Women's Soccer Announces 2014 Class

WEST POINT - Army head women's soccer coach Stefanie Golan was on hand Reception Day to welcome 12 Cadet athletes into her program with the arrival of the Class of 2014. Several of this elite class of recruits earned all-conference or all-district honors along with three tabbed as all-state selections

The 12 players hail from eight different states with four from the Northeast, two from the South with the remaining six coming from the West and Midwest sections of the country.

"We are very excited to welcome this large group into our Army Women's Soccer Family," stated Golan who heads into her second season at the helm. "We firmly believe that we have the right group to help us take a step forward as a program.  Not only do we have very good players in this class, but these are amazing young women with tremendous values.  On the field and off the field, this group will make an immediate positive impact on our program."

Joining the Black Knights are Kim An (Oak Ridge, N.J.), Donna Bennett (Arcadia, Calif.), Ellen Chamberlin (Elm Grove, Wis.), Stephanie Gower (La Miranda, Calif.), Jaclyn Kalik (Riverview, Fla.), Marisa Malta (Whitehouse Station, N.J.), Molly McGuigan (Boulder, Colo.), Joey Molacek (Saugus, Calif.), Kaley Mosher (Herndon, Va.), Ruthie Rosenberger (Lancaster, Pa.), Chelsea Sapirman (Bethlehem, Pa.) and Katie Wacker (Carmel, Ind.).

An all all-state player from New Jersey, Kim An led Jefferson Township High in scoring all four years and played travel ball for PDA Fire team that ranked No. 2 in the nation after finishing runner-up at the nationals in 2009.

"Kim is the total package and will make an impact out of the midfield or up top for us," said Golan.  "She is quick, smooth on the ball, has tremendous composure, can dictate the tempo of the game, solves pressure, has excellent distribution, and knows where the goal is and the most efficient way to get there."

Donna Bennett, one of three recruits from California, was a three-time league all-star at Arcadia High who played club soccer for Real SoCal prior to attending New Mexico Military Institute followed by the USMA Prep School where she was named the top varsity female athlete.

"Donna is a gritty, determined player who wants to win," commented Golan. "She is competent on the ball, and her service into the box is excellent," noted Golan. She will compete to play up top or in the midfield.  Donna has worked extremely hard to get here, and we know she will work extremely hard to be a positive member of our team."

Ellen Chamberlin, a two-time all-conference performer at Catholic Memorial High led her team to the state title in 2007 and runner-up honors the next two years. She was a member of the FC Milwaukee U17-U18 travel squads that captured a pair of Wisconsin state titles

"Ellen is a strong physical presence who is pretty athletic," stated Golan. "We love her grittiness and aggressiveness, but she is also pretty composed on the ball.  Ellen has some versatility, but her initial look with us will be up top.  Ellen is going to be an awesome addition for us on the team and in the Corps of Cadets."

Stephanie Gower out of La Miranda, Calif., starred on the pitch at Troy High along with playing club soccer for Beach FC.

"Steph could see time for us as either as a central defender, outside defender, or holding midfielder," Golan said. "She is a pretty good athlete who knows how to maximize her strengths and minimize her weaknesses.  Steph keeps the shape in the back well, covers well for others, recovers well personally, and she looks to connect out of the back."

Jaclyn Kalik is all-conference defender from Riverview, Fla., who starred at C. Leon King High, along with playing club ball with the Brandon FC Flames. She was a member of the Maccabi USA Junior Girls' team that captured a silver medal at the 2009 Maccabiah Games in Tel Aviv. 

"Jaclyn is a strong outside defender who will continue to improve technically over the course of time," explained Golan, "and will then compete for time in the back for us.  Jaclyn has an older brother here, but it wasn't until she visited when he was studying abroad that the decision for her to come was clear." 

Marissa Malta is a first team all-conference player out of Whitehouse Station, N.J., who played at Hunterdon Central Regional where she led her team to a pair of county tournament titles. She was a member of the Parsippany Hurricanes travel squad that reached the State Cup semifinals twice along with qualifying for the national finals in 2008.

"We saw Marissa compete as an outside defender, but we think she will also draw playing time up top.  She is strong, tough, tackles hard, gets forward well, and she has a ridiculous work rate.  Our work rate as a team goes up with Marissa here every day.  Marissa has tremendous values and is going to push everyone to be a better person, better cadet, and better soccer player." 

Molly McGuigan is a two time all-state and four-time first team all-league player from Boulder, Colo., who starred at Fairview High. The three-time all-regional selection led Fairfield to its first-ever state title in 2010 after reaching the semifinals the previous year. The five-time team MVP played travel ball for the Boulder County Force that reached the State Cup semifinals in 2009.

"Molly is everything we want in a center back," said Golan. "She is athletic, closes well, confident and composed with the ball, is technically excellent, and she organizes everyone around her.  Molly is a fantastic individual defender who understands the bigger picture, and she truly leads from the back.  She has the potential to achieve a lot of great things here, not only on the soccer field."

Joey Molacek is a four-time first team all-league and all-valley attacker from Saugus High in Saugus, Calif., who was the team leader in goals. The two-time captain helped her team to a pair of league titles along with capturing the CIF crown in 2009. She played club ball the past 10 years for the Valley United Stars.

"Plain and simple, Joey is a goal scorer," stated Golan. "She is a dynamic one-on-one attacker who excels in the attacking third, has great pace and a nose for goal. If there is a way to get to goal and score, Joey finds it.  She will make an impact in the final third, whether it is playing up top or in the midfield.  Joey works to excel in every aspect of life." 

Kaley Mosher, a resident of Herndon, Va., who starred at Herndon High, played for the Loudoun Hotshots before attending the USMA Prep School last year.

"Kaley will compete for time as both an outside defender and outside midfielder," stated Golan.   She is a hard-nosed, gritty defender who makes simple choices on the ball.  She is a fierce competitor who will push others around her to be better.  Kaley did well at USMAPS, so we feel her transition should be seamless."

Ruthie Rosenberger is a two-time all-league player from Lancaster, Pa., who starred at Manheim Township where she led the team to league and district titles along with advancing to the state quarterfinals. She played travel ball for the PA Classics 90 for seven years prior to attending the USMA Prep School where she was an honors graduate.

"Ruthie has tremendous versatility, and she will compete for time in the center of the midfield, but could also get a look up top or in the back," noted Golan. "She switches the point of attack well, and she gets forward well and can strike from distance.  Ruthie will always be one of the fittest players on the team and always puts the team first."

Chelsea Sapirman is an all-conference goalkeeper from Bethlehem, Pa., who led Liberty High to its second district playoff appearance in school history as the team captain. She played five years of travel ball with the Lehigh Valley Extreme where she led the U16 team to an undefeated season. Sapirman was a member of the Regional Development New York Red Bulls team for three years.

"Chelsea joins a strong contingency of goalkeepers in junior Monica Lee and senior Alex Lostetter as the keeper position continues to be one of our deepest," added Golan. "She is a tireless worker who has a great attitude, is a tremendous shot stopper and fearless, two excellent characteristics in a goalkeeper". 

Katie Wacker from Carmel, Ind., earned a pair of all-state honors at Cathedral High where she led the team to a pair of Indiana state titles. Her travel team, the Carmel United Fire, captured a pair of State Cup titles and twice were finalists.

"Katie will compete for time as an outside defender," said Golan. "She is physical, strong and aggressive getting forward out of the back and has a solid understanding of the game.  Her distribution is usually on point, she is a tremendous competitor and she knows how to win." 

2014 Freshmen Class