SPOKANE, Wash. - Gonzaga University head women's soccer coach Amy Edwards has announced the addition of six players for the upcoming season. Ashley Aberton, Karley Baggerly, Sarah Carter, Aliyah Miller, Kristin 'KK' Standish and Sarah Swanson will all suit up for the Bulldogs in the fall of 2013.
"A lot of time and effort went into building this talented class and we anticipate great things from these talented individuals on and off the field," stated Edwards. "We feel that these players will fit in very well to our style of play, core values, and team chemistry here at Gonzaga. This class adds plenty of pace and athleticism to our roster, along with a tremendous winning mentality from their respective club and high school environments. This group addresses our need for players that can score as well as prevent goals. We are very excited about next fall as well as the future of Gonzaga Soccer as we strive to reach our goals of participating in the NCAA tournament and winning a WCC Championship."
| 2013 Gonzaga Women's Soccer Class |
| Player | Position | Hometown | High School | Club Team |
| Ashley Aberton | Forward | Holladay, Utah | Skyline | Sparta United |
| Karley Baggerly | Forward | Canby, Ore. | Canby | OSSA |
| Sarah Carter | Defender | Bonney Lake, Wash. | Sumner | Washington Premier FC ECNL |
| Aliyah Miller | Defender | Bountiful, Utah | Woods Cross | Sparta United |
| Kristin 'KK' Standish | Midfielder | Redmond, Wash. | Eastside Catholic | Eastside FC |
| Sarah Swanson | Goalkeeper | Lake Oswego, Ore. | Lakeridge | OSSA |
| Ashley Aberton |
| Forward | Holladay, Utah | Skyline | Sparta United |
Photo Gallery - 4-year letterwinner for Skyline High School.
- Led Skyline to four-straight regional championships.
- Skyline was state runners-up in 2011 and a state semifinalist in 2012.
- Finished her career as Skyline's career goals leader with 54 goals and career points leader at 146.
- As a senior, scored 22 goals - a school record - and had 11 assists.
- 3-time Salt Lake Tribune First Team All-State.
- 3-time Deseret News First Team All-State.
- 3-time All-Region first team and Region MVP both junior and senior season.
- Won the 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012 State Championships with Sparta United Club Team.
- Won the 2012 Surf Cup Gold Championship with Sparta United Club Team.
- Earned a third place finish at the US Club Soccer Nationals in 2010 with Sparta United Club Team and the Regional Championship in 2011.
- Was the 2010 and 2011 Region Track Champion in the medley relay.
- As a member of the basketball team, was named First Team All-Region and named a Deseret News All State Runner-Up Team Member.
- As a member of the basketball team, won three Regional Championships, was a two-time state semifinalist and one-time state quarterfinalist.
- National Honor Society Member.
"Fast and Fearless is what comes to mind when talking about Ashley," explained Edwards. "She is an extremely quick and tenacious forward that continues to improve on a regular basis under the training of former Zag, Annie Hawkins. Not only does Ashley have the pace to get by defenders 1v1, she also has the skill and 1st touch to finish in tight spaces or ability to score from distance. She is consistently improving herself as a threat on set plays and an individual that will bleed for the Zags each and every time she steps on the field." |
| Karley Baggerly |
| Forward | Canby, Ore. | Canby High | OSSA 94 Blue |
Photo Gallery - 3-year varsity letterwinner at Canby High School
- Scored 14 goals and tallied 13 assists as a senior, leading Canby to an 11-7 record and to the quarterfinals of the OSAA state playoffs; the farthest Canby had made in school history.
- As a senior was named All-Three Rivers League first team and All-State second team.
- As a junior was named All-Three Rivers League first team.
- Finished her career with 26 goals and 22 assists.
- OSSA '94 Blue Club Team was semifinalist at the Oregon State Cup in 2012 and a 2011 quarterfinalists. Also won the 2012 Three Rivers League Champions, team is a Northwest Champions League participant, and won the 2012 Lake Oswego Nike Cup, Oregon Premier League state finalists in 2012 and semifinalists in 2011.
- Is the Canby long jump record holder with a distance of 18 feet 4 inches, and placed sixth in the state championships with a jump of 17 feet and 11 inches.
- Earned All-State honorable mention accolades in the long jump and the 4x1 as a junior.
"Karley is just a tremendous athlete that will cause defenses fits with her pace and size," stated Edwards. "She can take defenders on 1v1 in the flank areas or simply run behind teams for balls over the top to score goals. She has improved dramatically on her ability to serve a quality ball from the flank, which will be a major threat in creating goal-scoring opportunities for our team this fall. Karley is a dynamic individual that continues to develop each and every time she steps onto the field and will be a handful for opposing teams in the WCC for years to come." |
| Sarah Carter |
| Defender | Bonney Lake, Wash. | Sumner High | Washington Premier FC ECNL |
Photo Gallery - Sumner High School won the 2012 Class 2A State Championship with 1-0 victory over Sehome High School.
- The State Championship was Sumner's first-ever state championship in school history.
- Sumner finished the 2012 season with a perfect 21-0 record, allowed only three goals all season and finished the year with shutouts in 18 of its final 19 games.
- Tallied 11 goals and had five assists in Sumner's championship season.
- Was named All-State first team and All-League first team, All-Area first team, the SPSL 2A MVP.
- Ended her career as a 4-time All-League first team honoree.
- Ranked sixth by TopDrawer Soccer for 2013 Northwest Region.
- Century Link Athlete of the Week (http://www.seahawks.com/promotions/2012/centurylink/2012-athlete-of-the-week.html).
- 2012 ODP National Camp, 2009-2013 Washington State ODP member, team captain 2010-2012, Regional ODP Camp 2009-2013.
- Nine-year member and team captain of Washington Premier FC ECNL team, 2011 Washington State Cup Finalists, fourth place finish in ECNL Championships.
- National Honor Society, ranked ninth in the 2012 class, four years of Core-Leadership.
"Easily one of the best defenders to come out of the Northwest area in a long time," said Edwards. "Sarah has played at an extremely high level for her Washington Premier FC in the top ECNL competitions as well as gaining tremendous experience in the National ODP system. She has size, athleticism and strength to go along with her disciplined defending style of soccer. She is extremely comfortable on the ball and can strike a ball very well over distance. Sarah has a strong leadership mentality as a player and will help fill a hole in our back line left by graduating senior Morgan Manchester." |
| Aliyah Miller |
| Defender | Bountiful, Utah | Woods Cross High | Sparta United |
Photo Gallery - 4-year varsity letterwinner at Woods Cross High School.
- Played and started 67-straight games for Woods Cross High School.
- Tallied 25 goals, including 10 her senior season.
- All-Region 4 selection as a sophomore, junior and senior and was named All-State her senior year.
- Won the 2012 State Championships with Sparta United Club Team.
- Won the 2012 Surf Cup Gold Championship with Sparta United Club Team.
- Earned a third place finish at the US Club Soccer Nationals in 2010 with Sparta United Club Team and the Regional Championship in 2011.
- Utah State Cup finalist in 2011 and then 2012 champions.
- 2010 Region track champions in 4x100 relay.
- 2011 and 2012 team Captain for Woods Cross High School.
"As a dynamic and fast athlete, the sky is the limit for a player of Aliyah's ability," explained Edwards. "She is someone that we expect will challenge immediately for one of our outside back spots and help add some needed pace to our back line. Aliyah is a simple and clean passer of the ball that will help us build possession from the back, along with having an attacking mindset to create opportunities going forward. Most of all she will be a huge asset as a hard tackling, tenacious 1v1 defender. With her athleticism and ability in the air, it won't take long for coaches to notice her abilities in a Zag uniform." |
| Kristin 'KK' Standish |
| Midfielder | Redmond, Wash. | Eastside Catholic | Eastside FC |
Photo Gallery - Helped Eastside Catholic High School team place third at the 2012 3A State Championships; the first time in program history to place in the top four in state.
- Scored five goals and assisted on two others during Eastside Catholic's 13-7-5 campaign.
- Named All-Metro League first team and All-State first team.
- Ended her career holding the Eastside Catholic record for career goals with 21 and career points with 49.
- Only player in Eastside Catholic history to scored three goals in one game.
- Holds the Eastside Catholic season records for goals (10) and points (23); coming her junior year.
- 4-time All-Metro first team selection and 2-time first team All-State selection.
- Team captain for her senior year at Eastside Catholic.
- Team captain for Eastside FC '94 Red.
- Scored the game winning goals for both the semifinals and finals of the Washington State Cup Championships.
"We absolutely love the versatility that KK brings to our roster for this fall," stated Edwards. "With her cool demeanor and smooth skill under pressure she could help us in the midfield or simply slide out wide as a winger or outside back because she also has size and pace. Her athleticism and strength come through when she is taking someone on in a 1v1 situation or beating a player down the flank to whip in a cross for a goal scoring opportunity. KK is good in the air also so we expect her to be very dangerous on set plays or when winning long balls." |
| Sarah Swanson |
| Goalkeeper | Lake Oswego, Ore. | Lakeridge High | OSSA |
Photo Gallery - Helped Lakeridge High School to the semifinals of the 2012 OSAA Tournament where it fell 3-2 to Clackamas on penalty kicks.
- Finished her senior season with 0.7 goals against average and helped the squad to a 12-5-1 overall mark and first place in the Three Rivers League at 8-2.
- Named All-State second team, All-Three Rivers League second team and the 2012 Goalkeeper of the Year.
- OSSA '94 Blue club team was semifinalist in Oregon State Cup in 2012 and 2011 quarterfinalist, team is a Northwest Champions League participant, and won the 2012 Lake Oswego Nike Cup, Oregon Premier League state finalists in 2012 and semifinalists in 2011.
- 2008-2012 Oregon ODP Region Camp participant, 2011 ODP National Camp, 2010, 2011 and 2012 Region IV Tournament Finalists.
- Dairy Farmers of Oregon Academic All-Stars (3.5 GPA or higher) for 2009-2012
"Sarah is a strong, courageous and passionate individual that will compete straight away for playing time at the goalkeeper position," said Edwards. "She is a powerful and reactionary shot stopper with explosive abilities on crosses and 1v1 situations. We love her fearless mentality and vocal organization skills to sort out any problems that may arise across the back line. She is comfortable with the ball at her feet and can distribute well on all punts and goal kicks. It was always going to be hard to replace Susan Brown but Sarah has that potential." |