Of the seven women who originally said they would play soccer for Ball State University next season, four of them signed national letters of intent.
Interim head coach Abby Richter announced Tuesday the Cardinals had signed Jackie Arroyo, Abby Milillo, Sarah Orisich and Alison Ramsey for the 2008 season.
"This recruiting class has some really talented players coming in who will help us build and continue our championship approach," Richter said.
The four players who signed were part of a class that included seven players, three of whom decided not to sign letters of intent with Ball State after coach Michelle Salmon left for the University of Cincinnati on Jan. 10, Richter said.
She said she is not sure what the three players' college plans are now that Salmon is gone from Ball State.
"I'm not going to close any doors," Richter said. "Our offer still stands to all three of them."
The coaching change makes the current situation difficult for players, including those who are already with the team, Richter said.
The players who signed letters of intent with Ball State had verbally committed almost a year-and-a-half ago, Richter said.
"These girls were committed to Ball State," she said.
Richter said she is happy with those who committed to the Cardinals. The players are all versatile and are what Ball State needs to continue its quest for a Mid-American Conference championship, she said.
Arroyo is a defender from Cincinnati who was a four-year starter at Princeton High School. Richter said she will vie for a starting spot and could earn playing time just based on her athleticism.
Milillo is a forward from Fairfield, Ohio and started for four years at Badin High School, where she was a teammate of current Cardinal Kristina Anderson. Richter said she expects great things from the forward who can also play in the midfield.
Orisich is a midfielder who started for four years at Columbus North High School in Columbus. Richter said she has good speed and can play anywhere on the field.
Ramsey is a defender from Brecksville, Ohio. Richter said Ramsey is taking it slow after coming off a knee injury that kept her out all last season.
Milillo is also coming off a knee injury, Richter said, but the injuries do not concern her much. Ball State has a great staff to help rehabilitate the players, she said.
The new players will have a chance to earn playing time, Richter said, as she does not guarantee spots, not even to returning starters. The amount of action they see will depend on how hard they work during the summer and in practices, she said.
"[The freshmen] are going to have to be versatile to find time on the field," Richter said.
Ultimately the decision on how much time the players see on the field might not be Richter's decision. There is a search underway to find the replacement for Salmon as the Cardinals' coach.
Richter, who spent the past two seasons as an assistant at Ball State, said she has an interview Thursday for the head coaching position.
Richter said she is focused right now on controlling all she can and that there is not much she can control about the coaching search.
"Obviously I want to be back next year," she said. "I've put in a lot of time in here. This is where I want to be."
Newest CardinalsBall State announced Tuesday it signed four players to letters of intent. The following are the newest recruits for the soccer team:
NAME: Jackie ArroyoPOSITION: DefenderHOMETOWN: Cincinnati
NAME: Abby MililloPOSITION: ForwardHOMETOWN: Fairfield, Ohio
NAME: Sarah OrisichPOSITION: MidfielderHOMETOWN: Columbus
NAME: Alison RamseyPOSITION: DefenderHOMETOWN: Brecksville, Ohio
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