Florida State Women’s Soccer Announces 2008 Signing Class

Seminoles sign six freshmen to National Letters of Intent.

2/13/08

Tallahassee, Fla. – The Florida State Women’s Soccer team and head coach Mark Krikorian announced Wednesday, February 13, their freshman signing class for the 2008 season. The Seminoles signed six freshmen to National Letters of Intent with two already enrolled at Florida State this spring. The newest additions to the Seminole soccer team include midfielder/defender Tori Huster, defender Julie Lancos, forward Tiffany McCarty, forward/defender Toni Pressley, forward/midfielder Casey Short and defender/midfielder Ella Stephan.



Lancos and Stephan arrived on campus in January enrolling at Florida State for the spring semester. While making the quick transition from high school to college, both student-athletes have been participating in off-season conditioning in preparation for the spring season.



“We are really excited about this incoming class,” said head coach Mark Krikorian. “We feel as though we addressed a lot of our needs. One of the biggest advantages coming out of this class is the versatility of the players. We think each one of these student-athletes can play a variety of positions and we hope that will be a key for us in the future. We are excited about having them all here; we welcome them into the Florida State family and know that they will have a great four years in Tallahassee.”



Here is a look at the 2008 Seminole soccer signing class:



Tori Huster, Midfielder/Defender, Cincinnati, OH

Huster was named an NSCAA Youth All-American in 2006 and 2007, while earning NSCAA Scholar All-America accolades in 2007. She helped lead Saint Ursula Academy to the 2007 High School State Championship defeating Strongsville 2-1 in the finals. Huster connected on the game-winner in the 75th minute to give Saint Ursula the lead for good. While at Saint Ursula Academy, the Cincinnati, Ohio native earned first team All-State in 2007, was a three-time All-GGCL first team and two-time All-Southwest Ohio honoree. She was also named a GGCL Scholar Athlete in 2007 while garnering All-Southwest Scholar accolades from 2005-2007. A Region II ODP member from 2003-2007, Huster also played with the SYL ODP National Select team for four years. Huster has earned first honors every quarter in high school and has participated in the honors and AP programs at Saint Ursula. She has been a member of the Spanish Honor Society for two years.



Huster selected Florida State over Florida, Illinois, Notre Dame and Duke.



Krikorian on Huster: “Tori is a very talented young player that will bring a great deal of versatility to our team. She is an excellent player in the midfield but we feel she can also play in the back line or up front if that were necessary. She certainly has the qualities to come to Florida State and compete for playing time right away.”



Huster’s Club Coaches: Tim Lesiak and Doug Bracken



Julie Lancos, Defender, Belford, NJ

Lancos was a 2007 Parade All-American and was featured in the January 14, 2008 Sports Illustrated edition of Faces in the Crowd. She served as a pool member for the U-15, U-17 and U-20 National Team as well as on the U-14, U-15 and U-17 ODP Regional pool. Lancos was a four-year starter at center back and was named team captain of her club team PDA Power. She helped the U-15 team to the Region I Championships in 2004 and 2005. In 2006, Lancos captured the Region I championship with the U-16 squad while reaching the finals in 2007 with the U-17 team. The Belford, N.J., native was also a four-year varsity starter at center back for Middletown High School North. She garnered first team N.J. All-State and All-Shore as a junior and a senior and was named a first team All-County honoree in 2005. Lancos was named Monmouth County Defender of the Year in 2007 and Player of the Year in 2006. She was a three-time team MVP while leading her high school to four Class A North Championships.



Lancos selected Florida State over Penn State, Rutgers, Maryland and Boston College



Krikorian on Lancos: “Julie will probably play in the middle of the back or at the holding midfield spot for us. She is very good at reading the play and strikes a very, very good ball. Julie is a player that we are expecting big things from over her four years at Florida State.”



Lancos’ Club Coach: Charlie Naimo



Tiffany McCarty, Forward, Laurel, MD

McCarty played for the U-16, U-17 and U-18 national teams and was the leading goal scorer for the U-16 team in 2006 and the U-17 team in 2007. She has six international caps to her credit posting six goals and one assist. McCarty was a striker for the Washington Freedom, who captured the W-League Championship in 2007. She scored a goal in the championship match against the Atlanta Silver Backs. The Laurel, Md., native has also played club soccer with the Freestate Shooters since 2004. McCarty currently attends St. Johns College High School where she stands as the all-time leading scorer in goals (191) and assists (74). Her 191 goals broke the Washington Metro area (including Washington D.C., Maryland and Virginia) scoring record held by Laurie Schwoy (188 goals). McCarty led the WCAC Conference in scoring for four straight years while guiding St. Johns to two of the last three WCAC Conference Championships. She is a three-time NSCAA High School All-American and a two-time NSCAA Youth All-American. McCarty was named Gatorade Player of the Year in the District of Columbia in 2005, 2006 and 2007. She was also a stand out track star at St. Johns College High School.



McCarty selected Florida State over West Virginia, Tennessee, Maryland, Penn State, Rutgers, Virginia and Connecticut.



Krikorian on McCarty: “Tiff is a proven goal scorer at all levels. She has been successful at scoring goals in international games, club games and women’s league games. Pretty much everywhere that she has played, she has found a way to score goals. We hope that she will come into the ACC and do the same thing.”



McCarty’s Club Coach: Chris Johnson



Toni Pressley, Forward/Defender, Melbourne, FL

Pressley was team captain at West Shore Jr/Sr High School as a senior leading her team to the Class 3A Regional finals. In 2007, she garnered a spot on the NSCAA Youth All-America Team and received first team All-Space Coast honors. A native of Melbourne, Fla., Pressley was a Region III pool member for three years (2006-2008) and was the leading scorer in the Region III league in 2006 and 2007. She was also a member of the Florida ODP team in 2006 and 2007 and played club soccer with Space Coast United. Pressley gained valuable international experience as a member of the U.S. U-17 and U-18 National Teams. Pressley also competed in track and field at West Shore. She claimed a district and regional championship in 2005 as a member of the 4x100m relay while winning the 2007 district championship in the shot put.



Pressley selected Florida State over Florida.



Krikorian on Pressley: “Toni is a fantastic, physical athlete. She is a left-footed player that has the quality to strike a very good long ball. She can shoot from pretty much anywhere on the field, especially shots from long range. She can play anywhere; she can play as a front player, she can play as a back player. She is just another fantastic athlete that is versatile as can be.”



Pressley’s Club Coach: Fidgi Haig



Casey Short, Forward/Midfielder, Naperville, IL

Short is a two-time NSCAA Youth All-American. She was a pool player for the U-14 National Team and has participated with the U-15, U-16, U-17 and U-18 National Teams. She is a four-time Illinois state cup champion. A former Chicago Tribune Totoya Athlete of the Week, Short was the number one rated soccer recruit in 2008 as ranked by the Chicago Sun Times. The Naperville, Ill., native currently attends Naperville Central High School where she is a two-time high school state champion in the 800m run and a state champion in the 400m dash. She has garnered 4.0 High Honor Roll accolades since her freshman year and has been named an Illinois State Scholar. Short currently plays club with the Chicago Magic ’89-’90 squad.



Short selected Florida State over Stanford, Portland, Santa Clara, Yale, Tennessee, LSU, Ohio State, Illinois and Wisconsin.



Krikorian on Short: “Shorty fits in with the theme of this year’s class in that she is very versatile. Casey is very good with the ball and has an outstanding attacking personality. We expect her to be able to come in and like everyone else in this class compete for playing and make an immediate impact.”



Short’s Club Coaches: Hudson Fortune, Mike Nesci, Rory Dames and Scott Fonfara



Ella Stephan, Defender/Midfielder, Indian Harbour Beach, FL

Stephan was a six-year varsity starter for Satellite High as she guided her squad to the state championship in 2007. A native of Indian Harbour Beach, Fla., Stephan earned NSCAA High School All-America honors in 2007 and garnered NSCAA Youth All-American accolades in 2006 and 2007. As a senior at Satellite, she was named Gatorade Player of the Year, All-Space Coast Player of the Year, a Parade All-American and received the Wendy’s High School Heisman Award. Stephan was a five-time All-Space Coast Team honoree while earning a spot on the All-State second team in 2005. Stephan started for the U.S. U-17 National Team in 2006 while earning a starting spot in a friendly against Argentina’s World Cup team in Argentina. She is currently a member of the U.S. U-20 National Team. She played with the Cocoa Expos of the W-League and started for the ODP Region III team in 2004 and 2005. Stephan played club soccer with Space Coast United.



Krikorian on Stephan: “Ella is as steady and consistent a player as you are going to find. She is capable of playing in the back, playing in the midfield. I expect Ella to come in and make an immediate impact on our team and earn valuable playing minutes from the start. Her future at Florida State is very bright.”



Stephan’s Club Coach: Fidgi Haig