Photo by: Jacob Gonzalez
New Batch of Lancers to Set Tone in DI
8/10/2018 12:13:00 PM | Women's Soccer
RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Just a week before its season and home opener, California Baptist University is in the thick of preparing for the season with a pretty new look team consisting of 11 new freshmen – five of which hail from the Inland Empire – and six transfers.
"I'm pleased to announce and welcome our new players into the CBU soccer family, which is also our first class in the NCAA Division I era," said Coach Kristen St. Clair. "We have a wide variety of dynamic talent, experience, depth and energy on both sides of the ball in this class. I believe our new players will complement our returning players very well and we're excited to compete and begin our first season in NCAA Division I."
The Lancers kick off at home against Loyola University Maryland on Aug. 17 at 3:00 p.m. with a bunch of new faces, including a whole new goalkeeping arsenal after graduating all-time leading saves and shutout record holder Sara Escobedo last year. Two transfers, along with a freshman, will compete for the spot right away, while another freshman and transfer add depth to the position in the years to come.
Romane Salvador comes to CBU from Lyon, France via Northwestern Ohio, where she was named the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year and earned NAIA All-American first-team honors. She started all 24 games for the Racers, posting a 0.49 goals against average, with an 83.8 save percentage, and 15 shutouts on the year. Salvador also played for the top women's academy in France, PSG, and is expected to make an immediate impact.
Carissa Christensen is a graduate transfer from NCAA Division I Texas Tech, where she was considered one of the top goalkeepers in the Big 12 Conference. Last year, Christensen boasted a 0.99 GAA with a 76.7 save percentage, helping post six shutouts on the year. Like Salvador, she is expected to compete for the starting goalkeeper position at CBU and make an immediate impact.
Valerie Ogorodnikov transfers in from Folsom Lake Junior College in Sacramento. She was the starting goalkeeper for the FLC team that reached the State quarterfinals, but will likely sit this season out.
Freshmen Amy Kirk and Peyton Broccardo-Rehak both hail from Southern California and will give the Lancers depth between the posts. Kirk is a very technically sound goalkeeper from Huntington Beach and played for one of the top SoCal teams, Slammers ECNL. Broccardo-Rehak played club soccer with West Coast ECNL and is very steady in goal with the ability to make fantastic saves. Similar to Ogorodnikov, Broccardo-Rehak is likely to sit this season out to get some experience under her belt and compete in the years to come.
Jordan Padgett transferred in during the spring semester from NCAA Division I St. Mary's College and is expected to compete for playing time right away. She was the top recruit coming out of Colorado and a key contributor to the Gaels' midfield. A versatile player, Padgett could see time as an attacking or defensive midfielder for the Lancers.
Elisa Soderholm is another transfer St. Clair is expecting to compete for playing time and make an immediate impact. She comes to CBU from Clovis JC, where she was one of the top junior college forwards in California and selected to the State All-Star Game. Prior to Clovis, Soderholm competed at NCAA Division I Milwaukee.
True freshman Valerie Cortez is a local product, hailing from Riverside Poly High School. She is an extremely gifted center midfielder with creativity and a passing ability to take over games. She played club for the Pateadores Development Academy, which plays in one of the top leagues and regions in the country.
Erin Gallagher is another local freshman that CBU has high hopes for. She was one of the most highly recruited players in Southern California as a box-to-box midfielder with the versatility to play anywhere. She played for Corinthians FC and Santiago High School in Corona.
Brodi Blomdahl brings height and athleticism to the Lancers' backline, measuring in at 5-foot-11. She also is a local product, graduating from Martin Luther King High in Riverside. She also played for one of the top girls Development Academy teams in her age group in the nation for Legends. Blomdahl is a rangy defender who play as a center back or outside back and is expected to compete for playing time and help the backline right away.
Another Inland Empire product, Juliette Brown is a long (5-foot-11), athletic forward with the ability to win balls in the air and dribble of out of pressure. She was a student-athlete at Chaparral HS in Temecula and also played for the Pateadores Development Academy. Brown is a dynamic forward capable of playing with her back to goal or breaking down defenders one-versus-one.
Ari Coronado is one of the most athletic forwards in California, showcasing her speed and craftiness with the capability of scoring from anywhere. She played at Woodland High School and for one of the best club teams in California, Davis Legacy ECNL.
Vanessa Evans will provide depth to the Lancer midfield as a defensive mid with the ability to win the ball and connect under pressure. She is a smart, composed defensive central midfielder and joins her fellow Legends Development Academy teammate Blomdahl as a true freshman.
Providing depth at the backline, Kiara Gaines begins her collegiate career bringing great athleticism as a rangy defender. The Clovis, Calif., native is a physical defender with the ability to close down on attackers threatening CBU's defensive third.
Kacie Dennis rounds out the incoming freshmen as a versatile athlete that has the ability to play on the back or forward line. She also reunites with former club and high school teammates after playing for the Pateadores Development Academy and King HS with Brown, Cortez and Blomdahl.
Returning to the lineup from last year are three of the Lancers' All-West Region honorees: Desarae Felix, Jordan Dow and Symone Mack.
Felix played a big role as an attacking midfielder for CBU, finishing with a team-high seven goals, two of which were game-winners. She scored two goals in back-to-back games, including two crucial ones in the Lancers' 3-2 victory over Concordia University of Irvine.
Dow finished last year with six goals and an assist for 13 points. The then sophomore scored two goals in a 5-0 victory over Academy of Art and assisted on the game-winning goal in CBU's 1-0 victory over Azusa Pacific.
Mack anchored the backline at centerback for the Lancers to help CBU boast the 31st-best team GAA at .698. CBU's opponents have only gotten off 99 shots on goal and boast a .069 shooting percentage. The sophomore also assisted once on the year at the Lancers' 4-1 win at Dixie State.
Miranda Martinez, who picked up all-conference honors last year, is back after providing a spark off the bench for CBU. She finished the year with five goals and four assists. She scored two goals and assisted on another in the Lancers' 5-0 win at Saint Martin's. Her first goal of the year proved to be a game-winner in CBU's 2-1 victory at Cal Poly Pomona on Sept. 9.
Incoming freshman Rachel Eising will redshirt the 2018 season as she recovers from a knee injury, while transfer Vanessa Chaparro (NCAA Division I Purdue Fort Wayne) will also take this year off and provide depth for next year.
"Assistant Coach and recruiting coordinator Seth Taylor has tirelessly hit the recruiting trail and done a fantastic job evaluating, identifying and securing top student-athletes for CBU's first NCAA Division I recruiting class," said St. Clair. "This recruiting class is a talented and versatile group on the soccer field, strong academically and fit the mission of CBU and our soccer program. In my opinion he's one of top recruiters in the country."
"I'm pleased to announce and welcome our new players into the CBU soccer family, which is also our first class in the NCAA Division I era," said Coach Kristen St. Clair. "We have a wide variety of dynamic talent, experience, depth and energy on both sides of the ball in this class. I believe our new players will complement our returning players very well and we're excited to compete and begin our first season in NCAA Division I."
The Lancers kick off at home against Loyola University Maryland on Aug. 17 at 3:00 p.m. with a bunch of new faces, including a whole new goalkeeping arsenal after graduating all-time leading saves and shutout record holder Sara Escobedo last year. Two transfers, along with a freshman, will compete for the spot right away, while another freshman and transfer add depth to the position in the years to come.
Romane Salvador comes to CBU from Lyon, France via Northwestern Ohio, where she was named the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year and earned NAIA All-American first-team honors. She started all 24 games for the Racers, posting a 0.49 goals against average, with an 83.8 save percentage, and 15 shutouts on the year. Salvador also played for the top women's academy in France, PSG, and is expected to make an immediate impact.
Carissa Christensen is a graduate transfer from NCAA Division I Texas Tech, where she was considered one of the top goalkeepers in the Big 12 Conference. Last year, Christensen boasted a 0.99 GAA with a 76.7 save percentage, helping post six shutouts on the year. Like Salvador, she is expected to compete for the starting goalkeeper position at CBU and make an immediate impact.
Valerie Ogorodnikov transfers in from Folsom Lake Junior College in Sacramento. She was the starting goalkeeper for the FLC team that reached the State quarterfinals, but will likely sit this season out.
Freshmen Amy Kirk and Peyton Broccardo-Rehak both hail from Southern California and will give the Lancers depth between the posts. Kirk is a very technically sound goalkeeper from Huntington Beach and played for one of the top SoCal teams, Slammers ECNL. Broccardo-Rehak played club soccer with West Coast ECNL and is very steady in goal with the ability to make fantastic saves. Similar to Ogorodnikov, Broccardo-Rehak is likely to sit this season out to get some experience under her belt and compete in the years to come.
Jordan Padgett transferred in during the spring semester from NCAA Division I St. Mary's College and is expected to compete for playing time right away. She was the top recruit coming out of Colorado and a key contributor to the Gaels' midfield. A versatile player, Padgett could see time as an attacking or defensive midfielder for the Lancers.
Elisa Soderholm is another transfer St. Clair is expecting to compete for playing time and make an immediate impact. She comes to CBU from Clovis JC, where she was one of the top junior college forwards in California and selected to the State All-Star Game. Prior to Clovis, Soderholm competed at NCAA Division I Milwaukee.
True freshman Valerie Cortez is a local product, hailing from Riverside Poly High School. She is an extremely gifted center midfielder with creativity and a passing ability to take over games. She played club for the Pateadores Development Academy, which plays in one of the top leagues and regions in the country.
Erin Gallagher is another local freshman that CBU has high hopes for. She was one of the most highly recruited players in Southern California as a box-to-box midfielder with the versatility to play anywhere. She played for Corinthians FC and Santiago High School in Corona.
Brodi Blomdahl brings height and athleticism to the Lancers' backline, measuring in at 5-foot-11. She also is a local product, graduating from Martin Luther King High in Riverside. She also played for one of the top girls Development Academy teams in her age group in the nation for Legends. Blomdahl is a rangy defender who play as a center back or outside back and is expected to compete for playing time and help the backline right away.
Another Inland Empire product, Juliette Brown is a long (5-foot-11), athletic forward with the ability to win balls in the air and dribble of out of pressure. She was a student-athlete at Chaparral HS in Temecula and also played for the Pateadores Development Academy. Brown is a dynamic forward capable of playing with her back to goal or breaking down defenders one-versus-one.
Ari Coronado is one of the most athletic forwards in California, showcasing her speed and craftiness with the capability of scoring from anywhere. She played at Woodland High School and for one of the best club teams in California, Davis Legacy ECNL.
Vanessa Evans will provide depth to the Lancer midfield as a defensive mid with the ability to win the ball and connect under pressure. She is a smart, composed defensive central midfielder and joins her fellow Legends Development Academy teammate Blomdahl as a true freshman.
Providing depth at the backline, Kiara Gaines begins her collegiate career bringing great athleticism as a rangy defender. The Clovis, Calif., native is a physical defender with the ability to close down on attackers threatening CBU's defensive third.
Kacie Dennis rounds out the incoming freshmen as a versatile athlete that has the ability to play on the back or forward line. She also reunites with former club and high school teammates after playing for the Pateadores Development Academy and King HS with Brown, Cortez and Blomdahl.
Returning to the lineup from last year are three of the Lancers' All-West Region honorees: Desarae Felix, Jordan Dow and Symone Mack.
Felix played a big role as an attacking midfielder for CBU, finishing with a team-high seven goals, two of which were game-winners. She scored two goals in back-to-back games, including two crucial ones in the Lancers' 3-2 victory over Concordia University of Irvine.
Dow finished last year with six goals and an assist for 13 points. The then sophomore scored two goals in a 5-0 victory over Academy of Art and assisted on the game-winning goal in CBU's 1-0 victory over Azusa Pacific.
Mack anchored the backline at centerback for the Lancers to help CBU boast the 31st-best team GAA at .698. CBU's opponents have only gotten off 99 shots on goal and boast a .069 shooting percentage. The sophomore also assisted once on the year at the Lancers' 4-1 win at Dixie State.
Miranda Martinez, who picked up all-conference honors last year, is back after providing a spark off the bench for CBU. She finished the year with five goals and four assists. She scored two goals and assisted on another in the Lancers' 5-0 win at Saint Martin's. Her first goal of the year proved to be a game-winner in CBU's 2-1 victory at Cal Poly Pomona on Sept. 9.
Incoming freshman Rachel Eising will redshirt the 2018 season as she recovers from a knee injury, while transfer Vanessa Chaparro (NCAA Division I Purdue Fort Wayne) will also take this year off and provide depth for next year.
"Assistant Coach and recruiting coordinator Seth Taylor has tirelessly hit the recruiting trail and done a fantastic job evaluating, identifying and securing top student-athletes for CBU's first NCAA Division I recruiting class," said St. Clair. "This recruiting class is a talented and versatile group on the soccer field, strong academically and fit the mission of CBU and our soccer program. In my opinion he's one of top recruiters in the country."
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