GREENSBORO, NC – UNC Greensboro women’s soccer coach Eddie Radwanski received commitments from four student-athletes during the National Letter of Intent signing period.
The Spartans welcomed four standout athletes from North Carolina: Nicole Danford from Cary, Casey Godwin from Raleigh, Kelsey Kearney from Durham, and Kimberly Murphy from Wake Forest.
Danford, a midfield/defender, has played 12 years for the North Carolina Capital Area Soccer League (CASL) under the direction of Jay Howell. For the past six years, she has been a member of the North Carolina State Olympic Development (ODP) Team. Last year, her ODP team won the Region III Premier championship and the NC State Cup title, making them the first women’s team in North Carolina to take both titles in the same year. In 2006, she was selected to the Region III ODP player pool and in 2005, she was a member of the Super Y National team.
Captain of her team at Green Hope High School, Danford was named to the Tri-Eight all-conference team her first three years with the Falcons. She is a two-time all-region selection and was named the team’s Most Valuable Player as a sophomore.
A member of the North Carolina Olympic Development team since 2004, Godwin was selected to the ODP Region III pool in 2005 and 2006 as a defender. Along with ODP, she has also been a member of the ’89 CASL Spartan Elite team for the past seven years. The team has won the North Carolina Youth Soccer Association (NCYSA) state championship five out of the past six years.
To further develop her talent, Godwin has played on the USL Super Y League ODP Team (2005, 2006), the USL Super Y League National ODP team (2005). Her Super Y League team was the South Atlantic Champions in 2005 and 2006. Godwin also had the chance to play in the United States Youth Soccer Association (USYSA) Region III East Premier League Championships (2005) and the USYSA Southern Region Semi-finals (2005).
Godwin is a two-year varsity letterwinner for Milbrook High School. She earned two Cap7 Athletic Conference All-Conference and Academic All-Conference honors (2004, 2005) and in 2004 was selected to the all-region team. She is also a four-year member of the Wildcat A/B Honor Roll.
Under coach Pete Sadin, Kearney has played seven years for the Hillsborogh, NC Triangle Futbol Club (TFC) as a keeper and for the past three years has been teammates with fellow signee, Kimberly Murphy. Together the two led TFC to a 2007 (NCYSA) championship, a 2006 Orange Classic championship, and a 2007 Washington Area Girl’s Soccer (WAGS) League title. The team was also a 2005 Super Y Nationals North American semi-finalist.
Kearney, a three-year member of the Super Y ODP team, is a five-time varsity letterwinner for Durham Academy under coach Susan Ellis and is a two-time TISAC all-conference selection as a goalkeeper. She helped the Cavaliers to back-to-back conference championships in 2006 and 2007 and an appearance in the state finals in 2006. In addition, Kearney is a two-time all-conference selection in basketball (2006, 2007) and in her one year of tennis, she received the Coach’s Award.
At midfield, Murphy also played three years for the CASL team. In 2003 they claimed the NC State Championship. She is a three-year letterwinner for Wake Forest-Rolesville High School and has played all three field positions (forward, midfielder, defender) for the Cougars. Last year, she was selected as an all-conference honorable mention for the Cap7 Athletic Conference. She is a member of the National Honor Society and the Science Honor Society.
“We are excited to have signed four of the top players in-state, “said Radwanski.”These ladies will be a great addition to the team not only on the field, but in the classroom as well.”
“Nicole is one of the best high school players in North Carolina right now. She is a very versatile player with years of ODP experience under her belt. She has the ability to play both in the midfield and in the back, but what we really like about her is that she is very skilled on the left-side.”
“Casey is one of North Carolina’s hidden talents. She’s an outstanding and versatile athlete who has ODP experience and the ability to bring a lot of different dimensions to our backfield. I’m excited to see what she will add to our defensive line.”
“As for Kelsey, we needed to add another keeper and she was a perfect fit. She’s a gifted athlete that just seems to bring a new dynamic to the position. She has an excellent kick-game and is not afraid of contact. Get her training with Siri [Mullinix] and she has the potential to become even better in the box.”
“Kim is a constant hard worker with a great amount of heart and an energy that is contagious. She’s very crafty and tricky dribbler. Her style of play will add a lot of depth to our midfield.”
“All-in-all, I think this signing class will add nothing but positives to our program. I am eager, and so is the rest of the team, to see what’s in store for us this fall.”
These four athletes will join a highly successful UNCG program which holds six Southern Conference Tournament and regular season titles. The 2007 team won an undefeated conference regular season title and finished second at the SoCon tournament. With a record of 15-4-1, the team earned an at-large bid to the national tournament where they played into the second round for the fifth time in the program’s history.
For news about UNCG women’s soccer, complete season schedule, and any other information regarding Spartan athletics log onto www.UNCGSpartans.com.
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