BATON ROUGE — The LSU soccer team bolstered its 2003 recruiting class to eight members on Thursday as the Tiger coaching staff received a letter of intent from Parkview High standout Stephanie Ford.
“Stephanie is definitely going to be a great addition to our team,” said LSU head coach George Fotopoulos. “She is by far one of the best players in the state of Louisiana and we are pleased that she chose to attend LSU. I believe that Stephanie brings a lot of talent to our team and has an outstanding work ethic. Not only does she give 110 percent on the field, but she gets her work done in the classroom as well.”
Ford, a six-year letterman at Parkview High School, was also a member of the Red Star Soccer Club team and led her team to three Louisiana state championships. She was named First-Team All-State as a junior and earned All-Metro and All-District honors in 2002. Ford is also a state runner-up in track, a member of the National Honor Society and owns a 4-0 grade point average.
“We are extremely excited right now,” Fotopoulos said. “We feel that each and every one of these eight girls are very, very special for our program and we can’t wait until opening day when we’ll have an opportunity to have them begin their collegiate careers. Hopefully, we’ll have a really successful year next year.”
The LSU soccer team will next be in action on March 8, as the Tigers begin their spring season by hosting the second-annual LSU Spring Classic at the LSU Soccer Complex.
LSU’s 2003 Soccer Signing List
Christina Best, D, Littleton, Colo.
Stacy Bishop, F, Land O’ Lakes, Fla.
Michelle De Cespedes, M, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
Stephanie Ford, M, Baton Rouge, La.
Ashleigh Gunning, M, Baton Rouge, La.
Jordan Parker, D, Houston, Texas
Joleen Phillips, F, Carmel, Ind.
Heather Zurburg, GK, Gainesville, Fla.