Katie Cousins, Midfielder, Richmond Kickers
Top 150 Rank: 2
Class: 2015
Commitment: Tennessee

One of the very first members from the class of 2015 to reveal her verbal commitment, midfielder Katie Cousins elected to join a rising program in the SEC.

And it was the new head coach on the scene that helped her make that decision.

“I committed to Tennessee because I feel like I have developed a really good relationship with the head coach, Brian Pensky,” she told TopDrawerSoccer.com. “Also, the team seems to be all team-oriented which I love. When I visited there, the place just felt like a second home. I felt really comfortable being there.”

During her recruiting visit, she was also able to take in a game, which is obviously part of the process. Cousins enjoyed what she saw.

“When I watched the soccer team play it made me very pleased,” she said. “They always seem to fight until the very end of games and they played a lot through the midfield which is good for me.”

Outside of the soccer program, Cousins also liked the school’s vibe and school spirit, which was icing on the cake.

“I know Tennessee loves their sports and always cheers for them - as I do for my school right now,” she said. “I also really like how their campus is set up on the river, and their facilities are really amazing and kept in great shape.”

Cousins, who ranks No. 2 in the ’15 class, has caught the eye of the U.S. technical staff, having been called in to previous U15 GNT camps this past year.

Megan Fitzgerald, Goalkeeper, Yankee United Blaze
Class: 2013
Commitment: Fordham

One of the major draws of a school like Fordham is the chance to play soccer in New York City. And it helped sway Megan Fitzgerald into committing to play there for next fall.

“I absolutely loved the school campus,” she told TopDrawerSoccer.com. “I went in the spring when all the trees had flowers and everything looked beautiful. I loved how Fordham was part of New York City but also had the space and beauty to feel like a real campus.”

It’s been a long road for Fitzgerald and a ton of work as she’s put in countless hours of training in order to improve her speed and quickness over the past few seasons.

But it ultimately paid off when the school’s head coach Casey Sommers was at one of her games hoping to locate a goalkeeper for the class of 2013. That ultimately helped sparked her interest, as well as family ties – Fitzgerald’s grandfather is an alumni of the school.

The soccer is still an important aspect of course, and she really liked what she saw from the team itself.

“When I was able to see the team practice, I saw that they were like a big family,” she said. “Everyone was talking to each other, laughing and joking around before practice, but would then take the practice seriously and all work hard to get better.”

Two of her teammates are also committed to play, so Fitzgerald will have some familiar faces around her next fall.

Katherine Ratz, Midfielder, Zionsville SC
Class: 2014
Commitment: Illinois

Katherine Ratz isn’t ready to give up playing soccer, and it was one of many reasons why she decided to verbally commit to a program like Illinois.

“I love to compete and I love the game,” she told TopDrawerSoccer.com.

A member of her Zionsville SC team for the past seven years, the continuity she experiences at the club level is something that Ratz was searching for when looking for options at the next level.

It ultimately led her to Illinois, as that was the sense she got form both coaches and players alike.

I met Coach [Janet] Rayfield and Coach [Jeff] Freeman along with Christina Farrell [Illinois player] and knew I would find that same cohesiveness and chemistry in a team while playing in a top notch program,” she explained. I know I’ll be successful at Illinois both on the soccer field and academically. I’ve always wanted to play Big Ten, so Illinois is my dream come true.”