While February 4 is mainly known as National Signing Day for football recruits, it is also National Signing Day for soccer recruits.
Auburn women's soccer signed nine new additions to its team from five different states.
Defensively, the Tigers signed defender Karli Gutsche of Lithia, Florida; defender A.J. Peacock of Birmingham; defender Kerry Dunn of Owens Cross Roads and goalkeeper Sophie Milich of Katy, Texas.
Head coach Karen Hoppa said she is pleased with the pieces in place for the future on defense.
"I think we did a great job of filling our needs," Hoppa said. "We got depth at every single position, which was really important. We got a true center back in Karli Gutsche, which was great. She's a true center back, which we really needed."
Auburn's needs in the midfield and at forward were also met, as the Tigers signed forward Abby Meadows of Auburn; midfielder Ashton Brock of Dade City, Florida; midfielder Melissa Pagoaga of Duluth, Georgia; forward Taylor Troutman of Toms River, New Jersey and midfielder Gianna Montini of San Diego, California.
Hoppa is excited with the potential from the group.
"We really needed depth in the midfield, and we got three great center midfielders that we think can help up right away," Hoppa said. "And we've got some good depth up top. We're super excited about filling our needs."
Top players can be found in every state when it comes to recruiting, but Hoppa makes it a priority to find the best local athletes.
"Obviously, we want the best players we can get from across the country," Hoppa said. "But as far as local, we want to always get the best players from the state of Alabama. That's always, absolutely, a goal, and we feel great about the three Alabama kids we got."
With that said, Hoppa plans to continue to find players from other soccer "hotbeds" to fill her team's needs.
"Also, Georgia and Florida are hotbeds for us, so we always look real close at those states," Hoppa said. "We're excited to add New Jersey and to keep our pipeline to both Texas and California as well. Those are two states where some really good players come from."
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