Women's Soccer Signs Eight Recruits For 2011 Season
4/8/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - Seton Hall women's soccer head coach Kazbek Tambi announced the signings of Rachel Friedman, Sara Haefeli, Mikayla Hickey, Kristin Kosch, Kristina Meier, Peggy Nicolle, Angie Shehaj, Alyssa Stipcak to the 2011 squad.
Rachel Friedman, a native from Bridgewater, N.J., was a three-year varsity starter for Bridgewater-Raritan High School, where she was the leading midfielder in goals and assists. In 2008, Friedman was named as the Star-Ledger Sophomore to Watch and received Skyland Conference Honors. For the past three years, she has played for the Jersey United Spartans Club participating in the MAPS Region I League competition as well as the Super Y Nationals in Tampa, Fla. where the squad finished as semi-finalists.
Sara Haefeli, a native of Montclair, N.J., was a four-year varsity player and one year team captain at Montclair High School, playing both midfield and defender. During her time in high school, Haefeli won two County Championships and went to three State Sectional Championship games. She earned three All-Essex County, All-League, and All-State honors and was recognized by The Star-Ledger as "the most fearless player." As a junior, she was inducted into the National Honor Society and received the Matt Reissing Award as the top female student-athlete in the school. Haefeli joined fellow in-coming freshman, Rachel Friedman, on the Jersey United Spartans club team that finished as semi-finalists at the Super Y Nationals Tournament in Florida.
Mikayla Hickey, a native of Salem, N.H., attended Central Catholic High School in Lawrence, Mass. where she captained her team to it first Division I State Championship in school history, while being voted as the MIAA Tournament MVP. Hickey was a two-time All-Conference selection, as a defender and a striker, and was named Boston Herald All-Scholastic, Boston Globe All-Scholastic, Lawrence Eagle Tribune Player of the Year, and was selected to the All-Eastern Mass. All-State Team. In addition, she earned the Senior Excellence Award from the National Coaches Association for her outstanding play and leadership and was awarded an Outstanding Achievement Award from United State Senator Scott Brown. Hickey played club soccer for the Seacoast United and the NH ODP team. While in high school, Hickey also ran track and played basketball.
Kristin Kosch, a native of Mahwah, N.J., was a four-year varsity player at Mahwah High School where she helped her team to win the 2009 NBIAL League Championship team as well as the 2010 Big North League Championship and the 2010 Group 2 State Championship. During her four years, Kosch earned First Team All-League, First Team All-County, and All-State honors. When not competing for Mahwah, she plays for the Arsenal World Class Express Club team in Northern, N.J.
Kristina Meier, a native of Paramus, N.J., earned 12 varsity letters at Paramus High School in soccer, basketball, and softball. In all three sports, she was a four-year varsity starter and named captain her junior and senior seasons. In soccer, Meier scored 19 goals as a defender en route to being a three-time First Team All-League honoree, First Team All-County, earning All-State recognition and All-Region in N.J. In basketball and softball, she was named First Team All-League and received All-County recognition, while being the 2011 Brian Piccolo Award winner. Meier is also a teammate of Kristin Kosch on the Arsenal World Class Express Club team.
Peggy Nicolle, a native on Wenonah, N.J., was a three-year starting goalkeeper and captain for Gate Regional High School. During that time, Nicolle earned 35 shutouts and helped lead her team to their first Southern New Jersey Group I Championship. She has been honored with such awards as First Team All-Conference and Soccer Player of the Week. Currently she is playing for the Cherry Hill Power Under-18 team which is ranked number-1 in New Jersey by GotSoccer. In addition to soccer, Nicolle has earned seven more varsity letters in basketball and softball.
Angie Shehaj, a native of East Brunswick, N.J., was a three-year varsity soccer starter at East Brunswick High School. During those three years, the team was GMC and Red Division Champions, and Shehaj was a two-time honorable mention playing both forward and midfield. Similar to Rachel Friedman and Sara Haefeli, Shehaj also traveled to Tampa, Fla. with the Jersey United Spartans where they finished as semi-finalists in the Super Y National Tournament.
Alyssa Stipcak, a native of Mt. Airy, Maryland, was a four-year starter for the South Carroll High School as midfielder and defender. She earned All-State honors while being a four-time All-Chesapeake Conference First Team selection and All-County selection. Stipcak was also named to the All-Decade County team for 2000-2010, a Baltimore Sun Player to Watch in 2010. On the field, she anchored the defense as center-back and team captain her senior year as South Carroll completed their regular season without surrendering a single goal en route to capturing the county championship. In the classroom, Stipcak was a four-year scholar-athlete recipient maintaining a 4.2 overall GPA. Stipcak also has international playing experience having played against the Swedish and Danish Women's National Teams as well as clubs from Scotland and the UK as a member of the Maryland State '93 ODP team. She was also a defender and five-year captain for the FC Frederick club team, having made two Maryland State Cup Championship appearances, won a State Cup Title, and had a Region I semi-final appearance.
