-State and All-Midstate honors in 2013.

Joining her up front will be Kentucky-bred Caroline Wistrom. Out of Sacred Heart Academy in Louisville, KY,  she scored 59 goals and added 33 assists in her career, culminating in a two Kentucky High School Athletic Association All-State honors and a 2013 Miss Kentucky Soccer Finalist nod after a 20-goal senior campaign.

Spring Hill’s Morgan Jackson comes to Austin Peay as the all-time leading scorer in Independence High School history with 44 career goals and 100 total points. She was all-district as a sophomore, junior and senior and was all-region her final two years as a prep player.

Jack-of-all-trades Kate Carney out of White House, TN could join Jackson, Wistrom and Robertson along the attacking line or find a home elsewhere on the field. Despite playing only her sophomore year primarily at forward – she spent her senior season playing defensive midfield – Carney still scored 71 career goals, was TSWA and THSSCA all-state as a junior and senior and led White House to four district titles and a state semifinal appearance in 2012.

Local product Mallory Burman makes the transition from Clarksville Academy to Austin Peay. A center-midfielder, Burman was an all-state performer for former Lady Gov Mary Beth Burchett, scoring 25 goals and adding seven assists. She finished her impressive career with 77 goals and was twice a Leaf-Chronicle All-Area honoree.

Maggie Ethridge from Evansville, IN, is another versatile talent who could find a home a number of places in the Lady Govs lineup next season. She was all-district, all-metro and all-conference at midfield and defender for William Henry Harrison High School from 2011-13, scoring 24 goals and adding 35 assists – both all-time top-10 marks for the Warriors.

Another Evansville signee will have a chance to join a backline that will be without Emily Kink, Corey Osborn and Joceline Quiceno next season. Beth Webster was an all-district and all-state performer at Memorial High School last season. She and Ethridge played club ball for a SWISA Crush squad that won the Indiana State Cup.

McKenzie Derouen rounds out the Lady Govs signing class. A goalie prospect expected to battle Nikki Filippone and Katie Emig, Derouen hails from Ballard High School in Louisville, where she was a VYPE Magazine 2013-14 Player to Watch.

“The higher level they’ve played, the more it benefits us,” Guth said. “I think those tournaments they’ve played in and the exposure they’ve had is similar to the experience they’ll have the first time they step on the field here and see our crowds and our wonderful support.”