You could field a full squad with the Fort Lewis College women’s soccer recruits and have a couple of substitutes, to boot.
The Skyhawks added four more players last week to bring the 2014 recruiting class to 13.
Jenna Brown, Kodie Johnson, Ashlynn Speakman and Morgan Shippen will join the Skyhawks’ roster next year, head coach Damian Clarke recently announced in a news release.
Brown joins FLC from Glenwood Springs High School, where she played all over the field, winning the Western Slope League’s 2013 Goalie of the Year and 2014 Offensive Player of the Year awards.
“She has a big frame at 5-foot-10 and is quite mobile, as well,” Clarke said in the news release. “I think, more than anything, she has the mindset to work and continue to compete. We look for her to improve our depth at the midfield position, possibly central or in the flanks.”
Staying on Colorado’s Western Slope, Speakman was a four-sport star for Grandview High School in Parachute. She played basketball, soccer, softball and track for the Cardinals.
Speakman scored 75 goals in her high school career and plans to major in sociology at FLC.
“Ashlynn is a bit of a diamond in the rough. She has been dumping goals at a small Parachute high school for years and is an excellent all-around athlete,” Clarke said. “We have found a number of girls in the past from small schools very similar and have had a lot of luck with these type of athletes. She will most likely play up top for us.”
Johnson joins FLC from Carlsbad, New Mexico, where she was a four-year starter and five-year letterwinner as a goalie. She plans to major in exercise science at FLC.
“We need a player to come in and compete with (starting goalie Caitlyn Espinosa, and that is exactly what we got,” Clarke said. “She is a keeper with a good frame and good athleticism. We look forward to developing her into a great player in the next four years.”
Shippen rounds out the foursome from Mesa, Arizona, where she also competed in basketball and swimming.
“Morgan will be a player who adds an attacking quality to our team from any position,” Clarke said. “I think she can play from outside back to forward, and her versatility and comfort in all areas of the field will be a big asset.”
FLC will open the 2014 season Sept. 4 at home against Texas Woman’s University.
heraldsports@durangoherald.com
