Islanders Soccer Signs Four to NLI
The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi women's soccer team has signed four players to National Letters of Intent, head coach Shanna Caldwell announced today. Jordan Harden (Las Vegas/Arbor View HS), Kristin Kelley (Hudson Oaks, Texas/Weatherford HS), Tatum Printy (Henderson, Nev./Coronado HS) and Paige Taylor (Mansfield, Texas/Mansfield) all signed to join the Islanders in the fall of 2015.
"I'm pleased to announce the signing of our next Islanders Soccer class," Caldwell said. "The class of 2015 boasts four very talented and hard working student-athletes from the states of Texas and Nevada. I expect this class to contribute right away and to compete day in and day out.
"With the signing of the '15s we add depth to our backline and midfield as well as overall speed," she added. "The collective group has played soccer at a high level and knows that the goal is to come in more fit than anyone else and hit the ground running. We want to continue to move the program forward and build on our success from last season."
Harden is a 5-foot-7 defender who played club soccer for Amanda Schmutz and Tom Amick with Heat FC. She played in the program from 2009-15 and helped the squad to a 2011 state championship. The team also took home the prestigious Surf Cup in both 2012 and 2014. Harden's older sister, Alexandria, played for Caldwell when she was an assistant coach at Akron.
"Jordan brings a tremendous amount of athleticism to the mix," Caldwell said. "She is strong, has good pace and is fearless going into tackles. She will be dangerous attacking out of the back and can deliver an accurate service from distance."
Kelley joins the Islanders after playing five years at midfield for the D'Feeters Soccer Club under Don McElwee. She enters her senior season at Weatherford High School having won 25 games over the last two seasons. She was a First Team All-District and First Team Academic All-District selection in both 2013 and 2014 and helped the Kangaroos to a third-place finish in the bi-district playoffs.
"Kristin is a natural, lead-by-example workhorse on the field," Caldwell said. "She does a lot of the dirty work defensively, and can also step up into the attacking side. She is very versatile and we see her playing a variety of roles in the midfield."
A native of Henderson, Nev., Printy also joins the Islanders off a successful club career in the midfield for Heat FC alongside Harden. She played 12 years in the program under the tutelage of Schmutz and Amick and was also a part of Nevada's Olympic Development Program squad from 2009-12. In addition to Surf Cup titles in 2012 and 2014, she helped the team earn the Vegas Cup (2013 & 2015), Mayor's Cup (2013) and Nevada State Championship (2010 & 2011).
"Tatum has really grown as a player over the last year, working hard to elevate all phases of her game," Caldwell said. "She is very calm on the ball in the center of the park. She has good vision and is also very capable of being a ball winner at holding mid."
Taylor joins the Islanders after a solid career at defender with D'Feeters under McElwee, playing three years with the squad. She played her high school soccer at Mansfield, where her team has posted a 56-7-4 record in her first three years. She was a first team all-district selection and the defensive MVP in her junior season after earning second team all-district honors as a junior. She helped lead the team to district championships in 2012, 2013 and 2014.
"Paige will provide us with depth at the outside back position," Caldwell said. "Coming off an injury, we are excited to see her progress and continued recovery. She has tremendous speed and can cause problems going forward in the attack."
The quartet will join a squad that returns eight starters – including All-Southland honorees Yvette Franco and Megan Delaney – from last year's team. The Islanders turned in a 4-9-3 overall record, including a 3-7-1 conference mark and a 3-3-1 record at home.
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