WOMEN’S COLLEGE: Carolina, Stanford land top recruits

Susan Bush isn’t your stereotypical North Carolina recruit, the one that dreamed about going to Carolina as a kid. Bush’s biggest goal when she was younger was just making her regional team. “I never actually thought about playing there” at Carolina, the U.S. World Cup hopeful said. “I never thought that I could.” The addition of the nation’s top recruit gives the Tar Heels arguably the best recruiting class in a thin recruiting year. The argument comes from Stanford, which some coaches say has the best class. Notre Dame and Portland are next in line. Virginia coach April Heinrichs gives the edge to her alma mater. “I think Jenni Branam puts [North Carolina] over the top myself, and Kim Patrick and Susan Bush,” said Heinrichs, who also coaches the U.S. under-16 national team. Bush has the biggest pedigree of the Carolina class, which includes fellow striker Elizabeth Ball. Bush was the only high school player picked for the U.S. national team’s pre-World Cup training camp in Florida and already has three caps. She plays for the highly successful Houston-based Challenge club with Soccer America Top 25 picks Martha Moore (Texas A&M) and Kelly Worden (Virginia). “Based on her experience and everything else, she’d probably have to be regarded the top [recruit] coming out,” first-year Notre Dame coach Randy Waldrum said. Most coaches laud Bush’s speed — U.S. coach Tony DiCicco compares her speed and acceleration to Mia Hamm’s — and her overall attacking skills. “She’s very good with her back to the goal,” Heinrichs said. “She’s got a tremendous change of pace, outstanding ball control when the ball’s on the ground. She’s aggressive.” Bush committed to Carolina in August, about a week before the lawsuit filed by former UNC players Debbie Keller and Melissa Jennings hit Coach Anson Dorrance and the university. But Bush didn’t lose faith. “I thought about [the lawsuit] a lot,” she said. “Then I saw how the team reacted and how many supporters he had. “He’s the kind of coach I want to play for because he can motivate me, and he’s someone I want to win for.” Cardinal lands two-sport star Over on the West Coast, many believe that Stanford’s recruits — topped by the U.S. U-18s’ Marcia Wallis — are the best in the nation. Third-year coach Steve Swanson calls this year’s class his best since he’s been at Stanford. UNC’s Dorrance, who would not comment on his recruiting class, praised Wallis, who played on the same Central Valley Mercury club that produced last year’s top recruit, Santa Clara’s Aly Wagner. “We’re really upset we lost Marcia Wallis, not just because she’s a great soccer player but a great golfer,” Dorrance said. “I was going to share everything I know about soccer in exchange for everything she knows about golf.” Wallis may also play golf for the Cardinal, but not right away. Swanson also nabbed Becky Myers, Allyson Marquand, Callie Withers and Kelsey Carlson. Myers and Marquand joined Wallis on the U.S. U-18 team in the U.S. Youth Soccer/adidas Cup in February. “Aside from losing [Penn State-bound] Christie Welsh, losing Becky Myers really hurt, and you can quote me on that,” Heinrichs said. “She’s just an outstanding athlete, and willful, courageous, and never quits.” Rounding out the cream of the 1999 crop is Portland’s Lauren Orlandos, considered the best defender in the country. Dorrance, who lost out on the 5-10 Orlandos, said, “She has a wonderful skill level. We think she’s superb.” Waldrum has a great group to work with in his first year at Notre Dame. Texas coach Chris Petrucelli, whom Waldrum replaced as Irish boss, put together the Irish class, which consists of U.S. U-18s Nancy Mikacenic, Ali Lovelace, Sani Post and Vanessa Pruzinsky, the NSCAA Player of the Year. “Every coach thinks they have the best class coming in,” Swanson said. “That’s the way it should be. We’re very excited about ours.” By Soccer America Associate Editor Dean Caparaz

SA Top 25 Women’s Recruits