Marquette Women's Soccer Announces Seven Player Freshman Class

With three longtime core members lost to graduation, Marquette women's soccer bolstered their roster on Tuesday when they announced a seven player recruiting class.

Goalie Amanda Engel and midfielders Ann Marie Lynch & Jacie Jermier wrapped up their collegiate careers last fall, leaving a pretty big hole in the lineup.  Head coach Markus Roeders will attempt to fill in the cracks with his new class of recruits, all of which will have four years of eligibility remaining when they arrive on campus late this summer.

The incoming freshmen are, in no particular order, goalie Maddy Henry, defenders Emily Hess, Mary Kate Simon, and Maura Weaver, and finally, midfielder/forwards Erin Johnston, Abby Hess, and Josie Fowler.

Because I know if you're paying attention to the women's soccer team, you're wondering already, so: Yes, Erin Johnston is senior midfielder Meegan Johnston's younger sister.  As a second follow up: It appears that the Hess women are unrelated, with Emily hailing from Batavia, IL, and Abby coming to Marquette from Rochester, MN.  Hopefully neither of them are related to notorious basketball referee Karl Hess.

Fowler, Abby Hess, and Weaver are the three players that we're most likely to see earn minutes during the 2016 season.  All three earned top 30 regional recruiting rankings according to Top Drawer Soccer.  It's possible that Henry could end up being Marquette's next big soccer star.  For the past 12 years, Roeders has used just three primary keepers: Laura Boyer, Natalie Kulla, and Amanda Engel.  All three women were four year starters for the Golden Eagles.  With Engel no longer a part of the program, Roeders will have to choose between the two keepers on his roster: either sophomore Sloane Carlson or Henry.  It's not completely out of question that Henry will get the nod in net, as Roeders has shown the willingness to play a freshmen in the past.

You can check out the full breakdown of the high school and club accolades of all seven women in the official press release right here.