Tennessee Soccer Signs Seven

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Seven players have signed with the University of Tennessee soccer program and will join the team for the 2018 fall season, head coach Brian Pensky announced Tuesday.

The class represents six states, and two players are listed in the Top Drawer Soccer IMG Academy Top 150. Newcomers include: Abbey Burdette (Monrovia, Maryland), Makenna Curcuru (Henderson, Nevada), Emma Dize (Ashburn, Virginia), Jamie Goralski (Naperville, Illinois), Brice McInroy (Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania), Mackenzie Ostrom (Manvel, Texas) and Amy Thompson (Ashburn, Virginia).

They will join a Tennessee team that finished 15-4-2, reached the second round of the NCAA championships and graduated just two seniors.

For a look at the signing class:

Abbey Burdette

Forward
Monrovia, Md.
Urbana High School

Burdette joins the Vols after a record-setting four-year career at Urbana High School. She was named the 2017 Maryland Player of the Year and earned United Coaches All-America and All-Region honors. She was part of the 2015 Maryland Class 3A state championship team. She finished as Urbana's all-time career assist leader (41) and totaled a record 16 assists in a season. She finished with 57 career goals. Burdette is listed at No. 120 of Top Draw Soccer's IMG Academy Top 150. In addition to playing soccer, she also competed in basketball and indoor track at Urbana for a year. She plays club soccer with Maryland United and was a 2017 ECNL PDP national training camp attendee. She plans to study biomedical engineering at Tennessee.

Burdette on Why Tennessee: "The feeling of home that I got the first time I visited campus. I also felt really comfortable with all the girls on the team."

Pensky on Burdette: "Abbey always finds ways to score goals. Sometimes with her skill and sometimes thru her sheer determination. She is a strong, tough-as-nails kind of kid. She cannot be a fun player to have to defend. And absolutely every team needs players like that. Kids like that are winners. And she's obviously also shown an ability to set others up to score, in addition to her own goal-scoring. We know Abbey will come in here well-prepared, fighting to get on the field."

Makenna Curcuru

Midfielder
Henderson, Nev.
Coronado High School

Curcuru recently wrapped up a standout senior season for Coronado High School, scoring 18 goals and recording eight assists while serving as team captain. She was named the Southeast League Offensive Player of the Year and earned first-team all-state honors. Like several members of the signing class, Curcuru has multi-sport experience on the high school level, having played tennis for two years and track and field for a year. As a member of Heat FC, she was on the 2017 ECNL Player Development Program Roster and helped her team go undefeated during the spring 2017 season. She plans to major in civil engineering.

Curcuru on Why Tennessee: "I chose to attend University of Tennessee because I fell in love with so many things about the South when I visited the University of Tennessee. The coaches were very genuine, the facilities were amazing, and the University has a great engineering program. The overall vibe at UTK was like no other to me and I knew it was where I wanted to be. I love the pride of the students and faculty and the quality soccer program Tennessee has to offer."

Pensky on Curcuru: "Makenna came to us late, and we couldn't be more thrilled. She is a box to box midfielder who never stops working, and just wants to win. She has a terrific competitive spirit about her. You can see that in her play every time she steps on the field. Makenna seems to be a natural leader, and we are excited to see those character traits translate at this level."

Emma Dize

Defender
Ashburn, Va.
Stone Bridge High School

Dize joins the Vols after playing defense for Stone Bridge High School, helping her team to the state finals in 2014. She also ran one year of cross country for Stone Bridge and made the most of the opportunity, setting the school record and earning all-region honors. Dize played club ball for FC Virginia and was part of four consecutive State Cup championship seasons (2012-15) and the 2014 Super Y and NPL national titles. In 2015, she was named to the Top Drawer ECNL National Playoffs Best XI. She plans to major in supply chain management at Tennessee.

Dize on Why Tennessee: "I was already impressed with the soccer program and coaches but when I first stepped foot on campus I knew this was the right place for me. I am excited to continue both my soccer and academic career there."

Pensky on Dize: "We are really excited for Emma to be a Vol. We've been watching her since 9th grade, when she was breaking records as a XC runner. Emma is another one whose best years are absolutely ahead of her. She is a natural fighter and competitor. That type of fighting spirit is always beneficial at this level. I am looking forward to Emma coming in here with an edge and a confidence that won't be denied."

Jamie Goralski

Midfielder
Naperville, Ill.
Neuqua Valley High School

Goralski will come to Tennessee from Neuqua Valley High School and the Eclipse Select Soccer Club. In the high school ranks, she was a 2015 Illinois state finalist and the high school leader in assists that season as a freshman, which was the only year in which she played high school soccer. On the club level, she has been a part of the United States Soccer Federation Development Academy. Her squad made the 2016 ECNL Final 8 and won the 2015 Illinois State Cup. She is interested in studying kinesiology. Her oldest sister, Zoey, won a National Championship at UCLA several years ago, and was recently drafted by the Chicago Red Stars of NWSL.

Goralski on Why Tennessee: "I visited many colleges across the country and UT in Knoxville felt like home. I love the campus, and the women's soccer team here rocks!"

Pensky on Goralski: "Jamie is a quick, speedy left-sided dribbler — a dynamic athlete. She has both great side-to-side quickness and vertical speed. Jamie is just scratching the surface of how good she can be, and we are certainly excited that those best years will come here at Tennessee."

Brice McInroy

Midfielder
Mechanicsburg, Pa.
Cumberland Valley High School

McInroy comes to Tennessee after a standout club career with Penn Fusion Soccer Academy. She has received an ECNL national champ invitation to the ODP Region 1 Team the last three years, earning MVP honors in an ODP match in Costa Rica. She joined an older age Region 1 team to competed in the Mediterranean International Cup in Spain, picking up high-scorer honors and a game winner against the FC Frankfurt Reserve Bundesliga Team. She was also invited to the US U-16 youth national team camp at the Chula Vista Olympic Training Center. She also played two years for Cumberland Valley High School, earning Mid Penn Player of the Year and all-state honors as a junior. McInroy is listed at No. 54 of Top Draw Soccer's IMG Academy Top 150. She plans to pursue her education in film, possibly cinematography. Her twin sister, Jaimie, has signed to play for Delaware.

McInroy on Why Tennessee: "I love the campus and how it's in a city, but the mountains and the outdoors are right across the river so it's like having the best of both worlds. The soccer program was everything I was looking for. The team is so close, the coaches understand who I am on and off the field, and the facilities are to die for. There is also an ESPN studio on campus, and I feel that the people here can help take my film career to the next level."

Pensky on McInroy: "Brice is fun to watch. She's a junky. She loves the game. The kid can do some crazy things with a ball at her feet. She has a really unique skill-set that will add another dimension to our team. Her vision and passing are quite good; we've seen her play some final balls that are out of this world. What's most exciting about Brice is how her game raises to another level when surrounded by other great players."

Mackenzie Ostrom

Defender/Midfielder
Manvel, Texas
Glenda Dawson High School

Ostrom joins Tennessee's soccer program from Glenda Dawson High School. In 2016, she was the district and team MVP and earned first-team all-district honors. She was the 2015 district newcomer of the year as well as Glenda Dawson's offensive player of the year. She is a member of Challenge Soccer Club, where she has spent six years as a team captain. She was in the 2016 ECNL Player Development Program in the Texas region and a 2013 USSF training invitee. She plans to major in journalism and electronic media on Rocky Top.

Ostrom on Why Tennessee: "I really enjoyed the people and the town. Not only is the soccer fantastic but it is a great place in all aspects."

Pensky on Ostrom: "Mackenzie's trajectory suffered a bit of a hiccup with her knee injury, but there's not a more determined or diligent kid out there. The good news is Mackenzie will be well-beyond 100 percent fully healthy and fit when she arrives on campus, and therefore in a position for her career to take off. We expect for her to compete anywhere along the back line; she's comfortable in the center of the back and in a wide area getting forward a bit more. Her leadership really shines in the center of the back as she is constantly organizing everyone around her."

Amy Thompson

Forward/Midfielder
Ashburn, Va.
Stone Bridge High School

Thompson played a year of soccer for Stone Bridge High School, earning all-met, all-state, all-region and all-district honors as a freshman. She also played a year of basketball and lacrosse for Stone Bridge, having grown up playing those sports in addition to soccer. She is a member of the Braddock Road Youth Club, and was an ECNL PDP national training camp invitee. She is undecided on her major but is interested in criminology.

Thompson on Why Tennessee: "I just fell in love with the campus and soccer program."

Pensky on Thompson: "Amy comes from a pretty good pedigree. Her dad is the top high school football coach in Northern Virginia. Her three brothers all played (or currently play) Division I college football, with one of them having played in the NFL for several years. So needless to say, we are getting a tough kid in Amy Thompson. Amy has the unique ability to play the game at her own speed. She has the brain, the technique and the strength to dictate play, and that's not easy. She's also a natural leader with an infectious personality."

University of Tennessee Athletics