ANDERSON, S.C. - Anderson head women's soccer coach Samar Azem has announced the signing of her first Trojans, inking eight high school standouts and a stellar transfer from Ohio Dominican University that will add depth and talent to the roster.
Tatiana Guarin (T.L. Hanna High School, Anderson, S.C.), Chelsea Hamrick (Crest High School, Shelby, N.C.), Heather Hooper (Franklin County High School, Lavonia, Ga.), Payten Johnson (Nation Ford High School, Fort Mill, S.C.), Sarah Laney (Brookland-Cayce High School, Columbia, S.C.), Olivia Scalzitti (Ohio Dominican/ Brecksville Broadview Heights High School, Brecksville, Ohio), Breanna Stevens (Kings Mountain High School, Kings Mountain, N.C.), Anna Turner (Travelers Rest High School, Travelers Rest, S.C.), Berkley Hughes Lambkin (London South Collegiate Institute, London, Ontario) have joined the AU women's soccer program and will look to help the Trojans build on their No. 10 regular-season ranking in the Southeast Region last season.
"I am very excited about our incoming class," said Azem. "We have a strong core of players returning, with a great deal of experience and talent behind them. It will be interesting to see which incoming players rise to challenge for starting positions. Every single individual that is coming in will bring something unique to the program and add talent and depth to our experienced returning class. They are a group of very hard- working ladies that are committed to the same values and goals we've built the program on, and are committed to the direction we want to go."
Women's Soccer Signees
Tatiana
Guarin
Position: Goalkeeper
Hometown: Anderson, S.C.
High School: T.L. Hanna High School
Club Team: CESA
Soccer Career
Club:
- 2010: CASA U18 S.C. State Cup Champions
- 2011: CESA U18 S.C. State Cup Champions
Team Accomplishments:
-2008, 2009, 2010, 2011: Region I-AAAA Region
Champions
- Ranked as high as 2nd in South Carolina and 49th nationally in
2012.
Azem on Guarin: "Tatiana comes to us from a similar background as Kaitlyn Neipp, however she is a completely different athlete and player. Tatiana is a very athletic, quick and explosive goalkeeper. I believe through her development in the shadows these last few years, she's found her own niche as a goalkeeper and will look to be a competitive addition to the squad and our goalkeeping unit. We're excited to add a player and person with as much drive and work ethic as Tatiana and I believe she has the potential to make an impact with the program."
Chelsea
Hamrick
Position: Forward/Midfielder
Hometown: Shelby, N.C.
High School: Crest High School
Club Team: CESA Premier
Soccer Career
Club:
- 2006, 2007, 2009: Charlotte Soccer Academy 93 Predator
N.C. State Champions
- 2011: CESA 93 Premier S.C. State Champions
Team Accomplishments:
- 2009, 2011: Big South 3A-4A Conference Champions
Individual Accomplishments:
- 2010-2011: Offensive Player of The Year
- 2010-11: All-Big South Conference
- 2011: All-Region
- 2009-11: North Carolina High School Athletic Association
Scholar-Athlete
- 2012: Wendy's High School Heisman State Finalist
2007-2011 Elite Clubs National League
2006, 2007, 2008: North Carolina ODP state team
2006, 2007: Region 3 ODP team
- Also lettered in swimming
Career Stats:
-2009-2011: 36 goals, 16 assists
Azem on Hamrick: "Chelsea is a great addition to our 2012 class. She is an exceptional student and talented player. Chelsea's experience playing on a number of very successful squads and within the ECNL league will be a good addition to the returning experience we currently have on the roster. She is a methodical player and her ability to read the game and make decisions will be an asset as we continue to develop our attacking presence in the season. Additionally, she's a very endearing young lady and will be a great fit in our program and at AU. We look forward to bringing her on!"
Heather
Hooper
Position: Defender
Hometown: Lavonia, Ga.
High School: Franklin County High School
Club Team: Darlington Soccer Academy
Soccer Career
Team Accomplishments:
- 2009: Earned Second Place in the Appalachian Athletic
Conference
Individual Accomplishments:
Four-year varsity letterwinner
Named Second Team All-Region (GHSA Region 8-AAA)
Sophomore: Served as team captain and earned "Coach's Choice"
award.
Freshman: Earned "Will to Win" award.
Azem on Hooper: "Heather is the ideal young lady we look to bring into our program. She's a great student, an outstanding worker, a very responsible and diligent student and player and has a heart of service. I am excited about the impact Heather can make in the program on and off the field. She has a very strong work ethic, she's a tough player and can stand players up very well. She will be a good addition to our defensive unit. Heather already formed very strong relationships with our players and that says a lot about the type of person she is. We're excited to have her as a part of the family"
Payten
Johnson
Position: Defensive Midfield
Hometown: Fort Mill, S.C.
High School: Nation Ford
Club Team: Charlotte United
Soccer Career
Team Accomplishments:
Helped lead the Nation Ford Lady Falcons to an undefeated
Region IV-AAA record and a No. 5 ranking in early April.
Azem on Johnson: "We're very excited about adding Payten to our 2012 class. She brings a lot of pace and dynamic to our attack. Her ability to get behind players and look for goals will be a strong addition to the attack. I believe her engaging personality will be a very strong asset as we bridge our incoming players with the returners. Payten is also a well-liked young lady and has also hit it off very well with our current players. We are excited to have her as a part of our family."
Sarah
Laney
Position: Defender
Hometown: West Columbia, S.C.
High School: Brookland-Cayce High School
Club Team: CRSA (Congaree Rapid Soccer
Association)
Soccer Career
Team Accomplishments:
- 2010: Earned a berth in the state quarterfinals.
- 2011: Earned a berth in the state quarterfinals.
- 2011: South Carolina Region 5-AAA Champions.
Individual Accomplishments:
South Carolina ODP 93 state team in 2008 and 2009
Four-year varsity letterwinner
Served as team captain as a junior and senior.
Also lettered in Cross Country.
Azem on Laney: "Sarah was the first recruit we had commit to us
at AU, and we are excited about all the qualities she brings to the
table. Her strong but quiet personality will be a good addition to
the leadership on the team as she develops. She's a very resilient
and responsible young lady and has a very competitive mentality
which I attribute to her success as an individual. Her ability to
be a strong and fearless presence defensively is a great addition
to our holding mid and center-mid positions. She's undoubtedly a
great fit to the program and to the institution."
Olivia
Scalzitti
Position: Forward
Hometown: Brecksville, Ohio
Previous School: Ohio Dominican University
High School: Brecksville Broadview Heights High
School
Club Team: Cleveland Alliance Soccer Academy
Soccer Career
Team Accomplishments:
Helped lead the ODU Panthers to a Great Lakes
Intercollegiate Athletic Conference South Division title in
2011
Individual Accomplishments:
First Team All-Southwest Conference selection while at
Brecksville Broadview Heights High School …Also lettered in
basketball for the Bees.
Career Stats:
Saw action in 15 matches, while starting four as a sophomore
forward for the Panthers … Notched 12 shots, two goals and
an assist … As a freshman, played in 17 games, while
starting one … Recorded first collegiate score against
Findlay on Sept 26, 2010 … Finished with one assist and
three points on nine shots, including three shots on goal.
Azem on Scalzitti: "Olivia was a very good pick up for us. She's a very responsible young lady whose desire to expand her growth as a student and athlete shows a great deal of passion. She comes from a very successful and regionally-ranked program and brings that experience with her on the field. She understands winning ways, has the potential to be a leader on the field and is a tough and aggressive attacking minded player. Olivia has the ability to be a pivotal part of the final pass and is a strong-willed player eager to score as well. I look forward to seeing her transition into our conference and the impact she can possibly make."
Breanna
Stevens
Position: Forward/Midfield
Hometown: Kings Mountain, N.C.
High School: Kings Mountain High School
Club Team: GCCSA Lady Cobras
Soccer Career
Individual Accomplishments:
- 2011: Earned Big South 3A All-Conference honors.
- 2012: Served as team captain.
Also lettered in volleyball, basketball and softball for the
.
Azem on Stevens: Breanna is possibly one of our most overall athletic players that we're bringing in for 2012. She is a natural goal scorer and will be a very good addition for us as we continue to develop our program into an attacking powerhouse. Breanna works hard, she knows when to receive and hold, when to play a quick combination and when to shoot. Breanna is a dynamic addition to our 2012 class and we're excited to have her."
Anna
Turner
Position: Forward/Center Mid
Hometown: Travelers Rest, S.C.
High School: Travelers Rest High School
Club Team: Foothills Soccer Club of Greer
Soccer Career
Individual Accomplishments:
Freshman - Served as captain … Named MVP.
Sophomore - Earned Coaches Award.
Junior - Served as captain … Earned All-Region 2-AAA .
Senior - Served as captain.
Member of the South Carolina ODP team.
Qualified for Nationals in Rock Climbing in 2006.
Azem on Turner: "Anna is a very unique player with strong qualities. She's the type of player who appears a lot smaller than the presence she brings. Defensively, Anna will be a big asset to the program. She's strong, quick and she's got a very resilient mindset. Getting past her will certainly be a daunting task for many attacking players. I think she will earn her teammates respect very quickly and is a great fit for our institution, our program and our family."
Berkley
Hughes-Lambkin
Position: Outside Left Midfielder
Hometown: London, Ontario
High School: London South Collegiate Institute
Club Team: London Gryphons
Soccer Career
Club:
- 2nd Place (U17 Silver Medalists) at Super Y North
American Championship
- U21 Ontario Women's Soccer League (OWSL) Champions
- U18 Indoor Challenge Cup Champions
- Henderson Tournament Champions
Individual Accomplishments:
- Top goal scorer for U18 indoor team
Azem on Lambkin: "Berkley is a very attack-minded player and her strengths - going forward, speed with the ball in front of her, and knack for finding the back of the goal are great compliments to the different formations and attacking systems of play we intend to use in the fall. She's a very competitive player as well and has played on a renowned Canadian club side which will help her transition into league play."
The 2011 edition of Anderson women's soccer earned the No. 4 seed in the South Atlantic Conference Tournament and posted a school-record seven shutouts on the season, before falling to top-seeded and fifth-ranked Lenoir-Rhyne in the SAC Tournament semifinals.
