March 24, 2009
Bronx, N.Y. - Fordham women's soccer coach Ness Selmani announced the team's 2009 recruiting class today, as seven new players will be welcomed to Rose Hill next season. Joining Fordham next season will be forward Elizabeth Ker (Seaville, N.J./Ocean City), forward Annie Worden (Silver Spring, Md./Montgomery Blair), goalkeeper Sarah Zieman (Mt. Laurel, N.J./Lenape), midfielder Cara Rooney (Flushing, N.Y./St. Francis Prep), goalkeeper Rachel Suther (Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley), midfielder/defender Kaitlin Abrams (Rochelle Park, N.J./Bergen County Academy), and midfielder Megan Cookson (San Diego, Calif./Scripps Ranch).
"I am pleased that these seven student-athletes have chosen to play for Fordham," Selmani. "They will join with our returning players to give us an even stronger team in the fall."
Ker, a 5-7 forward from Seaville, New Jersey, was a four-year soccer standout at Ocean City High School. A three-time First Team All-Conference selection in the Cape Atlantic League, she was selected to the Courier Post All-Star team three times and was a three-time All-South Jersey selection, earning First Team accolades as a senior. As a senior, she served as team captain and was the Atlantic City Press and Ocean City Sentinel Female Player of the Year. A NJ ODP player, Ker played club soccer for Matchfit Celtic as well as AC Diablos of the WPSL, where she helped the Diablos to three Division titles from 2006-08. In the classroom, she is a member of the honor roll.
Worden, a 5-5 forward from Silver Spring, Maryland, was a record-setting goal scorer and two-year captain at Montgomery Blair High School, setting school marks for career goals and goals in a single season. She garnered First Team All-State, All-County, and All-Gazette honors. Worden plays club soccer for the Bethesda Sharks, which made the Maryland State Cup semifinals in 2008, was the High School Division Champion, and made the finals of the Jefferson Cup Superior Flight. In 2007, Worden helped the Sharks to the 2007 CASL College Showcase Championship (orange flight). Away from the field, she is a four-year member of the honor roll and president of the Diversity Work Shop Club.
Zieman, a 5-8 goalkeeper from Mt. Laurel, New Jersey, was an accomplished player at Lenape High School, posting a 0.25 goals against average as a senior, and finishing with 38 shutouts over the past three seasons. She earned All-State honors as a senior, and is a two-time All-South Jersey and All-Group IV goalkeeper. In each of the past two seasons, Zieman was selected by the Philadelphia Inquirer and Courier Post as team goalkeeper, while helping Lenape to the last two NJSCA Coaches Tournament Championships and NJSIAA Group IV Championships. Lenape High School also earned a #3 national ranking in 2008 and #8 in 2007 with Zieman as the starting goalkeeper. Zieman plays club soccer for the MLU Comets, where she helped the team win the 2008 U16 Las Vegas College Showcase with all games being shutout victories, while finishing as the 2008 U16 New Jersey State Cup finalist, after winning the U15 State Championship in 2007. Away from the pitch, Zieman is a member of the honor roll and was a FBLA State Competitor.
Rooney, a 5-4 midfielder from Flushing, New York, was a four-year starter and two-year captain at St. Francis Prep. She earned the team leadership award as a junior, while receiving the Coaches Award during her senior season. A three-time CHSAA All-Queens First Team selection, she was a member of the ODP Girls North Team for two seasons (2006-08), while playing for the New York Magic of the Super-Y League. Away from the field, Rooney is a student teacher at St. Francis Prep and is a member of the Italian National Honor Society.
Suther, a 6-2 goalkeeper from Naperville, Illinois, is a decorated netminder from Neuqua Valley High School, where she has been a starter since her freshman season. In 2008, she helped Neuqua Valley to their second straight IHSA Sectional Championship, earning All-Conference honorable mention and Academic All-State honors. In 2007, she posted a 0.53 goals against average with 17 shutouts, helping Neuqua Valley to a #14 ranking and was selected All-City honorable mention by the Naperville Sun-Times. A member of Illinois ODP from 2005-06, Suther currently plays club soccer for the Chicago Magic, where she has helped the team to the 2007 and 2008 State Cup semifinals, the 2007 President's Cup semifinals, and the 2007 USCS semifinals. Away from the net, she is a five-time Academic letter winner, the 2006 Wildcat Pride Award winner for extraordinary academic achievement, and an Indian Prairie Scholar for maintaining a 3.8 GPA or higher throughout high school.
Abrams, a 5-8 midfielder/defender from Rochelle Park, New Jersey, was a two-year captain and four-time varsity MVP at Bergen County Academy. She was a four-time All-NNJIL selection, helping Bergen County Academy to four consecutive NJTAC State Championships. For club soccer, Abrams played for Arsenal/World Class Hawks, where she served as co-captain. While playing for the Hawks, she helped the team capture the 2007 & 2008 Jefferson Cup Championships, the 2008 U17 JAGS Invitational Championship, and the 2008 U18 Orange Classic Championship. Away from the pitch, she is a member of the National Honor Society and is a four-year member of the Dean's list.
Cookson, a 5-7 midfielder from San Diego, California, was a two-year captain for Scripps Ranch High School, wrapping up her career by earning First Team All-CIF honors as a senior. She also earned First Team All-Eastern League honors as a junior and senior, team MVP accolades as a junior and the team's offensive midfielder of the year award as a senior. She helped Scripps Ranch to the CIF quarterfinals in 2006 and the semifinals in 2009, while away from the field, she was named to the 2008 Union Tribune All-Academic team and has been a three-year active member of the Associated Student Body. For club play, Cookson has most recently played for San Diego Surf White of the Premier Elite League in 2008, where she won the 2008 Pegasus Cup Championship and was a finalist for the 2008 Surf College Cup. Prior to San Diego Surf White, she had played for Notts Forest Soccer Club and Quickstrike FC.
