Soccer signs help on both ends of the field

In the midst of spring training, women’s soccer Head Coach Heather Cairns signed on two defenders and two players in the attacking position to play for the Aggies.

The signees include Lauren Hansen, a forward out of Camano Island, Wash., defender/midfielder Heather Hatfield from Mapleton, Utah, midfielder/defender Heather Pond out of Bountiful, and midfielder Stefani Shiozaki from Salt Lake City.

All four players signed letters of intent to play for USU, though they’ve had a verbal commitment to play since last summer, Cairns said.

“We really didn’t have a high turnover from our 2006 team,” Cairns said. “We were looking for high quality players, and we feel we got that.”

The three Utah signees currently play for the Celtic Storm Club, have played together for years and have won five Utah State Cup championships together. They also placed as semi-finalists in the 2004 Far West Regional.

“The first thing that is kind of notable is Heather (Hatfield), Stefani and Heather (Pond) all played for the same club team. That’s nice because they’ve played together for a few years now, so they have a nice chemistry among them,” Cairns said.

Cairns said she was looking for recruits that would add balance to the team on both offense and defense. With the loss of senior forward Charity Weston, senior midfielder/forward Sierra Smith, Cairns said the team would need help in the attack to compete next season.

“I think the two Heathers are more defensive players but actually Shio and Lauren are attacking players,” Cairns said. “I think we needed a healthy balance. No doubt we don’t have a lot of depth in our back line. We needed those attacking players. Our attack is going to look a lot different without Charity.”

In high school, Hansen earned honors as the highest scoring soccer player in Stanwood High School history – and that includes the boys – with 53 career goals. Last season alone she scored 23 goals and earned the Everett Herald’s 2006 All-Area Girls Soccer Player of the Year award. With her high-scoring attack, Hansen led her team to the Washington Class 4A State finals. She also played for the Crossfire Premier Club, which went to the US Club Regional Championship and the US Club National Tournament.

“Lauren is going to be a great target player for us,” Cairns said. “She’s used to playing with her back toward the goal. She’s got some great tactical knowledge of that forward position. She’s able to get in the right position to get in good scoring position.”

Shiozaki received Deseret News Utah Class 4A second-team all-state honors as a senior and was a four-year letter-winner at Cottonwood High School.

“The greatest compliment I can give her is she’s a lot like Sierra,” Cairns said. “She is a player that has a relentless work rate. The thing that we really like about her is her ability to attack from that wide midfield position. She’s able to complete deep penetrating passes. We think she’s really going to add in our attack.”

Hatfield scored eight goals and eight assists in her senior season at Springville High School. She was named a Deseret News honorable mention Utah Class 4A all-state selection and an honorable mention all-valley honoree. She was also a four-year letter-winner.

“Heather’s a wide player. She’s a flank player,” Cairns said. “We think she’s going to spend time in the back, with our back four. She’s a wonderful athlete, very coachable, a great player.”

Pond was part of a Bountiful High School team that made three state championship finals appearances, winning one in 2003 and another in 2006. Pond scored six goals and seven assists her senior year and was chosen as a Deseret News and Salt Lake Tribune first-team Utah Class 4A all-state selection. She was also a two-time first-team all-county honoree.

“Heather is going to be a central player for us,” Cairns said. “I think her strengths lay defensively. She’s good in the air. She likes to tackle. She’s got some quickness to go along with that. She’s really a two-way player. Once she wins the ball, she’s really comfortable with her feet. She likes to attack too.”

Cairns said the new signees already know some of the members of the team and are fitting in well.

The four additions to the soccer team will join nine returning starters and 23 letter-winners from last season’s team. Cairns said the success the team had last season going 10-8-2 will motivate the new players to work hard and try to duplicate that type of success.

“I think that it keeps the kids excited about coming here,” Cairns said. “It gives them something to look forward to and to be proud of.”

-sethhawkins@cc.usu.edu