Trojans Sign Five Players For 2016 Season

LITTLE ROCK – Five new players signed letters of intent to play soccer at Little Rock starting in the fall of 2016, coach Adrian Blewitt announced Wednesday.
 
The five newcomers hail from five different states and play three different positions. They bring elite skill from various levels of club soccer and all helped their high school teams to success during their time earning varsity letters.
 
"I'm extremely happy to add five quality players and people who will strengthen our squad and continue our program's rise in 2016," Blewitt said. "This group will add depth and increase our attacking options for next fall. We look forward to adding 1-2 more players to this class before August comes around."
 
The Little Rock soccer team has done nothing but improve since Adrian Blewitt took over for the 2013 season. Following a 2014 where the program had its first ever winning year, Little Rock played a very difficult schedule in 2015 and managed to earn its highest-ever finish in the Sun Belt Conference standings. Little Rock set team and individual records for goals against average, giving up less than a goal per game.
 
Madison Bingham | Coweta, Okla. | Forward | 5'5" | Coweta HS
         
Bingham, an Oklahoma native, will join the Trojans after spending four years on the Coweta High School soccer team. While playing for Coweta, Bingham was named All-District three times. She won the Golden Boot Award at the Stillwater Cup tournament and was a multi-sport athlete as well. Bingham lettered in track, bowling, and even on the football team where she was a place kicker for the Tigers. She played her club soccer with the TSC Hurricane of the Elite Clubs National League and was on the principal's and superintendent's honor rolls in high school. She plans to major in business. She becomes the third Trojan on the 2016 team from Oklahoma joining Jaclyn Purvine and Madi Motil.
 
Blewitt on Bingham: "Madi is an excellent athlete with good speed and finishing ability. She strikes a great ball with either her left or right foot and can take on defenders one-on-one with natural skill and pace. Madi will increase our goal scoring output for sure."

Jaylin Finney | Lewisville, Texas | Midfielder | 5'1" | Lewisville HS
 
Jaylin Finney will help shore up the Trojans' midfield in 2016 as she joins the team from Lewisville, Texas. While in high school in Lewisville, Finney was a four-year letterwinner who was named First Team All-District three times. She played her club soccer for FC Dalls 98 of the Elite Clubs National League. A multi-sport athlete in high school, Finney also played two years of basketball and one year of volleyball at Lewisville. She plans to major in forensic science or psychology in college, and she will be the eighth Trojan from Texas in 2016.
 
Blewitt on Finney: "Jaylin is a regular starter for FC Dallas ECNL in the midfield. A very good technical player, Jaylin rarely gives the ball away and is technically clever in possession of the ball."

Sammi Gregory | St. Charles, Mo. | Midfielder/Forward | 5'6" | Incarnate Word Academy
 
Gregory will add on to the growing contingent of Little Rock soccer players from Missouri, as she will become the sixth member of the team from the Show Me State in 2016. She was a four-year letterwinner at Incarnate Word Academy where she played as a central midfielder and forward. She helped take her team to the state Final Four in 2015 and was named to the Metro Women's Athletics Association all-conference Honorable Mention team in 2015. Gregory also played one year of basketball in high school as a point guard. She spent her club soccer years as the captain nof the Lou Fusz soccer club where she led the team to a third-place finish in the state. She plans on majoring in biology.
 
Blewitt on Gregory: "Sammi is a skillful addition to our attack and can play either in the midfield or as a forward. With natural ability, she is an exciting player to watch, produces individual pieces of skill and scores clever goals that will be entertaining for everyone to see."

Samantha Rolka | Canton, Ga. | Defender/Midfielder | 5'9" | Creekview HS
 
Rolka, a four-year letterwinner at Creekview HS, joins the Trojans after being named First Team All-Region and All-County during her time with the Grizzly Bears. The only Trojan on the 2016 roster to hail from Georgia, Rolka played club soccer for multiple teams including Tophat Soccer Club most recently. She also played club soccer with the Cherokee Impact, Atlanta Soccer Association and United Futbol Academy. She also attended an Olympic Development Program tournament in Boca Raton, Fla., in 2014. Rolka was a swimmer as well in high school, swimming with her team for one season and qualifying for the state championship. She plans on majoring in business in college.
 
Blewitt on Rolka: "Sam plays for one of the best teams in the country, Tophat Soccer Club, and has received excellent coaching from Troy Garner. Sam typically has played as a left midfielder for Troy but she also has the ability to play as a central defender very well. With great size and comfort in possession of the ball, Sam is an excellent addition to our squad."

Carlee Spears | Harrison, Ark. | Forward | 5'7" | Harrison HS
 
Spears comes to Little Rock from up north in the state where she was a four-year letterwinner at Harrison High School. She was named her team MVP as a sophomore and was named All-State as well. Spears intends to major in nursing while attending the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She will be the second Arkansan on the 2016 roster, joining goalkeeper Shara Robbins.
 
Blewitt on Spears: "Carlee is one of the best players in Arkansas. Coached at Harrison High School by former Trojan coach Chris Pratt, Carlee is one of the top scorers in the state and is a natural finisher. Carlee strikes a great ball and uses her size to muscle her way through defenses and provides a physical presence up front. Carlee has also played as a striker and midfield player for the Arkansas Comets."