UNLV WOMEN’S SOCCER ANNOUNCES 11-MEMBER SIGNING CLASS
FOR 2013
First-year head coach
Michael Coll brings in his initial recruiting class
UNLV women’s soccer head coach Michael Coll announced Friday that 11 players have signed national letters of intent to play for the Rebels as part of his first recruiting class for the program. The 11 players hail from a total of five states: Nevada, California, Colorado, Washington and Hawaii.
“I’m very excited about this group of players who make up our 2013 class,” said Coll, who was hired in April of 2012. “Each of them brings important skill sets to the squad in our bid to win a Mountain West Championship in 2013. They are all tremendous additions to the Rebel family and I’m sure that what they do on the field and in the classroom will make our alumni, our community, our student body and our fan base proud.”
The first recruit is Nicole Westover, a 5-7 defender from Henderson, Nev., and a four-year starting defender for Green Valley High. She helped the Gators to one state championship title and two state runner-up finishes, including last season when the team went 17-1-2. As a senior, Westover was earned all-state and all-american honors, as well as being named Player of the Year by the Las Vegas Review-Journal. A three-time all-state honoree for Green Valley, Westover also played for three club teams in Las Vegas: the Las Vegas Premier in 2008-10 (helping them to the 2010 State Cup title), Heat FC 95 in 2011-12, and currently is a member of Players FC since 2012.
Another local recruit is Dakota Blazak, a 5-3 forward from Las Vegas. She started every game last season while leading Arbor View High to the division championships and the Northwest Region quarterfinals in her only year at the school after moving from Phoenix, Ariz. While in Arizona, Blazak played for Sereno 95 – five-time State Cup champions and region quarterfinalists in 2010. She has since joined Heat FC 95 in Las Vegas, and was the leading goal scorer for the team in the summer of 2012.
Also hailing from Las Vegas is 5-6 midfielder Courtney Anderson. A two-time team MVP for Silverado High, Anderson earned All-Southeast League, All-Sunrise Region and All-Southern Nevada honors her junior season in 2012. She is a member of Heat FC in Las Vegas and played on the squad that won the Surf Cup in 2011, and has also participated in the Nevada ODP as a center midfielder.
Next is Denver native Katie Vanderzwaag. A 5-7 left-footed defender/midfielder for Chaparral High, Vanderzwaag started all four years for the Wolverines. She also played at outside back for the Real Colorado National Club team, based out of Highlands Ranch, and helped them to a regional championship.
The next four all come from the state of California. Michaela Kelsey is a 5-4 defender and native of El Dorado. The two-sport star athlete played four years for the Oak Ridge High soccer team, and is currently in her fourth season on the track team, having finished third in the league in the triple jump. Kelsey a left-footed defender/midfielder plays club soccer with Placer United Soccer Club in Northern California.
Coming from Yorba Linda is Taryn Tanaka. A 5-3 defender, Tanaka is a two-time all-league selection for Yorba Linda High and is currently starting her third season as an outside defender. She also plays for Tustin United – semifinalists at the National Cup in the summer of 2011 and Slammers Cup champions in 2010 and 2011.
Kendall Sandoval (5-6) is another Golden State native, from La Canada and who plays for Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy. She has played at both midfield and defender for the Tologs, helping them to a combined 45-4-5 mark her sophomore and juniors years, as well as a league championship and an appearance in the regional state final her sophomore season in 2011. Sandoval earned the team’s Coaches’ Award in 2012, and is the team captain this season. The past six years she has played for the Tustin United club team, ranked 11th in the region and 32nd in the nation, alongside incoming Rebel Taryn Tanaka. She helped the squad to a league cup title and to the Cal South State Cup finals as well.
Hailing from Temecula is Jordan Magnin. A 5-5 midfielder, she is a four-year starter and led Temecula Valley High to the league championship as a junior and an appearance in the finals her sophomore season. A two-time all-league selection, she was the youngest captain in school history as a sophomore, and is currently near the end of her senior year for the Golden Bears. Magnin plays her club soccer for So Cal Blues in the ECNL.
Coming from the Northwest is North Bend, Wash., native Miranda Rawlings. A 5-3 forward/midfielder, she has started all four years for Mount Si High, and set a school single-season record with 36 points (13 goals and 10 assists). That earned her not only first team all-state honors, she was also named the KingCo 3A player of the Year and was a Seattle Times Star Times All-Area Team selection. In her four-year career, Rawlings has four all-league honors (three first team), three team Offensive Player of the Year honors, was team MVP in 2012, and also led the KingCo conference in scoring. She has played for Eastside FC G94 since 2008, and helped the club to the state championship title in 2012 and to regional quarterfinals. Rawlings has also played JV Basketball (team MVP as a freshman) and softball for two seasons for the Wildcats.
The final recruits are both from Honolulu, Hawaii. Lily Sender is a 5-9 striker who played one year of soccer in high school for St. Andrews Priory for a squad that was the Division 2 state champions. She then concentrated on her club soccer team and was a member of the Honolulu Bulls in 2010 and 2012, helping them to a second-place finish in the State Cup both years, as well as an appearance in the regionals in 2012.
Isabelle Delgado, meanwhile, is a 5-11 defender/midfielder that has helped her Moanalua High squad to three quarterfinal appearances and one semifinal appearance in the state tournament. A four-year player for Leahi in Honolulu, she helped the club team reach the Far West regionals in 2009, 2010 and 2012. She is also a standout on the track team, making the final heat at the state championships in the 200m, 400m, 4x400m and the long jump as a freshman and sophomore, and the 400m her junior season.
UNLV, in its first year under Coll as head coach, posted a 12-4-4 record and reached the semifinals of the Mountain West tournament in 2012. Eight starters will be returning from that squad for the Rebels.