Duck Soccer Welcomes Quartet of Signees
*CLICK the camera icon above to the right to see a photo gallery of pix of three of the Ducks' four soccer newcomers.
EUGENE - The University of Oregon women’s soccer team announced Thursday the addition of four signees for the upcoming fall season.
Three of the incoming freshmen hail from Oregon - 4A state player of the year Emily Danner, fellow first-team all-state selection Jenny Cameron and honorable mention pick Lisa Tedford - and are joined by San Pedro, Calif., native Dylann Tharp.
"The players are well suited to our needs created from graduation," Oregon head coach Bill Steffen said. "They are all comfortable in central roles, work hard and are athletic, aggressive players. We have a young but fast maturing team, and they have the confidence and ability to blend into the team framework immediately."
The Ducks spring class of four signees follow:
Emily Danner - Eugene, Ore., Sheldon High School. The 5-7 senior midfielder was tabbed the 2003 4A state player of the year after she led her team to the state championship - and the first school outside the Portland metro area to win the state title. Often assigned to the top opposing scorer, she helped the Irish shutout all of its opponents in its playoff run, and the school finished with a 98-9 scoring edge on the season. In the state final, she scored on a 20-yard free kick at 64:34 to give the Irish its final goal in a 3-0 win. She ended her career with team MVP honors as a junior and senior, and first-team Midwestern League accolades as a sophomore (forward/midfield) and junior (central midfield), and was the league MVP as a senior (central midfield). At the club level, her F.C. Willamette Soccer Club won OYSA state titles in 1998 and 2002, runner-up nods in 2000 and 2001 and were regional quaterfinalists in 2002. Among other tourney accomplishments, they were 2001 Mt. Rainier Tourney finalists, 2001 San Diego Nomads tourney quarterfinalists, and 2002 Corvallis Invitational tourney champions. In other sports, she competed in varsity track as a freshman and sophomore, and in basketball as a sophomore and junior. She may major in psychology.
"Emily is a central midfielder that is very capable in her own scoring and creating for others. If she can maintain her game at the same level in college, she will be a very effective contributor. She was the one of the highest scorers and assist leaders on the state champions, and she already has a polished game. She’s a slasher/thrasher type, similar to the style of our former player Melissa Parker."
Jennifer Lynn Cameron - Sherwood, Ore., Tigard High School. The 5-9 versatile player has experience at defender, midfielder and forward, and was a first-team all-state pick and Pac-9 Player of the Year as a senior. As a junior she was a second-team all-state selection and first-team all-league and team MVP, and helped her team to state titles in 2001 and ‘02. Altogether, she is a two-time first-team all-league pick, two-time team captain, and three-time team scoring leader. Her Lake Oswego Fusion club team is a two-time state champion (U15-17 Premier), and won the 2003 President Days Tournament in Phoenix. Her previous club, the TTS Aces (U11-14 Premier), was a three-time state finalist. She is a three-year veteran of the ODP state squad, was part of the Oregon (86's) state team and Region IV camp from 1999-2002, and was a regional pool selection in 2001. Off the pitch, she was the starting point guard for her basketball team that made the state tournament in 2002. She was an all-league hoops pick as a junior and broke the school assists record, and also ranked top four in rebounding, scoring and steals. On the track, she was an all-league selection as a sophomore. She may focus on business as a major.
Oregon Head Coach Bill Steffen said:
"Jenny is a very aggressive, athletic, and intelligent central defender/midfielder," Steffen said. "She has good physical presence, and her immediate impact will depend on how quickly she adjusts to the pace of the collegiate game. She’s great in simple, instinctive situations such as creating give and go's. Parts of her game remind me of Jori Gangnes, Laurie Durkoop and Stacy Hebert, although they all had different styles."
Dylann Tharp - San Pedro, Calif., San Pedro High School. The 5-8 central midfielder helped her Cerritos Infinity (U18) club rank 11th in the nation, win the 2003 NHB Tournament, and advance to the finals of the 2202 Raleigh Shootout and semifinals of the 2002 Surf Cup and Pleasonton Cup. As a junior, her squad also won the CVU Cup in San Luis Obispo, and was runner-up in the Coast Soccer League in 2002 with a 7-2 record. The three-time selection for the CYSA-South ODP program (2001, ‘02, ‘03) added duty as captain of her prep squad. She also competed for the San Pedro High School track team in 2002 and won the LA City title in the 1,500, and swam the 50 backstroke and 200 free relay for the SPHS swim team. She owns a 3.65 gpa and intends to major in journalism.
Oregon Head Coach Bill Steffen said:
"Dylann is a very strong athletic presence in the central part of the field. Her aggressive and athletic play will help her step into both defending and attacking roles. She is good in the air and give us a steady personality that will help control the midfield. She has decent size and is aggressive, and plays a little like former Duck Stacy Hebert."
Lisa Tedford - Hood River, Ore., Hood River Valley High School. The 5-4 defender/midfielder was a four-year starter, and all-state honorable mention as a senior. She came back from a serious ACL knee injury in 2002, to help the team go undefeated her junior season and 10-1-5 overall and record its first playoff win. She was an all-conference first-team pick as a senior (midfielder), junior (defender) and second-team selection as a sophomore (defender). Her senior season she scored nine goals as the squad placed fifth in the conference (6-4-4) and relied on eight new starters. She was selected to the Oregon State Select (ODP) Program in 2000, ‘01 and ‘02. Her FC Portland Club Academy team won the Soccer National Championships in August 2003, and her U-18 squad won the 2003 Oregon Snickers Cup and advanced to the Western Regional semifinal in June 2003(U-18). Off the pitch, she competed on the varsity ski team in 2000 and 2001, and was a member of the 2000 Junior Olympic Ski Team. A 4.0 student, she may major in human physiology.
Oregon Head Coach Bill Steffen said:
"Lisa has played a wide defensive role and should continue to see time at the same position for us. She is a good athlete and comfortable attacking with either foot. Her club background has given her great preparation for the collegiate level. Among our former players, her play reminds me of Dara Wone and Lindsey Peterson."
The quartet will join a Duck women’s soccer squad that graduated only three seniors and two starters - defenders Lindsey Werdell and Dara Wone - from a breakthrough 2003 campaign. The Ducks were in contention for an NCAA trip heading into the final week of the season and ended with a school record nine regular season wins, and tied their best-ever conference win total (3).
Looking ahead to 2004, the squad returns six of last year's top point-getters, seven of its top eight goal scorers and eight of its top assist leaders. Junior-to-be Nicole Garbin broke school season records in 2003 for assists (8) and points (22), and tied the shots record (70). Sophomore-to-be Andrea Valadez led Pac-10 freshmen at the end of the 2003 regular season in goals (7), points (18) and assists (5). Junior-to-be goalkeeper Domenique Lainez ranked first in saves (90) and second in saves per game (4.50 avg.). The 2004 season will mark head coach Bill Steffen’s ninth in Eugene.
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