Women's Soccer | 2/1/2017 10:53:00 AM
POCATELLO, Idaho – The Idaho State women's soccer team signed seven new players for the upcoming 2017 season as announced by Head Coach
Allison Gibson on Wednesday. Gibson landed signees from seven different states including Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Hawai'i, Montana, Utah and Washington.
"We are so excited about our 2017 class as it is an extremely balanced group of players," Gibson said. "In this group, we have goal scorers, goal stoppers, tough defensive players and crafty midfielders to piece it all together. Our current team is in such a great place right now training hard and is ready to welcome our 2017 class with open arms."
Corinne Sanderson
Sanderson comes to Pocatello after a successful multi-sport career at Corvallis High School in Corvallis, Mont. Sanderson was a four-year letter winner in both soccer and basketball in addition to playing two varsity seasons of softball. She was a three-time all-state, all-conference performer in soccer and was the leading scorer in the state of Montana her senior season. Sanderson led Corvallis to three Montana State Soccer Association state championships in 2014, 2015 and 2016 in addition to three-straight state quarterfinal appearances. A four-time team MVP selection and three-year team captain, Sanderson earned the first ever 406Sports.com Woman Athlete of the Month for the state of Montana and leaves Corvallis High School as the school's all-time scoring leader. Sanderson's success spilled onto the basketball court where she was a two-time all-conference selection and two-time team MVP in addition to being a three-year team captain. A stellar student, Sanderson is a four-year honor roll student and four-time academic all-state selection as well as a member of the National Honor Society. Sanderson will enroll in the fall and plans to major in health sciences with a minor in business.
Schafer, a 5-foot-6 midfielder out of Anchorage, Alaska will provide stamina and depth in the midfield for the Bengals next season. Shafer was a four-year soccer and cross country athlete at A.J. Dimond High School, and she also is a two-year veteran of the track and field team. She earned First Team All-Conference and First Team All-State her senior season, and also led her squad to win the 2016 state championship as well as three-straight state playoff appearances in 2014, 2015 and 2016. She will enroll as a freshman this fall and plans to major in sports medicine.
Kathryn Leachman
Leachman hails from Larkspur, Colo. and will provide some additional firepower for the Bengals in the forward position next fall. A three-year letter winner in both soccer and track at Douglas County High School, Leachman led her soccer team to the state playoffs in 2014 and 2016 and helped the track and field program earn state championship titles in 2015 and 2016. She was named honorable mention as well as second-team all-league, and she was part of the school-record 4x100 relay team with a time of 49.00 seconds. Leachman plans to major in business when she arrives in Pocatello next fall.
Laule'a Akana-Phillips
Akana-Phillips will arrive in Pocatello next fall after a successful three-year varsity soccer career at Kamehameha High School in Waianae, Hawai'i. Akana-Phillips, a goalkeeper, helped her squad to the 2015-16 state tournament and earned All-Star Second Team goalkeeper honors for the Interscholastic League of Honolulu. She was also named honorable mention during the 2014-15 season. Akana-Phillips is also a standout student and has earned multiple outstanding leadership awards as well as the Ho'okumu/Principal Awards. She plans to major in international studies with a minor in leadership.
Rachel Brownell
Brownell is a 5-foot-9 defender out of Bellevue, Wash. and brings loads of experience to the Bengal roster. A club soccer veteran since age 11, Brownell was part of the Washington State Olympic Development Program and helped her club team to multiple tournament championship victories including the Western Collegiate Development Association in 2014 and the Crossfire Challenge and U.S. Club Western Regional in 2015. She was part of the team that placed second at the 2016 Las Vegas Players Showcase including a top-four performance in the SC Del Sol President's Day Tournament in 2016. Brownell is a member of the National Honor Society and plans to major in criminal justice.
Lauren McGahie
McGahie is a 5-foot-7 center back out of Glendale, Ariz. She was a four-year varsity starter at Mountain Ridge High School and was also a varsity swimmer for three years. MaGahie was Mountain Ridge's leading scorer her junior and senior seasons and was team captain her senior season. She was named the Defensive Player of the Year her sophomore seasons and was all-section honorable mention as well as defensive MVP her junior season. McGahie was also a standout performer in the classroom and ranks in the top 11 percent of her class. She's a member of the National Honor Society, the Society of Female Scholars and the National Student Advisory Board for Positive Coaching Alliance, and she was selected for the National Academy of Future Scientists & Technologists Award of Excellence for outstanding academic achievement. She plans to major in civil engineering when she arrives in Pocatello as a freshman next fall.
Marisa Hasebi
Hasebi is a 5-foot-2 inch midfielder from Taylorsville, Utah. She's a four-year varsity soccer player and three-year varsity basketball player at Taylorsville High School and carries a perfect 4.0 GPA. She earned honorable mention all-region and first team region 2 honors in addition to being named to the Fox 13 UYSA team in 2016. Hasebi has participated in ODP play and helped her team to the ODF Region Championships as well the State Cup finals and Far West Regional quarterfinals. Hasebi has led her team to win the Park City tournament, Adidas Cup and Utah Summer games, among other tournaments. She's an honor roll student and academic all-state selection, and she's active in student government as a school senator. Hasebi plans to major in radiographic sciences when she arrives in Pocatello as a freshman next fall.
