Sports
8A
Thursday, May 14, 2020
Th e Observer
EOU women’s soccer adds 14 players to roster
By Ronald Bond
The Observer
LA GRANDE — The
Eastern Oregon University
women’s soccer team made
its deepest playoff run
ever last season, and has
seven starters back from
the team that reached the
national quarterfi nals and
fi nished 10th in the nation.
That has not stopped
Mountaineers head coach
Jacob Plocher from loading
up on recruits in an effort
to help push the program
one step closer to being a
national title contender.
Plocher signed 14 ath-
letes in the Class of 2020,
eight of whom are colle-
giate transfers.
“We as a staff defi nitely
feel this is probably one
of the deepest recruiting
classes we brought in,”
Plocher said. “We really
like the potential with this
group.”
The coach, who already
holds the program mark
for career wins as he
enters his fourth season
and has guided Eastern to
the playoffs each of the last
three years, also added six
incoming freshmen to his
roster. EOU graduated just
fi ve seniors and lost one
to transfer, but the large
incoming class fi gures to
create greater competi-
tion within the team and
to build for beyond 2020,
as the team will have eight
seniors this upcoming
season.
“There’s a lot of ver-
satility, which has been
a theme of what we look
for,” Plocher said. “I’m
really looking forward to
the competition this fall.
It’s going to be intense.”
Of the transfers, Plocher
brought in two players
from Division I schools,
adding Washington State
University transfer Allison
Rader, a midfi elder and
Contributed photo
Kiara Fontanilla, a Division I transfer from Cal State Fullerton, is among 14 signees by the Eastern Oregon University
women’s soccer team.
defender, and Cal State
Fullerton goalkeeper
Kiara Fontanilla. Neither
D-I transfer saw the pitch
during their time at their
previous schools. Rader
wasn’t a part of the WSU
soccer program but had
a decorated high school
career and was playing
semi-pro in Washington,
according to Plocher, and
Fontanilla was a backup
goalkeeper for the Titans
but didn’t play in 2019.
Still, he is excited about
what they can bring.
“Being around that
environment and how
things are run at different
programs, they know what
it is going to take,” he said.
“We don’t necessarily put a
big emphasis on where you
come from, what you’ve
done in the past. We want
you to buy in.”
Additionally, EOU
pulled in Haley Leavens,
a Division II transfer
from Concordia Univer-
sity. Leavens, a midfi elder,
played 18 games as a
freshman and started fi ve,
tallying an assist and regis-
tering nine shots, including
fi ve on goal.
Plocher also signed
some of the top players
from the Northwest Ath-
letic Conference from last
season, including West
Region MVP Hannah Jen-
kins, a defender from
Highline Community
College.
“The biggest thing is
obviously with losing
Josee (Bassett) on the
back line those are impos-
sible shoes to fi ll,” he said.
“(Jenkins) brings another
element that is going to
help our back line and help
our program as a whole be
competitive.”
Jenkins had a goal
and two assists but, more
important, helped anchor
a defense that surrendered
just six goals in 19 games
for unbeaten Highline as it
won the NWAC title. The
Highline defense logged
14 shutouts, including a
stretch late in the season of
seven in a row.
He also landed NWAC
all-stars Gretta Wiersma, a
midfi elder from Wenatchee
Valley Community Col-
lege, and Walla Walla
Community College for-
ward Taylen Wohl, who
also was an all-star in the
NWAC.
Wohl was among the
most prolifi c goal-scorers
in the NWAC last fall, reg-
istering 14 goals, which
was the fourth-highest
total in the conference, and
scoring on nearly 61% of
her shots on goal. Wiersma
added a pair of goals from
her midfi eld position.
Brianna Krygier, a
goalkeeper from Spokane
Community College, and
Corynn Vigil, a midfi elder
from Yakima Valley,
were also scooped up by
Plocher.
Vigil, also an NWAC
all-star, had 12 goals, tied
for sixth in the NWAC,
and two assists, and scored
on 44% of her shots on
goal. Krygier allowed 11
goals in 10 games in net
for Spokane but had 50
saves for a save percentage
of 82%.
Plocher added six high
school seniors from across
the West, including Alaska
Rush Soccer Club team-
mates Kasey Johnson and
Kana Mateaki. Johnson
is a defender/midfi elder
from South Anchorage
High School, and Mateaki
comes from Dimond High
School, also in Anchorage.
Mateaki is a player
Plocher thinks could have
an immediate impact out
of high school despite
being the shortest player
among the recruits at 5
foot even.
“I love those girls
who have a chip on their
shoulder and want to come
out and prove (critics)
wrong,” Plocher said.
Joining them are Idaho
standout defender/mid-
fi elders Kody Epp, from
Eagle High School in
Boise, and Darby McDe-
vitt, from Lakeland High
School in Rathdrum; from
California, Santa Barbara
High School utility player
Mikayla Thoits; and from
Washington, Marysville
Pilchuck High School for-
ward/defender Mackensie
Connelly.
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