Emporia State soccer coach Bryan Sailer wanted to add some team speed for next season, and he has made progress in that regard with the addition of six signees for his 2012 recruiting class.
“I am very excited for this 2012 class of student-athletes,” Sailer said. “We have addressed some areas of need for our team. First and foremost, we have gotten faster. I like to be able to push the pace and get the ball forward in a hurry. I believe we will be more dynamic in a sense that we will be able to attack in different ways.”
The Hornets also signed a local product in Emporia High’s Emily Burris. Burris, a forward, was named first team All-State, first team All-Region and first team All-Centennial League as a junior for the Spartans. She scored 22 total goals for EHS last season.
“Emily is a fast direct forward that can score goals,” Sailer said. “She is a player who can get to the goal. She is physically solid and she can create on her own.”
Rounding out the list is forward Thomasenia Bouknight, a transfer from Johnson County Community College, midfielder/forward Sarah Crawford from Shawnee Mission Northwest, defender Emily Haselwood from Olathe North, midfielder Perri Mulder from Olathe South and Katie Wolfe a defender from Topeka Hayden.
Bouknight scored 30 goals and added 25 assists for a total of 85 career points for the Caviliers. She was a first team All-KJCAA Region Four selection as well as being named to the All-Jayhawk Conference.
Crawford was an All-KC Metro and All-Sunflower league performer for the Cougars. Haselwood was an All-Sunflower League performer for the Eagles during her senior season.
Mulder was a two-year letter winner for the Falcons, and Wolfe was named second team All-District and honorable mention All-City for the Wildcats.
“Katie is a very athletic center back with good size and physical skills,” Sailer said. “She can cover a lot of ground and she is very mature tactically.”
Sailer added the six recruits should fit in well as the Hornets look to take another step forward in 2012.
“Overall, this group possesses good speed, good size, and good character,” Sailer said. “It’s exciting to put it all together with what we have returning and make a bigger push forward next fall.”
The Hornets went 3-10-5 overall last year and qualified for the MIAA Tournament.