The Ole Miss women’s soccer team officially welcomed nine freshman recruits who are joining the 2017 team on Monday.
The nine new players–Sophie Dineen, Alyssa Frazier, Emily Holten, Grace Johnson, Molly Martin, Sydney Michalak, Madison Smith, Chanel Thomas and Channing Foster–include four defenders, one midfielder and three forwards.
Assistant coach Melissa Terry said the recruiting process is strict and detailed.
“This is the best recruiting class in eight years,” Terry said.
Terry and the other coaches spend 15-20 weekends during the spring and summer on the road looking for the next additions to their team.
“In terms of qualifications, really, the four things we look at are technical, tactical, physical and psychological–that’s more or less the components of the game,” she said. “[The] first thing that stands out is athleticism.”
Terry said grades are also important.
“We really value student athletes who make school a priority,” Terry said. “The grades of players range from 3.64 cumulative GPA, with the highest at 3.79…If they’re competitive in the classroom, and push themselves academically, they’re going to hold themselves to the same standards when they show up to train.”
Two of the signees, Mary Kate Smith and Julia Phillips, are transfers students from Jones College and Florida State University, respectively.
“We lost a number of seniors, so we (want to) try to make up for as much as we can and with someone who got a year of training from a great program and can really help us right away,” Terry said of Phillips.
Upperclassmen Melissa Capocaccia and Courtney Carroll were eager to welcome new members to the team.
Junior midfielder Courtney Carroll from Davidson, North Carolina, said each new recruiting class is so different from the others.
“It is a really interesting experience to lose but also acquire new ‘family members’ each year. Every year is different because we lose and gain different people, which change up the personalities and in turn change the team dynamic.”
Carroll said she is grateful her coaches keep the current players in mind during the recruiting process.
“I think our coaches care a lot about the personalities they are recruiting, so while they look for talented soccer players, they tend to focus a lot on how the girls will mesh with the current players,” Carroll said. “I am incredibly grateful for that because I think team chemistry is a huge part of any team’s success. I do believe if personalities didn’t connect well, we wouldn’t be as successful, and I think the coaches think that, too.”
Senior defense player Melissa Capocaccia from Memphis, Tennessee, describes the team as a second family. She said the players challenge each other but also offer support, on and off of the field.
“When new girls come on the team, we have to make sure that they understand how our team works,” Capocaccia said. “Our team doesn’t respond well to drama, so our team as a whole makes sure that it is kept at a minimum. We also have to make sure they feel welcomed to our team so that any issues they have, big or small, can be taken care of.”
This article was submitted to The Daily Mississippian from an advanced reporting class.
