HAMMOND, La.  – First-year Southeastern Louisiana University women's soccer head coach Nathan Gillespie announced the signing of four student-athletes, including Anna Blankenship, Emma Ramsey, Kelsey Fuller and Maggie Denison to the 2022 roster Wednesday afternoon.
 
Blankenship, a goalkeeper, comes to the Lady Lions from Melissa, Texas. The newly acquired SLU backstop recorded 15 shutouts as a senior last season at Melissa High School along with an 0.33 goals against average. She also had a 16-2 record in the net. Following her dominant season, she was named second team 4A All-State and first All-District.
 
"Anna is a player that we had eyes on for a while when she attended one of our camps," said Gillespie. "She is a promising young goalkeeper with good reach. We really liked how she was able to take on coaching points made at camp and implement them into her training and game play when she went away. She will bring another layer of competition to the goalkeeper spot."
 
Ramsey, out of Meridian, Mississippi, helped West Lauderdale High School to three state championships from seventh grade to her sophomore year. During the 2019-20 season, Ramsey guided WLHS to a 23-1-3 record and a state title, finishing her career with 23 goals and 20 assists in 72 career matches. From her sophomore to senior seasons, Ramsey played for Alabama FC out of Birmingham, Alabama in the Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) during the fall.
 
"Emma is coming from a competitive program (Alabama FC) where she has been in an environment with top level players," said Gillespie. "We were able to watch her play over a few ECNL showcase events, finishing in Tennessee in December. It was really enjoyable to see Emma's ability to connect passes and join the attack."
 
Denison, the Baton Rouge, Louisiana native, scored 138 goals for her career at St. Michael the Archangel High School. The forward also tallied 49 assists as she was named to the LHSAA Soccer 4A All-State team four years in a row. Denison was Louisiana leader in goals scored three years in a row as well.
 
"Maggie is a well-decorated high school athlete," said Gillespie. "We have watched her grow into the player she has become over the last couple of years and that started by getting eyes on her at our ID camps. She is a forward-thinking player who is comfortable in 1-on-1 situations."
 
Fuller, a midfielder, comes to the Lady Lions by way of Alexander, New York.  The junior transfer played the last two seasons at Genesee Community College in New York. This past season as a sophomore, Fuller scored 19 goals and had 12 assists for GCC. As a result, she earned NCAA Division III JUCO All-American honors, 2022 Western New York Conference Player of the Year and WNYC Female Athlete of the Year. The Byron Bergen High School grad was also named Section V Player of the Year as a senior in 2020 after scoring 14 goals and recording 29 assists.
 
"Kelsey is coming to us from a top junior college program," said Gillespie. "She definitely has an eye for the goal as she tallied 31 goal contributions for the team. She has a wonderful ability to strike the ball and has great vision on the field too. She will be adding some experience to the class after having two years of college soccer behind her."
 
Along with the additions of Fuller, Dennison, Blankenship and Ramsey, Gillespie will announce the acquisitions of four more student-athletes Thursday afternoon.
 
SCORE ONE MORE CLUB/S CLUB
Fans interested in becoming active supporters of the women's soccer program are encouraged to join the Score One More Club.  Lion alums are encouraged to join the exclusive S Club, which is restricted to Southeastern athletic letter winners. All membership fees and donations to Score One More Club are available for the exclusive use of the Southeastern soccer program. Membership information is available by contacting the Lion Athletics Association at laa@southeastern.edu or (985) 549-5091 or visiting www.LionUp.com.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
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