DeLAND—Stetson women's soccer head coach Manoj Khettry and assistant coach Emily Buccilla today announced the signing of seven student-athletes to National Letters-of-Intent to continue their education and playing careers with the Hatters, beginning next fall.
Khettry and Buccilla put together a recruiting class which features athletes from five states and two countries. Included in the class are: Erin Avers (Clearwater, Fla.), Briana Doust (Spring Valley, Calif.), Riana Metzger (Chandler, Ariz.), Ashlee Oleinikow (Faribault, Minn.), Janina Scharnbacher (Saint Augustin, Germany), Reagan Secrest (New Port Rickey, Fla.), and Hailey Williams (Saint Leonard, Md.).
“Emily and I are excited about this class of players,” said Khettry. “We have had a long time to evaluate them, get to know them and ensure that each and every one of them is a great fit for our program. We are adding primarily offensive-minded players who we feel will be dynamic attackers.
“We are also adding two goalkeepers who we feel will step into our team and compete immediately for playing time with our returning goalkeeper, Kahri Smith. The level of athleticism, technique and tactical acumen these players have along with their competitiveness make them great additions to our team, our culture and our university. Emily and I can't wait to get the opportunity to work with them and integrate them into our team.”
Erin Avers ● M ● Clearwater, Fla. (Clearwater HS)
Avers played as a forward for Clearwater High School where she is also an Honor Roll Student. She was elected as Rookie of the Year as a freshman. Her sophomore year she received the Silver Boot. Avers was named Defensive MVP as a junior. She finished her senior season with eight goals and two assists in five games before her season ended due to injury.
Avers helped her club team finish second in Florida State Premier League in 2013. In 2012 the team had a State Cup Elite 8 finish. In 2013 and 2014 the team won the Disney Qualifier Tournament along with the Champions Cup with the club, Largo United. Avers is currently playing for the West Florida Flames, and was also recruited by Northwestern State.
Says Khettry:“Erin is an extremely athletic, fast, powerful forward who can cause problems dribbling one-on-one against defenders, as well as running behind defenders off the ball. She is tall and good in the air but also is a technically sound forward who can play with her back to goal. We see Erin playing her best soccer in college and see her as a player with a huge upside in terms of development. She has been extremely competitive in crossfit competitions and also ran track; we like that she has a multi-lateral athletic background. She has a great goal-scoring mentality and we see her playing a number of positions possibly both in attack and as a flank defender, but for sure, she will add speed and athleticism, as well as, size to our team.”
Briana Daoust ● M ● Spring Valley, Calif. (Steele Canyon HS)
Daoust played as a center midfielder at Steele Canyon High School in Spring Valley, Calif., where she was an Academic Excellence Award winner. She has helped her team to three straight league championships. In 2012, she was named League Freshman of the Year. Daoust was second-team all-league selection during her sophomore and junior season. Daoust was also named second-team all-CIF as a junior.
Daoust played club soccer for Albion SC in 2014 where the team advanced to Region 4 finals. The team earned championships at both the Eclipse College Showcase and Las Vegas Player's Showcase. The team also won four other tournaments: Albion, Legends, November Nights, and Eagle's Cup. She was a teammate of current Hatter Annette Morton.
Daoust was also recruited by Houston, Northern Colorado, and Cal State Northridge.
Says Khettry: “Bri is a pro-typical holding midfielder. She has range in her passing, great vision and is very comfortable winning balls in midfield both on the ground and in the air. She is also two-footed and can escape pressure by shielding and finding passes under pressure. Bri may also have a chance to play as a central defender, but once again, she gives us mobility, size and brings technical composure to our midfield. I know our current midfielders will enjoy playing with her because she is an excellent passer.”
Riana Metzger ● F ● Chandler, Ariz. (Hamilton HS)
Metzger played as a forward at Hamilton High School in Chandler, Ariz. Metzger represented her team as the captain during her junior and senior year. She helped the team reach state championship and scored a goal in the finals, where HHS ultimately lost on penalty kicks. She helped guide her team to a state quarterfinal appearance as a junior. Currently in her senior season, the team is 13-4-3. Metzger has 21 career goals and eight assists. She also won the ASU Spirit of Service junior scholarship.
Metzger played for the Arizona ODP team in 2012 and 2013 where she was a member of the Region 4 A-Pool twice. Her team regional finalists each year, and in 2013 Metzger was the team captain. She also played for San Tan Legacy where she helped lead the team to three straight state championship games, and state titles in 2012 and 2014.
Metzger was also recruited by Utah Valley, Portland State, Cal Poly, and Northern Arizona.
Says Khettry: “The first thing that you notice about Riana is that she wants to create and score goals. I love her aggressiveness and attitude as a forward. Defenders are not going to enjoy having to play against her. Her movement is dynamic and continuous and you can see that she loves being an attacker. She's fast, tenacious and creative both on and off the ball; she is very competitive and plays much bigger than she is. We see her playing at any of the three attacking positions up front and we know she will help us create and score goals. I think she is going to add some speed for us on the flank and give us another option who can dribble and take players on, as well as, threaten the restraining line off the ball.”
Ashlee Oleinikow ● GK ● Ottawa, Canada (Shattuck St. Mary's)
Oleinikow played as a goalkeeper at Shattuck St. Mary's High School where she was awarded fall, spring, and end of year honors during 2013-2014. In fall 2013, she played 12 games without giving up a goal, combining 25 shutouts. The team won the 2014 MRL Premier Championships. Oleinikow's team went 9-0-0 in 2014 where she only gave up one goal in nine games while the team gave up just four total. This year, she has allowed just seven goals and has 10 shutouts while her team is 18-5-4.
In Canada, Oleinikow was a member of the Kanata Soccer Club in 2011 where she was awarded MVP of the Frank Sobil Spring Classic Oshawa Tournament. In 2012, she was a part of the West Ottawa Soccer Club where she was awarded West Ottawa Soccer Club's MVP of the Ontario Cup Soccer tournament. Oleinikow was the team captain for West Ottawa in 2010 to 2012. In 2013-14, when she attended Shattuck St. Mary's, her team was a State Cup finalist. Her team also won Midwest College Showcase and Cross Roads Showcase bracket.
She was also recruited by IPFW, Middle Tennessee, Gardner-Webb and UALR.
Says Khettry: “Ashlee is a very athletic, explosive and dynamic goalkeeper. She has solid technique, a great vertical leap and is an excellent shot-stopper. She is very good with her feet and so she will help us build our attack from the back and also allow our defenders to be able to use her as a support player. Ashlee is also the kind of person who thrives in a competitive environment. Having been at Shattuck-St. Mary's and competing against 2-3 other goalkeepers daily, she has a mature sense of pressure. She is also very confident in the air on crosses and along with our other two goalkeepers will give us three excellent options in the net.”
Janina Scharnbacher ● GK ● Saint Augustin, Germany (Rhein-Sieg Gymnasium)
Scharnbacher played as a goalkeeper at Rhein-Sieg-Gymnasium in Saint Augustin, Germany. Janina played club soccer with FV Mittelrhein from 2010-14. She also participated with Bayer 04 Leverkusen, a member of the German Bundesliga. Janina trained with the 1st team and played with the U-19 squad.
She was also recruited by Louisiana Tech and Fresno State.
Says Khettry: “Janina is a very sound, technically strong goalkeeper. She has great hands and rarely drops or spills shots. She is extremely calm and very confident with the ball at her feet. She feels comfortable being part of the build-up in the back and is a very skillful player with her feet. She communicates well with her defenders and has played and trained at a very high level in Germany. I love her composure and evenness of temper. She doesn't get too high or too low and has a sense of calm about her that is very comforting to her team. One of the things that also impresses me about Janina is her footwork and movement getting set to make saves. Her angle play is excellent and she stays connected to her defenders during the game. Once again, she is going to add another strong presence in net to our team.”
Reagan Secrest ● M ● New Port Richey, Fla. (River Ridge HS)
Secrest played as a center midfielder at River Ridge High School in New Port Richey. She helped her team reach regional finals as a freshman. As a sophomore, her team won district championship while she was named an all-conference midfielder. In two seasons, she had 12 goals and 14 assists. She chose to play with a club instead of her high school team during her junior and senior seasons.
In 2013, she played for VSI West Florida Flames where the team finished tenth in the country along with winning the Disney Showcase Tournament. Secrest will once again play for VSI WFF this year. She is a 3-star player and is ranked 26th player in the region by www.TopDrawerSoccer.com
Secrest was also recruited by Florida Gulf Coast, Memphis, North Florida, Elon, Florida Atlantic, Missouri, UMass, Miami (Fla.), and Troy.
Says Khettry: “From the first time that I saw Reagan play, I knew she would fit in well with our team. First and foremost, Reagan loves to pass the ball and can do so with both feet, on the dribble, stationary or under pressure. She is always looking to keep possession of the ball and when possible to play penetrating balls forward. She can shoot with both feet and is another player who will add height and a physical presence in midfield. Because Reagan rarely loses the ball, I can see her helping us keep possession in all parts of the field and I know the other midfielders are truly going to enjoy playing with her because she makes it easy to combine with her and she brings other players into the game with her range of passing. I also see Reagan ghosting into key areas to finish as well as providing the final pass for teammates to finish.”
Hailey Williams ● M/F ● Saint Leonard, Md. (Calvert High School)
Williams started as a midfielder for four seasons at Calvert High School where she was first-team All-Academic all four years and first-team All-Conference and All-County as a sophomore, junior, and senior. She led the team to three one-loss seasons and a state championship in 2014. Williams recorded 52 career goals and 100 career assists, including 26 goals and 47 assists as a senior. Williams was the Team Captain during her junior and senior seasons. As a senior, she was first-team All-State and All-MET along with earning the NSCAA Senior Excellence Award, conference Player of the Year and county Player of the Year.
Williams was a member of Maryland's ODP team from 2010 to 2012. She also played with four different clubs throughout high school. From 2011 to 2012 she played for club Herndon where they won the Disney Showcase and CASL Showcase tournaments. From 2012 to 2013 she played for McLean, which was the second ranked team nationally. During this time, the team won Virginia State Championship and ECNL (Elite Clubs National League) conference. From 2013 to 2014 she played for the ECNL National tournament qualifying team, Bethesda. She is currently playing for MD United FC.
Williams was also recruited by Loyola University, George Washington, American, and Marshall.
Says Khettry: “Hailey is versatile as an attacking player: she can play as an attacking midfielder, wide on the flank as a forward or as a false “9” in the center. She is athletic, has good size and great vision. She distributes the ball well and loves to combine with others and provide final passes for her teammates to score goals. I think Hailey is another player who will develop and play her best soccer in college. Much like a couple of her new teammates, Hailey loves to pass the ball and be a part of attacking movements with groups of players. I'm excited about her upside and I know she is looking forward to playing in our style and system of play.”
