University of Tennessee Athletics
2016 Countdown to Soccer Season: 7 Days
August 12, 2016 | Soccer
It’s almost Soccer Time in Tennessee! To count down to the start of the season, each day we’ll profile a player on the Vols’ 2016 squad. The countdown will run all the way up to the season opener on August 19 vs. Southeast Missouri State. Make sure to follow Tennessee Soccer on Twitter (@Vol_Soccer), Instagram (Vol_Soccer) and Facebook (facebook.com/TennesseeSoccer) for news, stats and more!
#7 Mary Alice Vignola
Basic Info
- Position:
Midfielder/Forward - Year:
Freshman - Hometown:
Cincinnati, Ohio - Previous School:
Saint Ursula Academy - Major:
Undecided - Follow Mary Alice:
Twitter – @MAVignola Instagram – mavignola - Career Stats:
N/A
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- We resume our soccer countdown today by meeting Mary Alice Vignola, a highly-touted freshman from Cincinnati, Ohio.
Need to Know
Vignola was one of the top recruits in the country coming out of Saint Ursula Academy after leading the Bulldogs to back-to-back Girls Greater Catholic League (GGCL) championships in 2013 and 2014. The Cincinnati native earned the No. 36 spot on the IMG Academy 150 list and was selected to play in the 2015 High School All-American game in Raleigh, N.C. Other high school accolades for Vignola include being named a first-team Division I All-Star by the Cincinnati Enquirer as a senior, garnering GGCL All-Conference honors during all four years and earning All-Southwest Ohio honors as a junior and a senior.
Vignola also played in the Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) for Ohio Elite Soccer Academy, leading the team to three straight division titles and two ECNL top-10 finishes. She was selected to the ECNL Nike National Training Camp Top XI in 2014. Vignola has also gained some experience in the U.S. Women’s National Team youth program by playing for the U-17 national team and participating in nine youth national team training camps. She chose Tennessee over an impressive list of offers that included North Carolina, Florida and Louisville. Check out her entire bio HERE.
Get to Know Mary Alice!
Fun Fact: Mary Alice was a board member of the Girls Athletic Association and has volunteered for numerous events and organizations such as the Field Days Project (Co-Chair), the Stepping Stones Center and the Leukemia Lymphoma Society.
Favorite Food: Penne Bolognese
Favorite Movie: Now You See Me
Favorite Musical Artist of Group: Justin Bieber
Celebrity Crush: Cristiano Ronaldo
Hobbies: Running and Hiking
Favorite Soccer Memory: Playing for the U.S. U-17 National Team against Germany and saving a goal with a slide tackle.
Dream Job Outside of Soccer: Personal Trainer
If not soccer, what sport? Football
Biggest Sports Influence: Mia Hamm because she was a trailblazer for women’s soccer.
Favorite Thing About Tennessee: The commitment to women’s athletics, amazing athletic training facilities, coach Pensky and the rest of the coaches and the local support for all of the teams.
Next On the Countdown
Next up on the countdown is redshirt junior forward Ariel Kupritz.
