BATON ROUGE — The LSU soccer program has seen a meteoric rise to national prominence while competing with one of the more talented teams in the country, and the Tigers are sure to continue their success in the years to come as head coach Brian Lee inked one of the nation’s top-ranked signing classes as part of National Signing Day on Wednesday.
The Tigers welcome 10 prep standouts who will be eligible to compete during the 2010 season, including five recruits ranked in the final TopDrawerSoccer.com National 100 for the Class of 2010.
It is a class that also includes the No. 1-ranked recruit from Florida, South Carolina and Louisiana, as well as four of the Top 15 recruits from the state of Texas.
Joining the LSU program as part of the Class of 2010 are Nina Anderson (Duncanville, Texas), Kaley Blades (Largo, Fla.), Jodi Calloway (Denton, Texas), Emily Cancienne (Baton Rouge, La.), Addie Eggleston (Houston, Texas), Megan Kinneman (Missouri City, Texas), Shannon McLain (Spring, Texas), Danielle Murphy (Lafayette, La.), Kendall Narum (Clearwater, Fla.) and Alex Ramsey (Rock Hill, S.C.).
Lee believes the talent level of this year’s recruiting class will help fill the void of an eight-member senior class that provided the foundation of three-straight SEC West titles and NCAA Tournament appearances.
“This is a monumental day in the history of the LSU soccer program,” Lee said. “We are fortunate to sign a group of young women that will rank among the top signing classes in the country this season. This will be a class that will build on the foundation established by the seniors and take us to another level with our ultimate goal of competing for SEC championships and Final Fours.
“We have an outstanding nucleus of players returning next season that will work with this freshman class to continue building the kind of championship program we want here at LSU.”
LSU has built a reputation as one of the more feared attacking teams in the country, and the Tigers look to continue that trend after signing two of the nation’s premier forwards on Wednesday.
Eggleston joins the program following a brilliant prep career at The Kinkaid School in Houston, Texas, as she is the No. 33-ranked recruit nationally and the No. 3-ranked player in the state of Texas for 2010. She is also ranked as the No. 13 forward in the country for this year’s signing class.
A three-year veteran of the Region III Olympic Development Program Team from 2007-09, Eggleston has been a member of the U.S. Youth National Team player pool during her prep career while receiving a pair of High School All-American and High School All-Region honors from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America in each of the last two seasons.
Blades will team with Eggleston to give the Tigers a devastating 1-2 punch up top as she joins the team as the No. 37-ranked recruit nationally and the No. 1 player in Florida according to TopDrawerSoccer.com.
Like Eggleston, Blades is also an experienced member of the Under-15 U.S. Youth National Team player pool and the Region III ODP Team. She was awarded an NSCAA Youth All-Region III selection in 2008 while leading the Clearwater Chargers club team and her high school team at Dunedin High School.
While Blades and Eggleston provide LSU with an offensive spark along the front line, both Anderson and Calloway are sure to lead the way in the midfield as two of the nation’s premier recruits at the position.
Anderson, who is ranked as the No. 68 recruit in the country and the No. 10 player in the state of Texas in the Class of 2010, is a product of one of the elite club programs in the country in the Dallas Texans Soccer Club. She played a vital role in leading the Dallas Texans Red club team to the U.S. Youth Soccer Under-16 national championship and USYS Region III championship during the 2008 season.
A senior at Pearce High School, Anderson has also been a member of the U.S. Youth National Team pool during her prep career, as well as a four-year member of the Region III ODP Team from 2006-09.
By signing Calloway, the Tigers have added yet another member of the U.S. Youth National Team player pool and a three-year veteran of the Region III ODP Team. She is also ranked among the Top 100 recruits in the country by TopDrawerSoccer.com as the No. 77 recruit nationally and the No. 11 player in Texas.
Before joining the Polaris Soccer Club, Calloway helped lead the Sting Royal Soccer Club to the USYSA Region III team championship and an appearance in the semifinal of the USYSA National Championships in 2008. She will join the LSU program after graduating from John H. Guyer High School this spring.
Joining Anderson and Calloway in the midfield are two recruits ranked No. 1 in their respective states for the Class of 2010. Cancienne is considered the top-ranked recruit in Louisiana this season, while Ramsey is also the top-ranked recruit in South Carolina for the 2010 signing class. Cancienne, a product of Baton Rouge Magnet High School, and Ramsey, a product of Rock Hill High School, have each earned valuable experience as members of the Region III ODP Team player pool during their prep careers.
If Cancienne is considered the top recruit in the state of Louisiana for the Class of 2010, Murphy is not far behind as she has established herself among the state’s best during her prep career at St. Thomas More High School. She is a two-time first-team all-state and all-district selection in each of the last two seasons while leading St. Thomas More High School to a state championship in 2008.
While the Tigers have certainly addressed their needs on the offensive end with this year’s recruiting class Wednesday, they have also solidified their defense by inking a trio of Region III ODP Team standouts.
A senior from Elkins High School, Kinneman is a fifth member of LSU’s signing class to compete as part of the U.S. Youth National Team player pool during her prep career. Kinneman has proven herself among the nation’s top goalkeepers as the No. 96-ranked recruit nationally and the No. 14 player in Texas.
Not only that, but Kinneman is also considered one of the Top 10 goalkeeper recruits nationwide as she is ranked No. 9 at the position by TopDrawerSoccer.com. She has competed with the Region III ODP Team in each of the last four seasons from 2006-09 and with the prestigious Challenge Soccer Club since 2009.
LSU will also be strong along the back line with the addition of McLain and Narum as each has teamed in defense for the Region III ODP Team during their prep careers.
Narum is one of the top defender recruits in Florida as she is the No. 9-ranked recruit in the state. She has developed into an elite prospect during her prep career at Countryside High School and also as a club teammate of Blades with the Clearwater Chargers. McLain is also one of the top defenders in the state of Texas and has competed with both Eggleston and Kinneman as part of the Challenge Soccer Club.
“We are certainly excited about the depth and talent of this recruiting class. This is not only a class of top recruits on the field, but each one of these young women has the kind of character that will help them find success off the field as well,” Lee said. “There is no doubt in my mind that they will represent themselves, their families and this university to the best of their ability.
“I also have to commend Debbie (Hensley) and Daniel (Brizard) for all of their hard work in building this program from the ground up into one of the very best in the country. It all starts with the quality of athlete we recruit each year. We look forward to what the future will bring for this group of young women.”
The 2010 season will be here before you know it. Reserve your season tickets today by logging on to the official website of LSU athletics, www.LSUsports.net. Reserved season tickets are just $50, while general admission season tickets are $35 for adults and $15 for youth.