Moraga, CA - Saint Mary's head women's soccer coach Kai Edwards announced today the signing of seven players for the 2010 season. The seven players that will join the team for the upcoming campaign are; Allison Beard (Woodinville, WA), Emma Kroloff (Anchorage, AK), Sara Ives (Seattle, WA), Brooke Mayo (Pleasanton, CA), Natalie Powell (Lakewood, WA), Mackenzie Ring (Bend, OR), and Nicole Schultz (Boise, ID).

"This class embodies the qualities that we feel will help this program take the next step in it's development to being a top program in the WCC in the near future," said Edwards. "These student-athletes are all known for their great competitive spirit, high soccer IQ and drive to continue their soccer education at Saint Mary's. When this class is finished being signed, we will have depth at every position, very good soccer IQ's and a true competitive spirit that will help us be successful in WCC play and our challenging non-league schedule.

What Edwards has to say about Allison Beard
"Allison Beard has a very high soccer IQ. She is a player who trains on her own and has a desire to be a very good soccer player. She is technically very clean and is a leader on the field. She will challenge day one for a starting spot at center back. Her Coach Brian Van Blommestein has done a great job with her development"

Allison Beard will come to Saint Mary's from Archbishop Thomas J. Murphy High School where she was a four-year varsity letterwinner in soccer. She helped guide her team to Washington state championships in 2006 and 2009, while advancing to the state semifinals in 2007 and 2008. She was a three-time first team all-league selection and a first team all-area defender from 2007-09, while being named the conference's top defender in 2008 and 2009. She was also a first team all-state selection her junior and senior seasons. Beard played her club soccer for the Washington Premier FC 91 in 2008 and 2009, helping her team advance to the state finals in 2009. Was a member of the Crossfire Premier 90 Pacific Northwest Regional Championship team, and was a Super Y ODP National Camp invitee in 2007-08, and a regional camp selection in 2004.

What Edwards has to say about Emma Kroloff
"Emma is a hard working, quick, very fit, blue collar center midfielder with a very good ability to connect passes. She will be one of the hardest working kids on our team and we expect her to challenge for playing time right away. Her club Cook Inlet plays the same system we play which will help her in her transition to the college game"

Emma Kroloff was a four-year varsity letter winner in soccer at Robert Service High School, helping the team to three Region IV finals, including a Region IV Championship in 2009. With Kroloff on the roster, Robert Service HS captured Alaska state titles in 2008 and 2009. In winning the championship in 2009, Kroloff was named the Player of the Match. She was a three-time Alaska Region IV selection, earning first team honors in 2007 and second team honors in 2008 and 2009. In addition to her time on the soccer field, Kroloff also lettered in cross country and skiing, and finished eighth in the state in cross country in 2008.

What Edwards has to say about Sara Ives
"Sara will be a handful for opposing defenses to keep her off the scoreboard. She is a very hard working, athletic striker that creates havoc in the box. She is another player that Brian van Blommestein from Washington Premier has helped become a more complete player. We expect her to score goals right away"

Sara Ives was a four-time Kingco 4A all-conference selection for Ballard High School, and was named the Pivotal Player and team captain during her tenure. The BHS Offensive Player of the Year, Ives was also named the KING 5 GameTime A-Team Athlete, was featured in Sports Illustrated's "Faces in the Crowd", was a Seattle Times "Top 10 Freshman in 3A/4A Fall Sports, and was given the Above & Beyond Award for extensive community service. Additionally, she was a member of the '92 Washington State ODP, the Washington Premier '91 Black, the ECFC '91 Green.

What Edwards has to say about Brooke Mayo
"Brooke is a blue collar defender that has a true passion and skill to keep attackers in front of her. She is a local player from the Pleasanton Rage and we are very excited to keep a player of her level close to home. She is a great competitor and will add depth to our backline"

Brooke Mayo attended Amador Valley High School, but played her soccer only for the Pleasanton Rage Premier club program. As a starting defender and team captain, and helped the Pleasanton Rage play in the California Surf Cup five times.

What Edwards has to say about Natalie Powell
"Natalie is a goalkeeper that flat out competes every moment she is on the field. She is a great personality and joy to be around. She is an intense shot stopper. She is another player that Brian van Blommestein from Washington Premier has helped train her to compete right away at the Division I level."

Natalie Powell was a standout goalkeeper for Charles Wright High School, and was named the goalkeeper of the year in the league and was a first team Class 1A all-state selection in 2009. In addition to all-league honors in 2009, Powell garnered first team all-league honors in 2008 as well, while leading her team to a second place finish. In 2007, where Charles Wright HS won the league title, she was named the league's most valuable player. While playing club soccer for Washington Premier, she helped her team to three state semi-final finishes, while making the Surf Cup finals in 2007, en route to a US Soccer Club Region G finalist appearance.

What Edwards has to say about Mackenzie Ring
"Mackenzie is a two-time Oregon High School State Player of the Year. We are very excited to get one of the top players out of Oregon. She is a big time competitor and goal scorer, and can play multiple positions. We saw her first in our summer soccer camp and recruited her after that. She is from the Oregon Rush soccer club and coach Kylie did an awesome job preparing his players for college soccer.

Mackenzie Ring was a four-year letterwinner in the midfield for Bend High School and was named the Oregon 5A Player of the Year in 2008 and 2009. Additionally, she was a First Team Intermountain Conference and All-State selection in 2008 and 2009. She helped her team capture state championships in 2006, 2008, and 2009, while posting a finalist finish in 2007. While playing her club soccer for the Oregon Rush, Ring helped the team to state semi-final finishes in 2006 and 2009, and a finals appearance in the Nomads in 2009.

What Edwards has to say about Nicole Schultz
"Nicole is a shot stopping goal keeper with very good athleticism. She is a very smart person and will do well adding depth to our goal keeping position. We are excited to see her development over her four years at Saint Mary's College"

While playing soccer for three years at Mountain View High School, Nicole Schultz was a three-time All-Southern Idaho Conference First Team honoree, and an all-star team selection as a senior. She is a member of the Boise Capitals Soccer Club that won the Region G championship in 2005, the state championship in 2007, and was a Far Regional quarter finalists the same year. She was also a member of the IYSA Girls 92 state team for four years.

For additional personal information on each of the 2010 recruits, please CLICK HERE.

Edwards added, "The 2010 class has multiple state champions, state players of the year, national camp experience, ODP Regional Teamers, ODP state Teamers, Super Y-League National campers and many other high accolades We are excited to see how these ladies will develop as people and players over the next four years. I want to thank assistant coaches Scott Alexander and Laura Van Wart in helping put this class together and also our compliance officer Stephanie Shrieve and academic advisor Katie Smith for meeting with these student athletes while they were on their visits. We will be adding a couple more to this class later this spring."