March 28, 2006 -
FLORENCE, S.C. – Francis Marion University women's soccer coach Martin Beall has announced the signing of six freshmen, Emily Brandenburg of Martinez, Ga., Rachel Rubin of Charlotte, Angela Salem of Copley, Ohio, Meagan Sheffler of Middletown, Md., Kirby Stenard of Cincinnati, and Ashley Van Laethem of Chesapeake, Va., to national letters of intent to attend FMU and play for the Patriots this fall.
Brandenburg, a 5-7 goalkeeper, is a senior at Lakeside High School, where she plays for coach Chris Newman. An All-County performer for the Panthers, she also played for the Columbia County Patriots club squad.
Rubin, a 5-9 forward, is a senior at Vance High School. She played for the Greensboro Twisters club team, under the direction of coach Brian Japp. An honor roll student, she also runs track at Vance, and was named the school’s 2005 Distance Runner of the Year.
Salem, a 5-5 center midfielder, is a senior at Copley High School, where she played for coach (and mother) Tina Salem. She has earned All-State and All-Conference honors, as well as being a member of the Ohio Olympic Development Program state team. As a senior, she paced the Indians with 23 goals and 13 assists while leading Copley to its fourth consecutive Suburban League title. She ended her prep career with 81 goals and 46 assists. Salem played club soccer for the Cleveland FC squad.
Sheffler, a 5-2 center midfielder, is a senior at Middletown High School, where she played for coach Heather Kline. This past fall, she tallied nine goals and three assists, while garnering All-State and All-Conference recognition. She helped lead the Knights to the 2004 state title and a state runner-up finish in 2005. She was also an All-State selection as a junior and is a three-time All-MVAL choice. She also played for the FC Frederick club team and the Maryland ODP state squad.
Stenard, a 5-2 center midfielder, is a senior at Turpin High School, where she played for coaches Dave Lawson and Larry Chilastri. She earned All-FAVC honors four times, including three times as a first-team pick, and was twice named to the All-City Team. She also received her team’s Golden Boot Award twice. She is a member of the Ohio ODP state team, and played club soccer for the Hammer FC squad.
Van Laethem, a 5-3 outside back, is a senior at Western Branch High School, where she plays for coach Becky Journigan. As a junior, she scored nine goals and assisted on 16 scores. She is a two-time All-District and All-Region selection, and received a Chesapeake Scholar Athlete Award each of the past four years. Entering her senior year, she has career totals of 20 goals and 29 assists. Van Laethem, who was also an All-District performer in field hockey, recently received the Ace Parker Athletic Award of Excellence presented by the Portsmouth (Va.) Sports Club as the best all-around female athlete in the area.
"These six student-athletes will make an immediate impact on our program," said Beall. "Not only will they help us on the field, but will more importantly represent Francis Marion University in a very positive way. They are all excellent students and are of very high character. On the playing field, we have become more athletic, and these players also have great technical skills. We are very excited about the future of our program as we continue to transition to the Division I level."
Francis Marion loses five seniors off last season's 5-9-1 squad that completed its first year of transitioning from NCAA Division II to Division I.
