March 30, 2006

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The University of North Carolina women's soccer program has formally announced the addition of nine prospective student-athletes who will join the 18-time national champion program for the fall semester 2006. Head coach Anson Dorrance's recruiting class includes eight individuals who signed NCAA National Letters of Intent to attend the University as well as one player who is a recruited non-scholarship player and who recently formally accepted admission to Carolina. Seven of the nine recruits announced to date are ranked among the Top 25 recruits in the nation by Soccer Buzz Magazine, including three in the Top 10.

The class include Ali Hawkins (La Jolla Country Day, Encinitas, Calif.), Ashley Moore (Shenendehowa High School, Clifton Park, N.Y.), Caroline Boneparth (Lawrence Woodmere Academy, Lawrence, N.Y.), Casey Nogueira (Needham Broughton High School, Raleigh, N.C.), Kristi Eveland (Carroll High School, Southlake, Texas), Melissa Hayes (Cactus Shadows High School, Cave Creek, Ariz.), Nikki Washington (Spring Creek Academy, Mesquite, Texas), Tobin Heath (Ridge High School, Basking Ridge, N.J.) and Whitney Engen (Palos Verdes Peninsula High School, Rolling Hills Estates, Calif.).

"We graduate an extraordinary collection of seniors this spring and we have matched that with an extraordinary class of recruits.. We are losing 10 seniors to graduation this spring and we are thrilled to be brining in nine new players of what we believe to be exceptional quality," says Tar Heel head coach Anson Dorrance, who has coached the program since 1979. "We lost quality from last year's team but we are brining in quality as well. We also benefit from the fact that we had three players who missed all of last season with injuries and who will be rejoining the team this fall -- freshman goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris, junior defender Jessica Maxwell and freshman forward Sterling Smith."

The nine-member recruiting class has been named the nation's top incoming class by Soccer Buzz magazine. The editors of Soccer Buzz summarized the class as follows: "Seven are Top 25 recruits and unheralded Boneparth is a Top 250 player. With at least 10 departures from last year's roster, the Tar Heels reload with these nine and a potentially more signees. Noguiera and Washington are high school juniors entering UNC a year early."

Soccer Buzz currently ranks three of UNC's signees as members of the Top 10 of the Class of 2006, rating Tobin Heath at No. 2, Ali Hawkins at No. 8 and Casey Nogueira at No. 9. Four other UNC signees rank amongst the Top 25 recruits as Whitney Engen, Melissa Hayes, Ashley Moore and Nikki Washington join Heath, Hawkins and Nogueira amongst the Top 25.

Ali Hawkins was named a 2005 Parade Magazine All-America honors and to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-America teams in 2004 and 2005. A midfielder, Hawkins has been a member of both the Under-17 Women's National Team as well as the Under-16 Women's National Team as named by United States Soccer. Hawkins has played club soccer with the San Diego Surf since 1997 as a center midfielder. Competing for the Cal South 86s, she was on a team which won the national Olympic Development Program (ODP) championship in 2004.

A forward, Ashley Moore played all three positions on the field while playing high school soccer for four years at Shenendehowa High School. She was named a first-team All-America in 2005 by both Parade Magazine and the NSCAA. Moore was a first-team All-State player in New York for two years and she led her high school squad to a state championship in 2004. Moore has been a member of both the Under-17 and Under-16 U.S. Soccer Women's National Teams in recent years.

Caroline Boneparth is a forward who played three sports at Lawrence Woodmere Acadermy. She finished as her high school soccer team's career leader in both goals and assists. Boneparth was tapped as the New York high school Class C player of the year and a first-team All-State selection in 2005. A top student, Boneparth was an NSCAA Academic All-America in 2005.

Carolina's sole in-state recruit, Nogueira has led Broughton High School to one state championship and a runnerup finish in the past two seasons. A forward, she was chosen first-team All-State in 2004 and the most valuable player of the state high school championship game in 2005. Nogueira plays her club soccer for `87 CASL Spartan Elite and she has been a member of both the U.S. Women's Under-17 and Under-16 National Teams.

Kristi Eveland is a defender who is one of the most versatile athletes in the class as she stars in basketball, soccer and track at Carroll High School. She was named district most valuable defensive player as a sophomore and senior on her basketball squad while earning academic all-district honors in basketball and soccer four years in a row. She currently plays club soccer for the Texans Red North 88 squad as a sweeper after playing for the Sting 88 squad where she was the team captain.

Melissa Hayes is a center midfielder who has played nine years of club soccer for the Sereno 88 White club team. She has been a member of her regional ODP team for four years and was named a Parade Magazine All-America in 2005 and NSCAA All-America in 2004. Hayes played on the Under-14 U.S. National Team in 2002 and then she spent two years on the Under-16 National Team in 2003-04. She captained the Under-16 team in 2004. She has spent the past two years as a member of the U.S. Under-17 National Team. She was elected team captain of that squad in 2005.

Nikki Washington led her high school team in scoring for two seasons and she currently serves as the team captain for the Dallas Texans 88 North club squad. Washington has been a member of both the Under-16 and Under-17 National Teams. Washington is a stellar player in the midfield and she was chosen an NSCAA youth All-America in 2003, 2004 and 2005 and a Parade Magazine All-America in 2005.

Tobin Heath is another Parade Magazine All-America who was named the Gatorade Women's Soccer High School Player of the Year in her native New Jersey. She plays club soccer for the PDA Wildcats, leading that team to a 2003 national club team championship. A midfielder, Heath has played three years as a member of the U.S. Under-16 National Team (2002-04) and two years for the U.S. Under-17 National Team (2004-05).

An attacking midfielder, Whitney Engen played high school soccer her freshman and sophomore years, missed her junior year with an injury, and chose not to play as a senior. A nine-year veteran of club soccer teams, Engen has played with the Slammer Futbol Club for the past four years where she led the squad to second-place and third-place finishes nationally the past two years. In January 2006, Engen was tapped as a member of the U.S. Under-20 National Team for a nine-day residency camp, her first such recognition on a youth national squad. Engen was a Parade Magazine All-America selection when she was a junior in high school. She also play on the 86 ODP team with future UNC teammate Ali Hawkins which captured regional and national titles.

The Tar Heel program may release other Class of 2006 signees at a later date in the national recruiting period.