Feb. 15, 2002

EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern women's soccer coach Jenny Haigh announced the signing of six women to National Letters of Intent. All six will be eligible to play for the Wildcats during the 2002 season.

"We are very excited about our class," said Haigh. "We feel like we have added a little bit of everything to our program with their addition. We're bringing in three excellent forwards, so we have added scoring punch and another dimension to our attack. We have also added finesse, grit and speed.

"With the addition of these six players, we feel like we are going to be a much more balanced team next year," she added. A look at the six signees:

Nell Compernolle * Wilmette, Ill./New Trier
Midfield/forward ... All-State selection ... Member of Illinois ODP team ... Ranked in Top 20 percent of her class ... Also a guard on New Trier's highly ranked basketball team ... Club team is Eclipse Select Soccer Club.

Kate Ghidinelli * Oakland, Calif./Bishop O'Dowd
Forward ... All-league for three years ... Member of District ODP team (1995-2001) and Northern California State Team (2001) ... Club team is Marin Rockers ... Also a member of Bishop O'Dowd's tennis team.

Julie Lipinski * Tinley Park, Ill./Marian Catholic
Has played central midfield, defender and forward ... Captain of both her high school and club teams ... Club team is Windy City Pride ... Member of Illinois Olympic Development Program (ODP) ... Interested in studying sports medicine ... Ranked in Top 1 percent of her class ... Nominated for IHSA All-State Academic Team.

Tabitha Lowey * Peachtree City, Ga./Mcintosh
Forward ... Member of Georgia ODP team and selected to Region III ODP team in 1998, 2000 and 2001 ... Ranked in Top 20 percent of her class ... Club team is AFC Lightning.

Molly Maxfield * Denver, Colo./East
Central midfield ... Captain of her high school team ... All-state selection ... National Honor Society member ... Member of Colorado ODP team ... Club team, Colorado Rush Nike/Colorado Girls Soccer Academy, has been U.S. Western Regional finalists each of the last three years.

Stephanie Miller * Libertyville, Ill./Carmel
Forward/outside midfield ... Two-time captain at Carmel ... All-conference and all-area ... Ranked in Top 20 percent of her class ... Club team is Eclipse Select Soccer Club.