Loyola Marymount University women's soccer head coach Joe Mallia has completed his recruiting for the 2010 season with the late-spring addition of three more players. Incoming freshmen Marta Tena and Darien Pyka, along with sophomore transfer Rachel Fell, will add to the forward and midfield lines and bring the Lions' 2010 recruiting class to nine players.
"The addition of these three players puts the finishing touches on what was an already exciting recruiting class," Mallia said. "Each of them will add depth to the lines they play in as well as having the potential to make an impact on the field during their time at LMU."
Tena, a 5-3 forward from Newport Beach, was the leading scorer last year at Mater Dei High School. She helped lead MDHS to Trinity League titles in each of her first three high school seasons, including winning the CIF championship as a freshman. Tena played her club soccer for the Wolfpack Soccer Club, where she was a team captain for eight of her nine seasons, lifting the program to the 2010 Nomads Showcase Championship. Tena was a member of the 2005 Cal South Olympic Development Program roster and has also played club soccer in her native hometown of Madrid, Spain.
"Marta is a fun player to watch, she's technical and plays with an exciting flair, as one would expect from her Spanish background," Mallia said. "She loves the game and to play a specific way, with lots of touches on the ball, and looks to help her team keep the ball and get others involved. Additionally once she gets around the penalty area, she can make things happen."
Pyka will give the Lions some depth in the middle in her dual roles as a center-midfielder and center back. The 5-8 Pyka was a three-sport star at Anaheim's Canyon High School, capping her soccer career by being named Third Team All-CIF, Second Team All-County, and the Century League Most Valuable Player as a senior. A two-time First Team All-League selection for soccer, Pyka led CHS to back-to-back league titles as a junior and a senior, taking the team into the second round of the CIF playoffs in both campaigns. Pyka played her club soccer for Laguna Hills Eclipse, where she won the Coast Soccer League Cup in 2008. Pyka was also a stand-out performer in cross country and track, winning all-league honors in both sports and progressing to the CIF Finals.
"We are looking forward to getting Darien out there and seeing where she can help us," Mallia said. "She can play either at the back or in the midfield. She is a well-rounded individual who will be a great asset to our program on and off the field."
Rounding out the spring signees is Fell, a 5-5 midfielder who will be transferring to LMU as a sophomore from Thomas University in Georgia. A native of Crawley, England, Fell played in 15 games last year, scoring four goals and adding an assist for the Night Hawks to earn Second Team NAIA All-Region honors. At the club level, Fell featured for three different teams in England, playing for Chelsea FC's Centre of Excellence from 2001-06, where she was team captain at the Under-16 and Under-14 levels. Fell also attended the Arsenal FC Academy in 2006-07 and played for Reading FC from 2007-09. She was invited to the England women's Under-17 national team training camp and will be spending this summer playing for the Tampa Bay Hellenic in the W-League.
"Rachel brings a lot to the table; she is a versatile player who has a lot of experience having grown up playing in a tremendous soccer culture," Mallia said. "She has added to that experience since she has come to the US by playing in our top amateur women's leagues as well as at the collegiate level for a year. Technically, she is very good on the ball and she has a keen understanding for the game. We look forward to her arrival."
The trio of spring commitments brings LMU's 2010 recruiting class to nine players. Six players - defenders Jenni Benger, Carolyn Dunn, and Tata Gilmer, midfielders Megan Gallagher and Lizzie Mitchell, and forward Tawni Martino - committed to LMU in March.
LMU went 11-6-2 overall, finishing the season with the fifth-most wins in program history and reaching 10 victories for the fourth successive year. In conference play, the Lions secured their fourth straight top-four finish, going 3-3-1.
