LEXINGTON, Va. – VMI women's soccer announced its 2013 recruiting class, a seven-member class that will begin play this coming fall.

“I'm very excited about the potential of this class,” said VMI head coach Bryan Williams. “We've brought in a variety of players, but all will raise the level of our team, both on the field and in the classroom.”

Below is a capsule on each member of the incoming class.

Emily Adams, M, Chino Hills, Calif. (Chino Hills HS)
Four-year letterwinner as a midfielder at Chino Hills HS…three-year scholar-athlete…Honorable Mention for the Sierra League Athletic All-American Award (2012)…played for multiple clubs, including Glendora Futbol Club, Freedom FC, SoCal Infinity and Strikers FC…first place, Italy Cup women's over 20…second place, Copa Catalunya in Spain…intends to major in Mechanical Engineering at the Institute.

Coach's Quote: “Emily Adams is a terrific young lady out of Chino Hills, California. She is one of many strong academic student-athletes coming in with this class, and I feel very fortunate to have her here from the other side of the country to give us a connection to the West Coast. She is a very versatile player, with very good technical skill and speed. Emily is quick and athletic, and could fill in at a number of different areas for us, as she comes in and settles in with this team for the fall. She has been very successful this winter with her high school team, and again, has played at a very high level with her club team, playing in the west coast region and having very good travel experience. I believe that will help us, in regards to what this team will face, not only with the Big South schedule, but also with the transition to the Southern Conference the following year.”

Sam Boney, M, Stafford, Va. (Mountain View HS)
Four-year letterwinner as a center midfielder for Mountain View HS…Coaches Award…team leader in assists…First Team All-District…in club experience, played for the Fredericksburg Area Soccer Association (FASA), the same club that former Keydet team captain Kacey Hall played for…member of Virginia ODP program…Super 20's…National 20's Championship…intends to major in mechanical engineering at the Institute.

Coach's Quote: “Sam Boney played for Fredericksburg area soccer association (FASA), which is the same club that Kacey Hall came from. She is also a state ODP player and a strong, central midfield player who also has experience playing centrally on the back line. Sam helped lead Mountain View to strong seasons each of the last two years, and has been a stalwart player for her club over the last two campaigns as well. She is a very solid young lady, with great vision of the field and is certainly capable of playing our style of soccer with her strength, passing ability and overall physical dominance. Her experience with the ODP system makes her additionally attractive for us, with her playing at the top levels of her age bracket both within the state and regionally. She is a strong student and will focus on mechanical engineering at VMI.”

Lizzy Cotter, D, Fairfax, Va. (Chantilly HS)
Two-year letterwinner at Chantilly HS…Work Ethic Award…Coaches Award…member of two-time district champion girls' soccer team…team also won regional title in 2013…A and B Honor Roll…On-a-Roll Award…Outstanding Student Award from Chantilly Academy 2013…also played for CSC Revolution club team…lettered one season in indoor track…intends to major in biology at the Institute.

Coach's Quote: “Lizzy Cotter, out of Chantilly HS and Fairfax, has a family with a long history of military service. She is a tall, strong defensive player, and possesses a great deal of experience, having played for the Chantilly Revolution (club) and started on her high school team, who made it to the state quarterfinals this spring.  Lizzy is a very competitive player who has had the ability to use her size and quickness to help the teams that she's played with control the outside back. That should be an area that she can help our team in as well this coming season, as she comes in with the same strong skills. Her academics are also top-notch, and her technical and physical attributes match up well with the rest of this freshman group as well.”

Emma Manis, M, Midlothian, Va. (Cosby HS)
Four-year letterwinner at Cosby HS in Midlothian…member of the 2010 state runner-ups and 2012 state champions…three-time scholar-athlete...2013 Coach's Award…played for Richmond Kickers and the Virginia District and State Olympic Development Program (ODP)…National Honor Society…Varsity Club…Beta…intends to major in biology at the Institute.

Coach's Quote: “Emma Manis comes to VMI not only with a strong academic background, but also with great experience having played for Cosby High School, last year's state champions. Her team also did very well this past season, reaching the state regional finals. She is a strong, competitive player, who has versatility in playing up top as forward or as an attack midfielder, as an outside midfielder or on various positions on the back line. Emma has had great experience with the Richmond Kickers this past season, and also has played for Nether Appaloosas, a club team out of Pennsylvania. She will bring strong competitive experience to us, with her efforts having played for a state title as well as the aforementioned high level of travel club time, and she brings us another player from the Richmond area to continue our connection with that part of the state.”

Emily Marbury, GK, Crozet, Va. (Western Albemarle)
Four-year letterwinner at Western Albemarle…two-time First Team all-district…two-time First Team all-region…two-year team captain…led team to 2013 District Championship…35 career shutouts in 51 games played…also a three-year letterwinner in basketball who averaged six points per game…National Honor Society…four-year member of the Principal's Honor Roll…plans to major in biology.

Coach's Quote: “As with the others in this class, Marbury is an exceptionally strong academic student. She will major in biology here at VMI, and a great representative for the class as a whole. Emily has been a standout goalkeeper for both Western Albemarle, who she helped lead to a district championship this past spring, and her club team, SOCA. She is a very athletic, tenacious netminder, and possesses a high work rate, good coverage in the box and also has the ability to play outside back on the field when pressed into service. She will be another addition to our goalkeeping group, which should be a very competitive and hard-working group this fall.”

Liz Nickerson, GK, Seaford, Va. (Southern Connecticut State/York HS)
Transfer from Southern Connecticut State, a D-II school located in New Haven, Conn…was the top keeper there last season, going 7-4-1 in 12 games and posting an 0.64 GAA with six clean sheets…was a four-year letterwinner at York HS…two-time Second Team all-district…two-year team captain…played for Phoenix Elite and Virginia Legacy club teams…member of National Honor Society and Spanish National Honor Society…intends to major in business and economics at the Institute.

Coach's Quote: “Elizabeth was a standout goalkeeper at York HS and Williamsburg Legacy soccer club, where she was a teammate of one of our current players, Meredith Baldasare. We recruited Liz as a high school junior, and saw her show poise and competitiveness in state competitions with her club team. She chose to go elsewhere, but in coming to us now, gives us a goalkeeper with successful collegiate experience. She has a great attitude and is a tough, physical keeper who controls the box very well, and is a leader on the field. I believe she will bring those characteristics to us this fall, and we're pleased to have her joining our ranks. She is off to a great start in her major, and will fit in very well with our program.”

Kristen Whitehurst, M, Dumfries, Va. (Potomac Senior HS)
Four-year letterwinner at Potomac Senior HS…two-time First Team all-district…two-time Coach's Award and Team MVP…student-athlete A honor roll…D.C. United 2012 U-20 Super Y (finalists) and Washington Spirit 2013…played for PWSI Courage for seven years…NJROTC Leadership Award…graduated Summa Cum Laude…attending VMI on a four-year Naval ROTC Scholarship and plans to major in international studies.

Coach's Quote: “Kristen Whitehurst, a former teammate of Bridgette Pouliot's, comes to us from Potomac HS in northern Virginia. She has been a dynamite attacking midfield player for both her HS and her club team, PWSI. She has also played for D.C. United's U-20 team, doing so last summer, which was a big honor for her. She is a very technical, skillful player with good quickness and excellent field vision. Kristen is a terrific passer and possessor of the ball, which, as with others in this class, will help set her in good stead coming in to our team this fall. She is an excellent student, who was a platoon commander of her JROTC detachment at Potomac HS and who earned the four-year Naval ROTC Scholarship to VMI. We are very excited to have Kristen joining this program, as with the others, she will help set the tone for the next four years of strong, competitive and academically strong players representing VMI.”