Feb. 1, 2006

AUBURN, Ala. - The Auburn soccer team has received signed National Letters of Intent from 10 players that will join the team for the 2006 season. The class includes five Region Team players and on paper is the most highly touted signing class to join the Tigers since Coach Hoppa came to the Plains in 1999. The signees included Monica Afanador (Roswell, Ga.), Jessica Childress (Huntsville, Ala.), Carolyn Cohen (Houston, Texas), Stephanie Fransoso (Augusta, Ga.), Lizzie Hamersly (Snellville, Ga.), Rebecca Howell (Satellite Beach, Fla.), Caitlin King (St. Louis, Mo.), Gabi Rivera (Lithia, Fla.), Kasey Warren (Atlanta) and Chelsea Yauch (Cincinnati).

"February 1, 2006 is a great day for Auburn Soccer as we are signing one of our top recruiting classes ever as a staff here at Auburn," AU Head Coach Karen Hoppa said. "One of the great things about this class is it gives us both quality and quantity. I don't think we sacrificed our quality at all in terms of the number of kids we signed as each one of these players is going to help us. This class gives us talent and depth at every position with four forwards, three midfielders and three backs signing with us today."

Afanador is a 5-7 center-mid from Roswell, Ga., where she played on four ODP '87 Georgia State Teams and the Super-Y South Atlantic ODP Regional Team in 2003. An All-Area selection by the Atlanta Journal Constitution in both 2004 and 2005, she was the team captain for Todd Shulenberger's Tophat '06 Gold two-time State Cup Finalist Team for four seasons. She will graduate from Pope High School this spring where she was a teammate of current Tiger Ronda Brooks in 2003.

"Monica is a dominant possession player who is very good in the air and is dangerous on every set-piece either in the air or shooting it herself," Auburn Associate Head Coach/Recruiting Coordinator Matt Mott said. "We think she is going to come in and help us right away."

A 5-4 center-back from Huntsville, Childress played on the Alabama State ODP Team since 1999 and was a five-time state champion. An Alabama High School All-State selection and Super All-Metro North Alabama selection, she played for Jason Lockhart's Vestavia Hills Soccer Club outside of school and Eric Chomskis at Grissom High School.

"A left-footed defender who has a great serve, we consider Jessica the best player in the state of Alabama in this recruiting class. She is a very good center-back who is a very strong and a tough defender. She will compete for playing time on the back line right away," Mott said.

Cohen is a 5-3 midfielder from Houston, Texas, where she was a STX ODP State Team member from 2001-04 and an ODP Regional Pool choice in 2002. A member of Pat O'Toole's Challenge 88, she was an integral part of Lamar High School's team the last four seasons, leading the city of Houston in assists as a freshman.

"Carolyn is another center-mid who is a very technical, clean player who strikes the ball well with both feet," Mott said. "She does an excellent job of finding forwards in the right position and she should really help us in the middle of the park."

Fransoso joins the Tigers from Augusta, Ga., where she was named the Augusta Chronicle and Columbia News Times All-Area Player of the Year this past season. A 5-5 forward that played for the three-time champion Peachtree City Blazers, she is the school record-holder for most career goals in Greenbrier High School history, and she received the Coaches Award in 2005.

"Stephanie is a fast flank forward who was, I think, one of the best forwards in the whole state of Georgia this year. She is not as well known as some of the other Georgia players, but she is one of the best the state has ever produced," Mott said.

Hamersley joins the Tigers from Snellville, Ga., where she has been a member of the state ODP team since 1999. A Region III Team player in 2003 and 2004, she was also a Region III Pool player this past year. She spent time playing for Todd Shulenberger's Tophat '06 Gold along with fellow AU signee Afanador. An Atlanta Journal Constitution Second Team selection, she was Providence Christian Academy's top goal scorer in 2004 and was a member of the All-Gwinnett County Goal Club that same season.

"Lizzie is a fantastic, tenacious center-back. We consider her one of the best defenders in the country. She is tall and a super athletic player who can get to balls in the air and is a great one-on-one defender. We look for her to come in and fill the void left by the graduation of Ashley Eason," Mott said.

Howell heads to Auburn from Satellite Beach, Fla., where she was a three-time ODP Florida State "A" Team participant. A 5-3 forward, she was also selected to three consecutive ODP Region III Pools. A member of Mike Potier and Fidgi Haig's Indialantic Force Club Team for four years, she helped guide the team to the State Cup Finals the last two seasons. A four-year starter for Haig at Satellite High School, she is the leading scorer with 45 goals and 25 assists during SHS's regular season run this year and has been named the Player of the Week six times in the past three years by Florida Today and the Orlando Sentinel.

"Rebecca is a crafty, one-v-one attacker who loves to take her defender on with the dribble, can shoot with distance and is a scoring threat anytime she is near the ball. She had a great scoring career in high school and we hope she continues to do that for us here at Auburn," Mott said.

King, a 5-8 forward from St. Louis, Mo., was a member of the Region II ODP Team this past season and was an Adidas Youth All-American in 2004. An invitee to the '86-'87 Interregional Tournament at the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles, she played for Mike Twellman's J.B. Marine Club Team in St. Louis. She has also been an All-Conference and All-State honorable mention choice for Vince Becker's team at Nerinx Hall High School.

"Caitlin is a very fast forward and goal scorer who is great at serving the ball, great at taking on players one-v-one and will be a threat all over the field," Mott said. "We really think she will come in and establish herself as one of the best forwards in the SEC."

Rivera joins the Tigers from Lithia, Fla., where she was a 2004 Regional ODP Team selection and a 2003 ODP Regional Pool selection. Ranked in the top 125 by Soccer Buzz heading into this spring's signing period, she was a member of the Florida State ODP Team from 2001-2005 and also played for Jim Cote's Hillsborough United Club Team. A member of Durant High School's three-time state champion team, she was the team's leading scorer the last three years and set the freshman scoring record in her first season there. Over the course of four seasons, she has collected 90 goals and was selected First Team All-State in 2004 and Second Team in 2003.

"Gabi is somewhat of a two-position player. She can be an attacking center-mid, as she is very good at running the defense, and she is also a wide-flank forward. We look for big things from her as she is a scoring threat and is a great take-on artist, really one of the best forwards in the Southeast," Mott said.

A 5-3 outside-back from Atlanta, Warren has been a member of the Georgia State ODP Team every year since 1999 and was a Region Pool selection in 2001 and 2003, making the Region Team in 2001. A member of PTC Blazers 88 Elite Team coached by Brian Moore, she received numerous accolades in high school, including being named All-Area First Team by the Atlanta Journal Constitution in 2003 and 2004. The team MVP in 2004, she led John Ague's Pace Academy squad in assists in two consecutive seasons and was a two-time High School All-American nominee.

"Kasey is a left-footed outside-back who is a lock-down defender that also has a great serve," Mott said. "We think she is one of the best outside-backs coming out of the state of Georgia."

Yauch heads to Auburn from Cincinnati, Ohio, where she was selected to the ODP Region II team in 2005. A member of the Ohio South ODP Team the last five seasons, she was selected to Soccer Buzz' Top 150 recruits list heading into this signing period. A two-time State Cup Champion, the 5-8 center-mid played for both Zdravko Popovic's Internationals Club Team and Danielle Redman's Saint Ursula Academy squad.

"Chelsea is great in the air and has an incredible work ethic. She is great all around the ball, good with her feet, is good at finding forwards and is a scoring threat coming out of the midfield. She should be a great replacement for Sara Power," Mott said.

The Tigers are coming off of an 8-12-1 campaign in 2005 and are looking to replace six graduated seniors in Jessie Allan, Courtney Crandell, Ashley Eason, Sara Power, Jada Stewart and Ashley Willis, and feel that this class will be recognized as one of the highest-ranked signing classes in program history. Auburn has had five nationally ranked recruiting classes, including a program high of 15 in 2002.