Rutgers Women’s Soccer brings in a strong class

It’s been over two weeks since NLI and, in all honesty, we just haven’t given it the coverage it deserves.

What an exciting day, with those letters of intent coming in.

And did you see the quality? Wow!

What did you think I was talking about? Women’s Soccer!

Yes, friends, Rutgers does have other sports besides football, including women’s soccer, and some of those teams are very good. And so are the players who are coming to represent the Scarlet.

Mike O’Neil’s squad finished 2016 at No. 25 and was in the Big Ten championship game fr the second straight year. After making the NCAA Women’s College Cup in 2015, the desire to play for Rutgers is strong, and the players who signed on for the Class of 2017 proves the quality of the program.

Above map is “live”: you can move it and click on the map above to find the signees and their home towns.

The Class

Ten new student-athletes will be heading to the Banks this fall. Six are from New Jersey, including a really big get for O’Neil. There are also two from western Pennsylvania, one from New Hampshire, and one from deep in Big Ten territory, Minnesota. The New Jersey recruits include two first team All State and a third team All State.

As with most top level recruits, they all played on elite club teams or with the Players Development Academies.

Gabriella Provenzano

Gabriella Provenzano was injured in 2015, tearing her ACL. It caused her to miss the 2016 season with the No. 1 girls team in New Jersey, Hunterdon Central.

Nneka Moneme

Her sister, Adora, is currently on the Rutgers roster

Ciara Terabasso and Jamie Frank

The two Pennsylvania recruits both played together on their club team.

Alaysia Lane

Jezlyn Jimenez

Jimenez is one of two high school All Americans coming in with this class.

Alexa Ferreira

The First Team All State selection led the Warriors to the Somerset County title, scoring 21 goals with 17 assists.

Dana Goldstein

The Third Team All State player was the leader of a defense that gave up only 14 goals during a 17-4-1 season.

Caitlyn Ferreira

One of four out-of-state athletes, Ferreira is the only keeper in the class. With the graduation of Alana Jimenez, Ferreira brings the number of goalies to four. And with Casey Murphy so involved with the national squads, this is a good add.

Amirah Ali

Amirah Ali is clearly the crown jewel of the class. There’s only one high school Player of the Year and Rutgers has her. Ali had 27 times goals and seven assists this year for Eastern High School, breaking the school record for career goals and assists. She finished her career with 99 goals and 53 assists for her school and was named an All-American three times. She was First Team All State.

She was one of just 26 girls from across the nation - and the only one from New Jersey - invited to the U.S. under-18 women's national team for a one-week training camp last September at the Olympic Training Center.