SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The Sacramento State women's soccer team and head coach Randy Dedini have announced the addition of five student-athletes for the 2011 season.
Jordyn Rollings, Kassiana Anast, Kristen Bridges, Natali Robards and Ashton Swiacki will all begin their Hornet careers next year. Sacramento State is coming off its second Big Sky Conference Tournament title and NCAA tournament appearance in the last four seasons.
Rollings is a 5-foot-5 defender Las Vegas, Nev., (Centennial HS) who transferred to Sacramento State from Virginia Commonwealth. While playing for the Rams of the Colonial Athletics Association, Rollings played in 13 games her freshman season with five starts and two assists. In high school, she paced her team in goals as a senior with 13. She also completed in track and field for the Bulldogs and played club soccer for the Utah Avalanche. The entire senior class of her club team signed Div. I soccer scholarships as the squad was ranked as high as No. 5 in the nation in 2009 and 2010.
"We are very excited about the signing of Jordyn," Dedini said. "We expect her to make an impact for our team immediately. Jordyn is a very athletic defender who will give us speed, strength and depth to our back line."
Anast, a 5-foot-10 defender from Santa Ana, Calif., (Foothill HS) scored the most goals for her high school squad in her senior season while also having a prodigious club career. While playing for the Mission Viejo Soccer Club, her Shamrocks Gold team won the Legends Classic while playing for head coach Sean Melendez - a Sacramento State men's soccer alumnus who started a then-school record 69 matches from 1997-2000.
"Kassi is a versatile player that we think will have a strong career as a Hornet," Dedini said. "Kassi is a 5-foot-10 athlete with speed that can play multiple positions. In 2011 she will be competing for time on our front and back line where she can utilize her size and speed."
Bridges is a 5-foot-8 midfielder from Clovis, Calif., (Buchanan HS) who was named the Fresno Junior League Athlete of the Year in 2010-11. She was also named the ESPN Rise National High School Soccer Player of the Week in Dec. 2010. In five games that week, she scored six goals and drove in two penalty kicks to help Buchanan win the 2010 Peggy Renberg Tournament in Fresno, Calif. She scored 35 goals and tallied 27 assists in her four-year high school career. She also played volleyball at Buchanan. She played her club ball for the East Fresno United Fusion and head coach Hubert Alvarez.
"Kristen is a talented midfield player who has an excellent mind for the game," Dedini said. "With great vision and skill we think Kristen will develop into a strong midfielder and target forward for our team."
Robards is a 5-foot-10 midfielder from Elk Grove, Calif., (Elk Grove HS) who also played club soccer for FC Sacramento. In high school, she was a two-time all-Delta Valley League selection in her sophomore and junior seasons. She was also an all-league high jumper and Academic All-American.
"Natali is a strong 5-foot-10 holding midfielder with lots of potential" Dedini said. "She has very good physical qualities that we will utilize in our defensive back line."
Swiacki is a veteran 5-foot-8 defender from Solvang, Calif., (Santa Ynez Valley HS) who was a four-year varsity starter in high school for head coach Rob Cantrell. She was also named first-team all-Los Padres League and team MVP after her senior season. She was the starting defender for Santa Ynez's CIF championship in 2003 before graduating in 2007. She played at Cuesta College and scored two goals during the 2009 season. She was named first-team all-conference and defensive MVP in 2009 as well.
"Ashton brings experience and depth to our team in 2011," Dedini said. "She’s a strong physical ball winner who is comfortable in any position on the back line and will compete for time immediately."
