Feb. 5, 2010

SPOKANE, Wash. - Gonzaga University head women's soccer coach Amy Edwards has announced the signing of four players to National Letters of Intent. Katie Crum, Emily Eckmann, Cassie Geerdts and Danielle Simien have each signed NLI's while Erin Ennis and Kellie Shreve have each made commitments to enroll and will join the Zags in fall 2010.

"Our goal for this class was to increase our competitiveness and athletic ability as those are the needs for our style of play and for our program to continue to take steps forward," stated Edwards. "We are very impressed with what these six student-athletes will bring to our program academically, athletically, and as human beings. They are great individuals and will represent our soccer program and wonderful university very well."

Crum is a defender out of Los Altos High School in Los Altos, Calif. where she served as team captain and earned All-SCVAL first team honors as a senior. Crum has also been the captain of the MVLA Avalanche club team since 2002 and helped them claim California State Club Championships in 2007 and 2008. She has routinely taken part of the District II Olympic Development Program since 2005 and chose Gonzaga over Cal Poly University, Oregon State University and University of Nevada.

"Katie has an attacking mentality as a defender and has the ability to start our offense from the defensive position, which is extremely exciting to us," stated Edwards. "She has great tactical understanding of the game and her technical ability as a defender will benefit our program tremendously. She has the potential to be a fantastic player here at Gonzaga and we expect her to contribute quite a lot during her career as a Zag."

Eckmann signs an NLI to come to Gonzaga after earning Washington All-State second team honors the past two seasons at Seattle Prep in Seattle, Wash. The midfielder was named the team's MVP and most inspirational player as a senior and was part of two All-Metro League title teams in 2006 and 2008. Eckmann has played for ECFC club team since 1992, helping the team to four straight Washington State Club titles 2006-09 and a Surf Cup Final appearance in 2009. She chose Gonzaga over Drake University and the University of Northern Colorado because of the closeness, the comfort and how welcome she felt in the Spokane community during her visit to Gonzaga.

"Emily immediately stood out because she is a player that never stops working on both sides of the ball," commented Edwards. "She has a tremendous work ethic and competitiveness that we are seeking in our demanding system. Emily is such a humble individual, that she doesn't always understand how much she truly impacts a game and contributes to the team's overall success. We are very excited about her joining our program."

Geerdts, a forward out of Aurora, Colo. will join the Zags in fall 2010 after closing out her career at Regis High School with two All-Continental League honors including a first team selection as a senior. Geerdts also played club soccer for Real National, helping the team reach the Colorado Soccer Club State quarterfinals in 2006 and 2007 and the final in 2009. She chose Gonzaga over University of Utah, Iowa State University, St. Johns University and Harvard University.

"Cassie is a very versatile player that continues to get better and better every time we watch her play," commented Edwards. "She has the ability to play as a forward or in any number of other positions, which is why we feel she has a lot to offer our team for next four years. One thing we love is that she wants the ball and she is willing to do the work off the ball to go get it. This type of mentality is rare and really excites us about Cassie."

Simien, out of Corona, Calif. signs with the Bulldogs after impressive careers at Santiago High School and with the Slammers FC club team. As a senior the defender earned All-Garden Grove League honors and led SHS to a Garden Grove League title. She also ran track and was named the basketball team's best offensive player.

"We are very fortunate to be adding a player of Danielle's abilities to our roster for next fall," Edwards said. "She is such a feisty, tenacious and speedy defender who loves to get involved in the attack up and down the flank as an outside back. She will make an immediate impact on our program because of her explosive athletic abilities and passion for the game. Danielle will fit in our style of play very nicely here at Gonzaga."

Ennis, a 2008 All-Pacific Conference midfielder out of Tualatin High School in Tualatin, Ore. will join the Zags after starting the past three seasons at THS. Ennis helped the Timberwolves claim a Pacific Conference league title her junior season and reach the 2008 Oregon State semifinal match. She also ran three seasons of track, earning All-Pacific first team honors in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m and the team MVP as a junior. Chose Gonzaga over Boise State University and Montana State University.

"Erin is a tough, hard-nosed player that plays with such passion and energy," stated Edwards. "Our staff is really excited to have the opportunity to coach her because of her work rate and no-nonsense mindset. She has quality athletic ability and has the versatility to play in many positions for us. Erin will definitely add great depth to our team next year and the future."

Shreve agrees to come to Gonzaga after putting together a very impressive four-year career as a defender at Eastlake High School in Sammamish, Wash. In her junior and senior seasons, Shreve recorded 15 assists and scored two goals, earning All-KingCo honorable mention and led the team to the KingCo Final Four each season. She also played for the Crossfire Premier club team, posting 34 shutouts in 52 matches. Shreve chose Gonzaga over University of Denver, Saint Mary's and Seattle University because of the friendly, close-knit atmosphere throughout the Spokane community.

"Kellie is a strong, physical individual and a very good one-one-one defender. These qualities along with her coachable attitude will allow her the opportunity to continue developing as a player in our system," Edwards stated. "We expect that she will add some much needed depth to our defensive line. Once she adapts to our system and style of play she should have a solid career here at GU."

The Bulldogs open their spring season at home Mar. 20 against University of Montana.