College Women: Schwoy Heads Top Class

North Carolina adds another young phenom in Laurie Schwoy, a member of what could be the best recruiting year ever.

This is it. This is the year women’s college coaches around the country have been waiting for.

It’s 1996, a long-awaited recruiting year for coaches who have been salivating over the high number of quality players available.

Two members of the class — Jen Grubb and Lorrie Fair — are already challenging for spots on the U.S. Olympic team.

“In other years we’re talking about four players in every region,” said Virginia coach April Heinrichs. “This year we’re talking about 10 deep in every region at least.”

Region I is no exception.

There’s so much talent there that coaches can’t even agree on the region’s top player. Some coaches give the nod to skillful midfielder Kara Brown, who’s going to Notre Dame, to powerful Maryland midfielder Jackie Mynarski or to North Carolina’s Tina Murphy. But Murphy’s future North Carolina teammate, Laurie Schwoy, garnered the most praise.

A tough-minded forward who holds the ball well under pressure, Schwoy earned all-America honors from Parade magazine and NSCAA/Umbro, which also named her its national player of the year.

The Baltimore product drew raves from around the country.

“She reminds me a lot of Mia Hamm with her explosiveness, her ability go one-v.-one with a defender,” said Notre Dame assistant coach Carla Chin. “She creates a number of opportunities and her workrate is unbelievable.”

“She’s a dancer, creative, skillful,” said Massachusetts coach Jim Rudy. “The type of player we need a lot more of.”

But perhaps the greatest recognition she earned was from U.S. coach Tony DiCicco, who brought her in to national team training camp in Florida for 10 days in December.

In addition to Schwoy, UNC coach Anson Dorrance adds an all-around talent in Murphy to an already rock-solid defense.

“Murphy’s up there as well,” agreed William & Mary coach John Daly, “She can score goals, can play at the back at sweeper. She could mark any player in the country right now.”

Alan Kirkup, who took over Heinrichs’ job at Maryland, thinks highly of a player Heinrichs recruited to College Park.

“I really like Mynarski,” said Kirkup, who coached SMU to its first final four last season. “She’s not blessed with unbelievable pace but gets things done. She has decent touch on the ball, likes to get forward.”

And then there’s Stacy Jerolaman. Daly says she’s a versatile player who could see time at defensive midfielder or at sweeper.

“She’s better at the back,” he said. “She tackles like a train and is very quick, very tenacious.”

Jerolaman could help a lot at the back, along with Kristin Ryan, since Daly loses twin defenders Mashea and Michele Mason. Missy Wycinski should help out up top, where William & Mary loses prolific goalscorer Natalie Neaton.

Another team that strengthened itself considerably is Virginia, which picks up the best regional goalkeeper in Megan Boehm. Late word is that the Cavs also got versatile defender Shannon Garvey and striker Angela Hucles.

by Soccer America Associate Editor Dean Caparaz

Soccer America Super 11 Recruits (Region I)