The Hornets signed local player Missy Matzen from Rio Americano High School. The Gold River, Calif., native plays in the midfield and intends to major in communications at Sacramento State. Matzen played four years of varsity soccer for the Raiders, making it to the playoffs every season under head coach Danny Cruz. For seven years, Matzen played for San Juan Spirits ‘88 under head coach Derek Evans. After hosting and winning the Cal Cup in 2004 with the Spirits, Matzen was awarded the cup trophy by her team captains. The team also reached the state semifinals last season and has won the regional championship the last two years. In August of 2004 the Spirits also placed second at the national tournament in New York.

“Missy is sometimes overlooked because of her kind personality,” Poynter said. “Underneath that sweetness is a tough-nosed, incredibly hard-working athlete. She is strong on the ball, works extremely hard and has a passion to improve every time she steps on the field. She is the exact type of athlete we need here at Sacramento State.”

The Hornets also signed two players out of El Modena High School in Orange, Calif. Ashley Rosenbery and Ashley Forbes both played for head coach Eron Campuzano. In 2003, Rosenbery and Forbes, who served as team co-captains, helped the Vanguards to a Century League Championship.

As a sophomore in 2003, Rosenbery was named team MVP and defensive MVP as well as first team all-Century league. In both 2002 and 2003, Rosenbery was named to the Sunny Hills all-tournament team.

She also was a sprinter on the track team for two seasons. Rosenbery played on the OJSC Northstars, who are currently ranked 23rd in the nation, for head coach Demian Brown. She helped the team to two tournament championships, the 2003 Surf Cup and 2003 NHB Cup. Rosenbery intends to major in psychology at Sacramento State.

“Rosey is a leader in the defense,” Poynter said. “She is very strong in one-on-one situations and is confident in shutting down opposing attackers. I will look for her to play out of the back and take on an attacking role from that position.”

Forbes played four years of soccer for the Vanguards, and was named rookie of the year as a freshman in 2002. In 2004 as a junior, the forward was named first team all-Century league after leading her team in goals and points. For the past two seasons, she was named offensive MVP for El Modena and was named to the Sunny Hills all-tournament team both seasons.

She also played seven years for the OJSC Premier club team under head coach Tamiko Davila. Forbes was the team’s leading scorer each season and in 2000-01 played with the ODP CYSA south state team. She helped Premier to three Coast Soccer League Championships in 2001, ‘02 and ‘03. The team also won the Jusa Tournament, Corona Classic, Hawaii Cup, FCI Tournament, Celtic Cup and the Coronado Crown Classic.

“Forbes is a technically sound forward, who loves to score goals,” Poynter said. “She leads by example and is ready to take her game to the next level. She has a nice first touch and is comfortable taking players on and going to goal.”

The Hornets’ fourth signee is Kirsten Karl of Carlsbad High School in Carlsbad, Calif. The 5’9” midfielder and forward has played three seasons at Carlsbad for head coach Carl Higham. In 2003, she scored seven goals and five assists on her way to being named all-Avocado League. A scholar athlete, Karl also played seven seasons for the PQ Premier coached by Dave Bugsch. In 2003, she helped the team win the Summer Surf Cup championship.

“Kirsten has the ability to do great things for our soccer program,” Poynter said. “She has the size and ability to play many positions and she is comfortable playing the ball with both feet. She can also take on players and go to goal without hesitation.”

Sacramento State’s fifth signee is Sarah Howard of Chino, Calif. Howard played with fellow-signee, Rosenbery for the OJSC Northstars. She played three years of midfield for Robby Blackmore at Chino HS and in 2004 was named MVP of the Sierra League after scoring 22 goals in 21 games. In 2003, Howard was also named second team all-Sierra league and team defensive MVP. For the Northstars, Howard played central midfielder for five years and most recently served as team captain, winning the 2003 Surf Cup and playing in the 2004 Surf & Sand Cup.

“Sarah is an all-around athlete,” Poynter said. “She is the girl you spot before the game juggling the ball on her own before her teammates arrive - she is dedicated 100 percent. Sarah wins everything in the air, possesses great field vision and is very creative with the ball at her feet. She is looked to for leadership and is an outstanding student-athlete, reflected in her 4.0 gpa.”

Kara Taylor from Eugene, Ore., is the only signee to come from outside of California. Taylor played three seasons at North Eugene High School as the team’s sweeper and central midfielder for head coach Brandy Wormdahl. Taylor set the school record for number of goals in one game with five and is also second in school history with goals in a season, tallying 23. In 2003 she was named third-team all-state and Taylor was also named to the first-team of the 4A-league. For seven seasons, Taylor played for the Oregon United under head coach Linyes Rhodes. In 2004 the sweeper was named team captain and in 2003 she attended the ODP Regional Camp. She also helped her team to three championships, the 2004 State Cup, the 2004 Corvallis Cup and the 2003 Beaverton Cup.

“Kara is a great addition to our program,” Poynter said. “She is a highly recruited player who has playing experience at a very high level. This will make the transition into the college game very easy for Kara. She is a solid defender, who also has the ability to score goals and we will look to her to play a vital role right away.”