Alabama head soccer coach Todd Bramble announced the addition of six newcomers who signed national letters of intent to play soccer for the Crimson Tide. The newest additions join two early enrollees at the Capstone to make up an eight-player signing class.

This year's class includes: Cecily Hartman (Peachtree City, Ga./McIntosh HS), Kayle Mouton (Palm Harbor, Fl./Palm Harbor University HS), Elena Zang (Cumming, Ga./South Forsyth HS), Catherine Jorgensen (Eagle River, AK./Darlington School Soccer Academy), Tori Gann (Pinson Valley, AL./Pinson Valley HS), Ansley Neeley (Birmingham, AL./Oak Mountain HS), Celia Jimenez Delgado (Spain/Iowa Western Community College) and Emma Welch (McDonough, Ga./Concorde Fire).

“This is a group of players that bring a variety of assets and soccer specific skills that will allow us to keep pushing this program forward,” Bramble said. “There are goal-scorers, playmakers, wide players and defenders in this group that will earn playing time right away as well as pushing the returning players to improve. More importantly, however, is that they are all young women of character who fit into the core values of our program.”

Cecily Hartman, a 5-8 defender from Peachtree City, Ga., comes to Alabama after enjoying a successful career at McIntosh High School. A four-year member of the varsity team, Hartman has been an instrumental contributor to a team that claimed state championships in 2012 and 2014. She was named to the all-region team following the 2012 and 2014 seasons, while also earning McIntosh High School Varsity Defensive MVP honors in 2014.

Alabama head coach Todd Bramble said of Hartman, “Cecily comes to us on the heels of a successful youth career in the Concorde Fire Soccer Association out of Atlanta.  James Harris and Brian Moore from that club have been instrumental in her development. She has made tremendous strides, particularly in the past 18 months and is clearly ready for the college game.”

Kayla Mouton is a familiar name to Alabama soccer fans, as she comes to the Capstone to join her sister, Alexis, who was a member of the Crimson Tide’s 2014 signing class. Mouton played her high school soccer at Palm Harbor University High School in Palm Harbor, Fla., where she appeared in four consecutive district title games, and helped the team claim a state championship in 2014. Known for her versatility, Mouton has spent time as a defender, midfielder and forward, while also earning a bid in the state finals of the 4x100 meter relay for the track team.

“We have gotten to know Kayla well through the years since her sister Alexis is here with us,” said Bramble. “Kayla is built for SEC soccer success, and her versatility will have her competing for serious playing time as a freshman. Her Tampa Bay United club team under the direction of Jim Cote, and her years at Palm Harbor University High School have instilled a tradition of success during her youth career. We are looking forward to Kayla bringing that to the Capstone.”

Her club coach Jim Cote said, “Kayla Mouton was a big reason for the team’s success. Her ability to close down the opposing teams’ best attacker as an outside defender, or close down space as a center back is as good as I’ve seen in my 20 years of coaching.  Kayla is one of those players where when the game gets a bit tougher, she seems to be able to find another level to raise her game to put her team through.”    

Elena Zang comes to Tuscaloosa after a highly decorated career at South Forsyth High School in Cumming, Ga. A four-year member of the varsity squad, Zang was selected as the team captain in both her junior and senior seasons. A verbal commit to The University of Alabama since her sophomore year, Zang has led the South Forsyth Eagles to three consecutive appearances in the state playoffs.  Zang earned the War Eagle MVP award in 2013 after leading her team to the final four in the state playoffs. In 2014, Zang was named to the First Team All-Region, and earned Best Defensive Player honors. 

“We first saw Elena at our summer camp three years ago and have been tracking her ever since,” said Bramble. “She played on a very good club team at the Norcross Soccer Academy, but we recruited her for a very specific reason. She is a left sided player who can defend and attack out wide, and has an incredible engine to get up and down the flank. She will fit in perfectly with our system, especially where we want our outside backs getting forward into the attack.”

Zang earned the War Eagle MVP award in 2013 after leading her team to the final four in the state playoffs. In 2014, Zang was named to the First Team All-Region, and earned Best Defensive Player honors.  Along with playing for the Forsyth High Eagles, Zang also spent time playing for Coach Roberto Sibaja of the respected Norcross Soccer Academy.

Sibaja said of Zang, “Elena is a player with great attitude and commitment to the game. A technically gifted player with good intensity, she plays very well as an outside back. She shows good composure under pressure, and her intensity and speed allow her to get out of trouble with quick combinations. As a defender, she is a tactically disciplined player.”

Catherine “Cat” Jorgensen totes one of the most unique backgrounds of the entire 2015 signee class. Jorgensen’s high school career started in Eagle River, Alaska, where she played varsity flag football and soccer as a freshman. She was named all-conference for her efforts on the Alaska State Cup Champion soccer team in 2011. After losing the majority of her sophomore season to a non-soccer related injury, Jorgensen found her way onto the boys’ varsity football team as the kicker before transferring to the Darlington School Soccer Academy in Rome, Ga., in 2013.

“Cat was identified as an outstanding player on a very good club team from Alaska, and has spent the past couple of years at The Darlington School in Rome, Georgia,” said Bramble. “Chad Liddle and his staff there have done a tremendous job of preparing Cat for the college game. She has a very big upside, and we are looking forward to plugging her into our training environment at Alabama.”

Tori Gann, a 5-7 attacking midfielder/forward, is a native of Alabama having split her soccer career to date between the Birmingham United Soccer Association, and Pinson Valley High School in Jefferson County. Strictly a club player until her junior year, Gann burst onto the high school scene, scoring 52 goals and earning Pinson Valley MVP honors in her first season. She helped lead a team that appeared in the final four of the Alabama High School State Championships in 2013. Gann has played club soccer at Birmingham United Soccer Association since 2008, and played in the ECNL under coaches Joel Person and Andrew Brower since 2010.

“Tori has played for BUSA for the past seven years and it has been a joy to watch her grow as a player and as a person,” said club coach Andrew Brower. “I am so excited for her because she is so sincerely happy to be playing soccer for The University of Alabama next fall. Tori has worked hard to become a better player, while juggling school, a job, and training three to four nights per week. She has managed this with great persistence and will be a tremendous asset to Alabama.”

Coach Bramble said of Gann, “Tori has excellent 1v1 attacking ability out on the flanks. She has the speed, quickness and timing to get in behind defenders and play quality crosses into the penalty area. She is a product of BUSA (Birmingham United Soccer Association), where Andrew Brower and Joel Person did a tremendous job with her development. Hopefully, Tori works through the learning curve quickly in August and can start making contributions early in her career.”

Ansley Neeley, another recruit hailing from the state of Alabama, heads to Tuscaloosa after a successful career at Oak Mountain High School in Birmingham. As a member of the Eagles, she helped lead an Oak Mountain team that claimed the 6A State Championship in 2014. Neely scored the game-winning goal for the Eagles in the final round of the championship series vs. Auburn High School.

Neeley has played under Coach Andrew Brower for Birmingham United ECNL since U14. She has also served as a team captain in each of her last four seasons. 

“BUSA is so proud of Ansley, and more importantly, thrilled that she is so excited to begin the next chapter of her life and soccer career at The University of Alabama,” said Brower. “Ansley personifies what we want out of our members, as she has been a lifelong member of BUSA, and it has been an absolute joy to watch her grow up each step of the way. She is a fearless warrior in competition, and takes great pride in always doing her best both on and off the soccer field. On top of that, she is a wonderful young lady and will represent The University of Alabama with excellence in all that she does.”

Head coach Todd Bramble added, “Ansley is a hard-working, energetic, attacking player that has a passion for Alabama from generations of family members before her. She also hails from the BUSA club and has had a great career at Oak Mountain High School as well. Ansley will help bolster our attack and provide some much needed depth after we graduated a large group from that area of the field.”

The six signees join Alabama’s early enrollees, midfielders Celia Jimenez Delgado and Emma Welch, to make up the complete 2015 class. Jimenez Delgado comes to Tuscaloosa after two seasons at Iowa Western Community College. A native of Spain, she has represented Spain on every youth national team since the age of 14 and is currently a member of the Spanish National Team preparing for the World Cup this summer in Canada.

Welch was a 2012 and 2013 All-Area team member and was her team’s MVP in both of those seasons. With her club team, she earned State Cup championships in 2012 and 2013 while making to the finals in 2014, falling short of earning the three-peat.