Las Vegas, NM: NMHU soccer has completed their recruiting for the 2008 season. The Cowgirls will be welcoming 8 new faces to the team in the fall. Coach Ron Blue and staff are extremely excited about the caliber of athlete they have been able to recruit this year. Coach Blue and staff have 3 transfers and 5 freshmen in this 2008 class. Coach Blue and staff are looking forward to the fall to see if their Cowgirls can better their 2007 RMAC tournament berth.

The freshmen in this year’s class are all very talented athletes. Coach Blue and staff expect each of them to help the Cowgirls take the next step towards an RMAC Championship. These freshmen are: Shannon Delarosbil (5’7”, Goalkeeper, Sault Ste Marie, Ontario, Canada), Erika Miller (5’7”, Forward, Aztec, NM), Heidi Nakaoka (5’3”, Midfielder, Los Alamos, NM), Rebekah Wenger (5’6”, Forward/Midfield, Albuquerque, NM), and Ashley Rosales (5’4”, Forward/Midfielder, Las Cruces, NM). Shannon is an outstanding goalkeeper who played club soccer for Sault Youth Civics and Coach Robert Vagnini. Shannon has excellent hands, athleticism and a great work ethic. Shannon plans to major in Forensic Science. Erika helped Aztec High School and coach Stephan Parks to a very successful run in the State High School soccer tournament her senior year. Erika has great speed and athleticism and is comfortable playing many positions on the field. Erika plans to major in Physical Therapy. Heidi is a 4 year letter winner for Coach Jiri Kubicek and the Los Alamos High School Hill toppers. She is a technically gifted player who has excellent speed and reads the game very well. She earned 1st team All-State her senior year. Heidi plans to major in Pre-Dentistry. Rebekah is a very versatile attacking player from El Dorado High School. She plays club soccer for Art Ortega, with the US Club Soccer Academy ’89. Rebekah plans to major in Business Management. Ashley played High School soccer for Alex Reyes and Las Cruces High School. She was a captain and starting center midfielder for the Bulldogs her senior year. Ashley has great game awareness and skill, and is comfortable in any attacking position. She is undecided on her major.

The transfers that Coach Blue and staff have brought in are: Briana Sotlis (5’3”, Goalkeeper, Phoenix, AZ), Shannon McConnel (5’7”, Defender, Aztec, NM), and Virginia Loyola (4’10”, Forward/Midfield, South Lake Tahoe, CA). Coach Blue and staff think these ladies will make an immediate impact on the Cowgirl soccer team. Briana is a Transfer from Phoenix College where she was a 2 year starter for Coach Chris Sagar. Briana comes to Highlands with a great deal of experience in big games. She also earned National Goalkeeper of the Week and played on an end of the season all-star team. Shannon is a transfer from Fort Lewis College. Shannon is a very dedicated player who played High School soccer at Bloomfield and Club soccer in Albuquerque, for Art Ortega. Shannon plans to major in Exercise and Sport Science. Virginia played 2 years at Western Nevada College, for coach, Hillary Arthur. She is a very technical player with excellent speed. She plans to major in Pre-Dentistry.

Coach Blue and staff are very optimistic about the future of Cowgirls soccer. This 2008 recruiting class is very athletic and will only aid in the future success of Cowgirl soccer.