Colorado State University Athletics
CSU soccer adds 11 players to 2015 roster
2/5/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
FORT COLLINS, Colo. - Head coach Bill Hempen and the Colorado State women's soccer program announced the addition of 11 players to the Rams' 2015 squad Thursday.
CSU brings in players from all areas of North America, including one from Canada. The list includes athletes from California, Kansas, Minnesota, North Carolina and six players from the state of Colorado.
Gabby Brown will join the Rams in 2015 from Alamo, Calif. At Las Lomas High School, her team finished runner-up at the NCS High School Championships. Her club team, Diablo Futbol, is ranked 11th in California. Her squad was the USCS West Regional champions and the Norcal National Premier League champions. Brown is the leading scorer on both her high school and club teams, posting 16 goals and seven assists last fall for Diablo FC. She was named captain of her high school team this season and was awarded second-team all-league in the Bay Area.
One of three members of the Rams' signing class from Colorado Springs is Caitlin Esterle. Playing for the Pride Soccer Club, she attends Pine Creek High School where she is two-sport athlete, playing varsity soccer and basketball. Esterle played midfield on the State Cup championship team in 2014. She was a USYSA Region IV Far West Championship finalist in 2014, a Denver Cup finalist in 2013 and also a Disney Soccer Showcase finalist in 2013.
Hanna Gerdin is a forward on the Pride Predators '97 team, the top-ranked squad in the state of Colorado. A teammate of Esterle's with the Pride Soccer Club, her team earned state championships for three years in 2011, 2013 and 2014. She was named to the Super-20 league top performers list in 2012.
The Colorado Springs native was selected first-team all-state following her sophomore season at Cheyenne Mountain High School. Gerdin helped guide the Indians to Colorado state class 5A championship in 2013 and 2014. She posted 30 goals, 65 points, 164 shots and five assists in three years at Cheyenne Mountain.
One of four out-of-state commitments to Hempen's signing class is Sydney Hall, who joins the Rams from Sherrills Ford, N.C. Hall was a North Carolina Youth Soccer Association State Cup finalist in 2014. She also played on the championship team in the North Carolina Powerade State Games in 2014, while placing third in 2013. A member of the Lake Norman Soccer Club, her team won the Lake Norman Kickoff Tournament in 2012. Hall was a Charlotte United Under Armour Cup Finalist in 2012.
Another addition outside the state of Colorado is Kaija Ornes of Prior Lake, Minn. Ornes played for the Prior Lake Splash club team, earning all-Central Region in 2014. As team captain in 2014, she was named team MVP and received the club's Golden Boot award. Ornes was also a Ms. Soccer finalist and received all-Metro recognition.
Beth Plentl hails from Colorado Springs where she has been the captain of Pride Predators `98 club team for the past three seasons. She also played for the Las Vegas Premier Elite Clubs National League from 2011 to 2013 and the Olympic Development Program Colorado Team from 2010 to 2014. Plentl attended the ODP Regional Camp 2011 and was a member of the Colorado All-Star Team that played a match against Costa Rica in 2014.
Plentl was awarded all-state her freshman season. She played four years on the varsity squads at Discovery Canyon and Liberty High School. An exceptional student, Plentl received academic all-state the past three seasons. She also earned MVP while with Discovery Canyon following her freshman campaign.
Madisann Relph will begin her collegiate career in the States, coming to CSU from East Saint Paul, Manitoba, where she attends Glenlawn Collegiate. A member of the Bonivital Soccer Club, Relph was a finalist in the U18 Women's Premier League in 2014. Her team was the 2013 National Sports Center Cup tournament champions in Blaine, Minn. The Canadian was also named 2011 MVP of the U14 Phoenix Soccer Club in 2012.
Mikayla Schmidt will travel three hours north from her home in Pueblo West, Colo., to attend CSU next season. At Pueblo West High School Schmidt is a three-year letterwinner, moving up the ranks each season. She earned honorable mention her freshman campaign, first-team all-league her sophomore year and first-team all-state her junior season.
A member of the first-semester honor roll, Schmidt was a recipient of the Athletic Leadership Award. With the Cyclones she's compiled 43 goals, 15 assists and 1.15 goals per game. Also playing for the Rush Pikes Peak Soccer Club, she's posted 72 goals, 40 assists and 1.8 goals per contest.
Hailing from Fountain, Colo., Bethany Stivers will join Colorado State for her junior season after transferring from Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa. In two seasons with the Division III school Stivers started all 36 games for the Rams, recording 35 goals, 21 assists and 107 shots on goal. She was awarded second-team all-Midwest Conference following her freshman and sophomore seasons, was named academic all-MWC and was a two-time MWC Offensive Player of the Week.
Stivers graduated from Fountain-Fort Carson High School in 2013 and also played for the Corinthians Soccer Club.
A native of Thornton, Colo., Lexi Swenson attends Mountain Range High School and also plays for the Westminster AFC club team. Last year she received second-team all-conference and was awarded all-state academic honorable mention. Swenson was named Trainer of the Year for Westminster.
Makenzi Taylor joins Colorado State from Overland Park, Kan., where she was a four-year varsity starter defender at Blue Valley Northwest High School. Taylor helped lead the Huskies to Kansas 6A state championships in 2013 and 2014. Last season, her team set a school record for most defensive shutouts with 14.
Taylor was selected to the eastern Kansas league team in 2013 and 2014, and was also named to the all-academic soccer team those same years.
