MOSCOW, Idaho - The Idaho women's soccer team and head coach Derek Pittman are excited to announce their 2016 signing class. Seven new student-athletes will join the defending Big Sky Conference Regular Season Champions for the start of the 2016 season.
The Vandals return a ton of talent from last year's roster, but expect this year's class to make an immediate impact on the program. In all, Idaho adds three defenders, three midfielders and one forward.
"It is an exciting time to be part of Idaho Vandals Soccer! Coming off our Big Sky Regular Season Championship in 2015, it gives me great pleasure to introduce our 2016 recruiting class for next fall. Although we will only lose one player to graduation off our 2015 roster, our coaching staff felt it was very important to build for the future now. We are quietly optimistic about 2016 because we will return our entire starting lineup, but with 9 seniors on the team we knew that we needed to strengthen the roster with a good crop of young players that can challenge for playing time now as well as continue the winning culture our current players have worked so hard to build.”
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"These seven players will help add depth in many areas but we also fully expect them to come in and challenge for playing time. They are very talented in a number of spots and have tremendous potential to help take this program even further. Each of them comes from a championship environment and will add speed and technical ability, as well as mental toughness to an already strong roster. On top of their abilities on the field, they are all very good in the classroom with excellent high school GPA's. The future is bright for Vandals Soccer for 2016 and beyond.”
| 2016 Idaho Women's Soccer Signing Class |
| Signee |
Pos. |
Ht. |
Hometown (Previous School) |
Club |
| Morgan Crosby |
MF |
5'2 |
Spokane, Wash. (University HS) |
Spokane Shadow SC |
| Alex Chambers |
F |
5'7 |
Spokane, Wash. (Mead Senior HS) |
Spokane Shadow SC |
| Crosby MacKinnon |
D |
5'4 |
Del Mar, Calif. (Cathedral Catholic HS) |
Carlsbad United FC |
| Myah Merino |
MF |
5'2 |
San Marcos, Calif. (San Marcos HS) |
Carlsbad United FC |
| Taylor Brust |
D |
5'8 |
Oceanside, Calif. (Oceanside HS) |
San Diego Surf ECNL |
| Malia Elizabeth Morales |
MF |
5'6 |
Santa Barbara, Calif. (Dos Pueblos HS) |
Santa Barbara SC |
| Rebecca Buratto |
D |
5'10 |
Goleta, Calif. (Dos Pueblos HS) |
Santa Barbara SC |
| MF |
5'2 |
Spokane, Wash. |
University HS |
Spokane Shadow SC |
Photo Gallery |
ODP
- Idaho ODP G97
- ODP Championships – Second Place
High School
- University High School – Coach: Megan Perkins
- All-GSL (2013, 2014, 2015)
Club
- Spokane Shadow – Coach: Kevin Moon
- Washington State Championships Champion (2015)
- Washington State Championships Galazo's Best XI (2015)
Academic
- National Honor Society
- John Hopkins Center for Talented Youth
- National Honor Society Historian
- Junior National Honor Society
Personal
- Born January 26, 1998
- Daughter of Mike and Lidiya Crosby
- Intends to study chemical engineering or accounting
Pittman -"Morgan was one of the first recruits I went after when I got this job 2 years ago. I have watched Mo play since she was in 8th grade and she has developed into a top player that is going to help us continue challenging for Big Sky Championships. The most impressive quality about Mo is that she is a relentless competitor that defends and attacks for 90 minutes. She is a skilled and tactically aware midfielder that will help us on both sides of the ball. She plays with an intense passion for the game, while exuding calmness and smooth technical ability that will help our team keep possession or score goals.”
|
| F |
5'7 |
Spokane, Wash. |
Mead Senior HS |
Spokane Shadow SC |
Photo Gallery |
ODP
- Idaho ODP G97
- Phoenix Championships (2014)
- Regional camp (2014)
- Regional team member – Florida (2014)
High School
- Mead Senior High School – Coach: Kevin Houston
- First Team All-GSL (2014, 2015)
- District Champions (2014)
- WIAA Athlete of the Week (Week 9, 214)
- Scored 24 goals and recorded 19 assists in her career
Club
- Spokane Shadow – Coach: Kevin Moon
- Washington State Championships Champion (2015)
- Washington State Championships Galazo's Best XI (2015)
- Washington State Championships Galazo's Best XI (2013)
Academic
Personal
- Born November 24, 1997
- Daughter of Sean and Tara Chambers
- Intends to study pre-med
Pittman - “With the recent graduation of Reagan Quigley, we needed to add a forward to our roster for 2016. Alex has excellent athletic ability, pace and strength as an attacking player. We feel she is a dual threat with her ability to face up and attack defenders on the dribble or play back to goal to help hold the ball up in possession. Alex also has experience scoring big-time goals in big moments, having scored the game tying and game winning goals to lead her club team to a state championship in 2015. She is going to gain even more strength and power in our program as she reaches her full potential.”
|
| D |
5'4 |
Del Mar, Calif. |
Cathedral Catholic HS |
Carlsbad United FC |
Photo Gallery |
High School
- Cathedral Catholic Hs – Coach: Dawn Lee
- CIF SoCal Champions (2014, 2015)
- Western League Champions (2013, 2014, 2015)
Club
- Carlsbad United – Coach: Michael Duggan
- USYSA National League Champions ('13, '14, '15)
- USYSA National Championship 3rd place ('13, '14, '15)
- Cal South State Cup finalist (2015)
Personal
- Born December 9, 1997
- Daughter of Kevin and Ashley MacKinnon
- Intends to study biology/anatomy
- Mother, Ashley, was a member of the junior Olympic team in swimming
Pittman - "We continue to tap into the huge talent pool of players coming out of California, and Crosby is a fantastic product of that environment. She has played in one of the highest leagues in the country and has competed for National Championships for the last three years. We see Crosby as a future outside back for our program. She has the accurate passing ability and pace to provide a threat on the attack along with the strength and quickness to be a top end defender. We ask a lot of our outside defenders in our system and we feel Crosby is going to be able to handle those expectations as she competes for playing time.”
|
| MF |
5'2 |
San Marcos, Calif. |
San Marcos HS |
Carlsbad United FC |
Photo Gallery |
ODP
- Region IV alternate (2015)
- Member of the spring/summer pool and the winter pool (2014)
High School
- San Marcos High School – Coach: Janet Parise
- Senior captain
- All-League Second Team (2015)
- All-League Academic Team (2015)
- All League Honorable Mention (2014)
- All-League Academic Team (2014)
- JV Most Valuable Player as a freshman (2013)
Club
- Carlsbad United – Coach: Michael Duggan
- USYSA National League Champions ('13, '14, '15)
- USYSA National Championship 3rd place ('13, '14, '15)
- Cal South State Cup finalist (2015)
Academic
- Knight's Honor Roll (Four Years)
Personal
- Born August 19, 1998
- Daughter of Stuart and Barbara Merino
- Has not decided on a major
Pittman - “We are super excited about Myah being part of this recruiting class. She is a dynamic player that is an absolute blast to watch when on the ball. Our staff feels that she has the ability to play as an attacking midfielder or forward, because she is highly skilled, extremely quick on the dribble and can break down defenses with her technical ability or by simply running past helpless defenders. Myah works very hard on both sides of the ball and we look forward to watching her develop in our program. She is smart in the classroom and on the field, with a high level of championship experience.”
|
| D |
5'8 |
Oceanside, Calif. |
Oceanside HS |
San Diego Surf ECNL |
Photo Gallery |
High School
- Oceanside HS – Coach: Miguel Barragan
- All-League First Team (2013-14)
- Defensive Player of the Year (2013-14)
- Rookie of the Year (2012-13)
- Valley League Champions (2013, 2014, 2015)
- Scored 13 goals and recorded 16 assists in her career
Club
- San Diego Surf ECNL – Coach: Sean Ganey
- Surf Cup Champions (2013)
Academic
- Girard Prep Scholar
- RYLA Recipiant
- Honor Roll
- AP Scholar
Personal
- Born March 20, 1998
- Daughter of Colin and Jennifer Brust
- Intends to study neuroscience
Pittman - “Taylor is a top level defender that has tremendous athleticism and experience playing at the highest level in the country. She plays for one of the best soccer clubs in the country, San Diego Surf ECNL, where she continues to develop as a top player. Week in and week out, she is training and competing against players that are going to some of the top conferences in the country. Taylor is a going to be a strong defender for us and we are ecstatic to have her as a Vandal. We are looking forward to watching her learn and grow while playing alongside two of the best center backs in the Big Sky, Amanda Pease and Kelly Dopke.”
|
| MF |
5'6 |
Santa Barbara, Calif. |
Dos Pueblos HS |
Santa Barbara SC |
Photo Gallery |
High School
- Dos Pueblos HS – Coach: Hugh Hollis
- Girls Soccer Player of the Year – Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table (2015)
- Team MVP (2015)
- All-Channel League First Team (2014, 2015)
- All-Channel League Second Team (2013)
Club
- Santa Barbara Soccer Club – Coach: Austin Risenhoover
- Albion Cup National Soccer Showcase Champions (2015)
- CA National Cup semifinalists (2015)
- Finished 4th in the Premiere League (2015)
- Represented SoCal at the Region IV National Cup (2014)
- Legends Showcase Champions (2014)
- State Cup finalists (2012)
- Region IV President's Cup semifinalists (2012)
- Coast Soccer League Silver Elite Champions (2012)
Academic
- National Honor Society
- California Scholastic Federation
- Engineering Academy
Personal
- Born February 12, 1998
- Daughter of Robert and Susan Morales
- Has not decided on a major, but plans to study in the areas of science and mathematics
Pittman - “When we are evaluating future talent for our program, we immediately look for players that have a high work rate and players that are willing to defend and attack. Malia fits that description to the letter. The first time I saw her play, she outworked every individual on the field and then some. She leads by example and is always willing to do all the little things right in order to make her teammates better. Malia is a quality soccer player with plenty of talent but an even better person. She possesses the intangibles that are hard to teach and we expect her to have a bright future as a Vandal.”
|
| D |
5'10 |
Goleta, Calif. |
Dos Pueblos HS |
Santa Barbara SC |
Photo Gallery |
High School
- Dos Pueblos HS – Coach: Hugh Hollis
- Team Captain
- All-Channel League (2015)
- CIF Sweet Sixteen (2015)
- Also competed in track
Club
- Santa Barbara Soccer Club – Austin Risenhoover
- Albion Cup National Soccer Showcase Champions (2015)
- CA National Cup semifinalists (2015)
- Finished 4th in the Premiere League (2015)
- Represented SoCal at the Region IV National Cup (2014)
- Legends Showcase Champions (2014)
- State Cup finalists (2012)
- Region IV President's Cup semifinalists (2012)
- Coast Soccer League Silver Elite Champions (2012)
Academic
- National Honor Society
- California Scholarship Federation
- Community Service Award (2016)
- Member of the 2016 Leadership Class
Personal
- Born February 28, 1998
- Daughter of Steven and Laura Buratto
- Intends to study animal sciences or biology
- Grandfather, Steven A. Buratto, played football for the Vandals 1963-66
- Grand uncle, Stan Buratto, played football for the Vandals from 1963-65
- Father played football at Puget Sound
- Mother played volleyball at South Florida
Pittman - “Becca is truly a Vandal! Her grandfather played football for the Vandals in the 60's and her family has strong ties to the University of Idaho. Along with these ties, she has the height, strength and work rate to develop into a good defender. Becca can play as a defender or as a holding midfielder because of her aerial presence and comfort level on the ball in possession. She has a great coach that has helped her grow as a player over the last few years in an extremely competitive league in California. We are excited about the potential she has as part of our Vandal Soccer program.”
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