Virginia Women’s Soccer Announces 2011 Recruiting Class

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – The Virginia women’s soccer program has announced that six players will join the Cavalier program this fall. Lia Bellizzi (Rye, N.Y.), Olivia Brannon (Troy, Mich.), Morgan Brian (St. Simons Island, Ga.), Danielle Colaprico (Freehold, N.J.), Campbell Millar (McLean, Va.) and Kaili Torres (Fleming Island, Fla.) have signed National Letters of Intent with the Cavaliers and will be first-years on the 2011 Virginia women’s soccer team.

The class is one of the most talented classes to ever join the Virginia program. Five of the six players are high school or youth All-Americans and four have represented the United States in international competition.

“We could not be more excited about this year’s incoming class,” said head coach Steve Swanson. “[Assistant coaches] Ron [Raab] and Kerry [Dziczkaniec] deserve a great deal of credit for helping cultivate a class that has as much character on the inside as the honors and awards they have achieved on the outside. In keeping with the core beliefs of our program all of these players are hard working, motivated, team oriented, responsible, respectful of the game, mentally tough and competitive. We are anxious to have them combine with our current group of returners to form what we feel will be a very cohesive unit this coming fall.”

The class includes five players ranked among the top 60 recruits nationally by TopDrawerSoccer.com, including four of the top 30 players. As a group, they have combined for 16 All-America honors from the NSCAA, Parade and ESPN Rise.

“This year’s class has a little bit of everything in terms of what we need positionally,” said Swanson. “They are very athletic and can handle the ball under pressure extremely well. This 2011 class could be the most technically gifted group we have ever had at Virginia. This combination is important to us as we have always emphasized a very free flowing attack predicated on good ball movement and mobility off the ball. It is always a challenging transition from high school to college, but we are confident each of these players has the ability to impact our program tremendously during the next four years. They all have exceptional leadership qualities which is a direct reflection on their families, club and high school coaches, and communities.”

These six players will join 20 returning players, including six starters, from last year’s squad. The 2010 Cavaliers went 15-5-2, finishing the season ranked No. 9 nationally, and reaching the round of 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the sixth consecutive year. It was Virginia’s 17th consecutive NCAA appearance (third longest streak nationally) and its 23rd overall NCAA appearance.

Lia Bellizzi –Forward/Midfielder – Rye, N.Y. (Rye)

• Three-time NSCAA High School All-American

• Two-time ESPN Rise High School All-American

• Member of the United States U-17 National Team Pool

• No. 30 ranked recruit nationally by TopDrawerSoccer.com

Olivia Brannon – Midfielder/Defender – Troy, Mich. (Athens)

• 2010 NSCAA Youth All-American

• 2010 Parade All-American

• Member of the United States U-17 National Team

• No. 4 ranked recruit nationally by TopDrawerSoccer.com

Morgan Brian – Midfielder – St. Simons Island, Ga. (Frederica Academy)

• 2010 Parade National Player of the Year

• 2010 NSCAA Youth Player of the Year

• 2010 NSCAA High School and Youth All-American

• 2010 ESPN Rise High School All-American

• Two-time Parade All-American

• 2009-10 Gatorade Georgia Player of the Year

• Captain of the United States U-17 National Team

• No. 1 ranked recruit nationally by TopDrawerSoccer.com

Danielle Colaprico – Forward/Midfielder – Freehold, N.J. (Red Bank Catholic)

• 2010 NSCAA Youth All-American

• 2010 ESPN Rise High School All-American

• Member of the United States U-17 National Team

• No. 16 ranked recruit nationally by TopDrawerSoccer.com

Campbell Millar – Midfielder – McLean, Va. (The Potomac School)

• 2010 First-Team Washington Post All-Met

• Helped Bethesda Dragons club team win 2010 state cup

• Competed at the Penn Relays for The Potomac School

Kaili Torres – Forward – Fleming Island, Fla. (St. John’s Country Day)

• 2010 NSCAA Youth All-American

• 2010 Parade All-American

• Member of the United States U-17 National Team

• No. 58 ranked recruit nationally by TopDrawerSoccer.com