BATON ROUGE – The LSU Soccer program has bolstered its squad depth ahead of the 2016 season with the addition of two high school standouts as midfielder Jade Clarke of Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, and defender Marlena Cutura of Pearl River, Louisiana, have both signed National Letters of Intent with the Tigers.
They join an incoming class of recruits that also features the likes of Florida State transfer goalkeeper Caroline Brockmeier (Tallahassee, Florida), Oregon transfer forward Zoe Higgins (Boring, Oregon) and former Lewis & Clark Community College striker and National Soccer Coaches Association of America National Junior College Player of the Year Nicole Howard (Rolla, Missouri).
The 11 signees in LSU’s Class of 2016 also boasts attackers Caitlin Cantrill (Canberra, Australia), Sara Funderburk (Bossier City, Louisiana), Courtney Henderson (Rogers, Minnesota) and Lea Barnes (Bethesda, Maryland); defender Ellie Weber (Springfield, Virginia) and goalkeeper Emma Grace Goldman (Murfreesboro, Tennessee).
Jade Clarke, the younger sister of LSU’s two-time All-SEC striker Summer Clarke, is an emerging talent in Canada’s youth ranks while playing as a left-sided midfielder for the British Columbia Provincial Team.
Recently honored as a member of the All-Star Team at the Pacific Challenge Series while playing with the British Columbia Provincial Team, Jade Clarke has also starred at club level as a member of Surrey United for five seasons. She has helped lead Surrey United to its share of silverware during her prep career as a winner of the Provincial Cup and Provincial Futsal Championship with the club.
Cutura has developed into one of the top defensive talents in the South ahead of her move to Baton Rouge while competing as both a midfielder and defender with the Region III Olympic Development Program Team in 2015-16. She recently toured Buenos Aires, Argentina, on her travels with the Region III ODP Team during the month of April.
A product of Pope John Paul II Catholic High School, Cutura is a two-time first-team all-state performer on the soccer field as one of the top prospects in the state of Louisiana. She has also proven to be one of the elite volleyball players in Louisiana throughout her prep career while also earning a pair of first-team all-state honors and being named the state’s Player of the Year following the 2015 season.
They will soon arrive on campus in Baton Rouge with the rest of their Tiger teammates for the start of preseason training as they will prepare for LSU’s 2016 season opener against Virginia Tech on Friday, Aug. 19, at the Charleston Classic at Patriot Point in Charleston, South Carolina.