Feb. 20, 2008

Soccer: Penguins Sign Four Recruits to 2008 Team

     Youngstown -- Strikers Kara Cooper (Youngstown) and Geneva Strelka (Strongsville, Ohio) and midfielders Kelsey Kempton (Strongsville, Ohio) and Jessica McMurray (Ambridge, Pa.) have signed National Letters of Intent to continue their academic and soccer careers at Youngstown State, Head Coach Anthony James announced today.
     Cooper was a four-time MVP at Youngstown Christian High School and holds all the school's scoring records. She is also a two-time all-conference player. In her senior year Cooper was voted to the Ohio All-State team and was chosen as the WYTV's Student Athlete of the Week.  During her four years at Youngstown Christian Cooper compiled at total of 139 goals.

    James describes Cooper as a a player with a strong work ethic both on and off the field

    "She is a proven goal scorer and is well known for her ability to strike the ball with tremendous pace. Kara will run through a wall to score goals," said James. "I expect her to step in and challenge for a starting position right away."

    Cooper said that Coach James was one of the main reasons she chose YSU.

    “All the schools I was looking at were solid academically. However, Coach James was more concerned with what the program can do for me instead of what I can do for the program. He valued what I could bring to the program, but wanted the best for me even if YSU wasn’t it. That attracted me to Youngstown State.”

    Strelka, who stands at 5'11, was named rookie of the year at Strongsville High and was one of the team's top goal scorers. She is a six year Regional State Select Team member for Northern Ohio Select, Cleveland Internationals and Cleveland Area Soccer Academy Super Y Leagues. Strelka is also a current member of the club team the Cleveland Whitecaps.

    James said that Strelka has a knack for scoring important goals.

    "As a striker, Geneva likes to use her pace and one-on-one attributes to get behind opposing teams defenses. She is a very technical player who is extremely strong on the ball. We expect her to step in and pick up where she left off at the high school and club level," said James.

    For Strelka, the decision to come to YSU was an easy one.
    "When I visited YSU I came away knowing YSU was the university I wanted to attend. The girls on the team I met seemed to have great chemistry between each other and with Coach James. I thought YSU was a good academic choice with the right atmosphere for me.”

     Kempton's Strongsville High school soccer team was ranked number one in the state and number two in the nation. In 2005, Strongsville won the state championship. Kempton is a current member of the Ohio Premier North Soccer Club, who were state club champions in 2005. Kempton was also part of the team in 2006 and 2007 when it finished as state finalist. She is a four- year member of the Ohio North ODP program and was an All-Conference Selection Scholar athlete.

    James was especially impressed with Kempton's competitive nature.

    "Kelsey lives for the battles and will back down from no one. There aren’t many positions on the field she can’t play. However, she will be expected to challenge for immediate playing time in the defensive midfield position," said James.

    "I chose YSU because of the opportunity to contribute to a growing program and play for a coach who wants his team and players to be successful," said Kempton.

    McMurray is a current member of the Penns Forest Soccer Club Team and competes in track at Ambridge High School.  In 2007 she was a WPIAL All-section Selection Team Captain and team MVP. McMurray's team was the PA West State Champions in 2003 and was a finalist in 2004 and 2005. She is also six year member of the PA West ODP state team. With her club team, McMurray played in integral role in being named the US State Club Champion in 2005. The team was also a finalist in  2006.

    James described McMurray as an extremely strong physical player with great speed and athleticism.

    "In spite of her physical attributes, Jessica is very technical player who reads the game very well.  She will be expected to contribute right away in our defensive midfield or in the central back position," added James.

    McMurray said that she is very happy with her decision to attend YSU. 

    “I chose to go to YSU because they offered the academic program that I am interested in.  I also had previous experience with Coach James with my cup team and I knew that I would enjoy playing soccer for him."