“I am super excited to announce that I have committed to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo to continue to play the sport I love and to attend an amazing school.  As soon as I stepped foot on the campus and walked around the town, I knew this was a special place. Working with Coach Crozier, Coach Smith, and Coach Silva made the decision an easy one.  Coach Silva always took my many phone calls and answered all my questions and made the decision to say ‘yes’ an easy one.

This would not have been possible without all the people that have played a role in my life. First, thanks to all my coaches for helping me get this far – my first coach at U6, Mr. Nimtz, my first comp coach, Ron Sanchez, my first Placer coach, Lee ‘Wembly’ Callow, and Coach Scammacca.  A special thanks to Coach Ron Benjamin for not only pushing me beyond my limits, but also for being there by my side throughout the college recruiting process.  Of course, the biggest thanks goes to my family –  My sisters for always being there; my mom, for driving me everywhere and loving me no matter what and for always being positive in her feedback; and my dad for being my advisor, my secretary, and my friend. He has played a major part in my decision making process, spent countless hours helping me create emails and highlight videos, and gave me the confidence for my first college coach call.  He has always offered the best advice and driven me to be the best player and person possible.

Being able to attend Cal Poly and play soccer at the division one level is a dream come true. I’m definitely going to enjoy the remaining three years of high school, but look forward to the next chapter in my life.” —Emily Talmi

“I am very excited to share that I will be playing for Azusa Pacific University on the women’s soccer team next fall in 2016! Many of my coaches and teammates through the years have impacted the way I play and the player I am on the field. Nick Perjanik always encouraged me to take on defenders and get “hungry for a goal”. Mark Broers and Coach Frank have coached me through my high school seasons at Granite Bay High School and made me love the game even more. Coach Todd, Coach Ron, and Coach Katie have been my coaches while playing for Placer and I cannot express how thankful I am for all three of them as they made me a well-rounded player. My soccer IQ, foot skills and much more have improved tremendously while playing for these coaches. My parents have been huge supporters through the years that I have played soccer. Even through early morning games and soccer tournament chaos, they have been 100% on my side and pushing me to be better. My brother, Konner, has encouraged me through the years to always be confident in my abilities. He has many qualities that I aspire to be more like every day and following in his footsteps of going to a Christian college is very exciting to me! There is ultimately one reason why I play the game and who I should thank for being where I am. God has opened numerous doors for me within the past couple of years and soccer is just one many. I am ecstatic for next fall and to get to know the APU family; growing in Christ with my teammates, coaches, and trainers was my number one priority when choosing where I will attend and I am very confident in that I have found the perfect place for this at APU.” — Kennedy Christie

“I am so excited to share that I have committed to UCLA, the #1 ranked team in the country. The minute I stepped on the campus and met with the players, the coaching staff and Coach Salcedo, I felt at home and knew it was the right place for me. I wanted to play for a school that competes every year for a national championship, that has awesome academics and can help me become a professional keeper. At UCLA, the competitive environment everyday at practice with top notch players from all over the world and everyone fighting for a starting position will help me achieve that goal. They have an incredible track record of producing MLS players and I know I can help them win another championship. I can’t thank my coaches at Placer United enough for all that they have done for me, especially Paul O’Brien. He knew my goals and would push me everyday to be the best I could be. Even playing for the San Jose Earthquakes and now for the Sacramento Republic FC Academy, Paul has been instrumental in my development and continues to take an interest in my growth, and I appreciate that so much! I also want to thank Gene DeChateau and Matt Bernard for helping develop my goalkeeping skills and for helping take my game to the next level! I can’t wait to play for UCLA! Go Bruins!” — Cameron Douglas

“I am very excited to announce that I have verbally committed to CSU San Marcos! I cannot wait to continue to play the sport I love. I want to thank my parents for their unconditional love and support; without them I would not be where I am today. I’d also like to thank my brother, Austin, for all his guidance in soccer and life. You’re amazing. To my Placer family, a big thank you to all of my teammates who have become my lifelong sisters. Thank you all for pushing me to play to the best of my ability and for always being there on and off he field. To Bart Morefield, thank you for helping me to improve my tactical game and building my confidence. To Todd DeCarlo, a huge thank for introducing the college process to me and helping immensely in my communication with the college coaches; I couldn’t have done it without you Todd! To Ron Benjamin, under you, my game improved tremendously. I cannot thank you enough for your confidence in me and pushing me to be the best player I can be. I am very thankful to have had the opportunity to play for you as I prepare for the college game. To Katie Burton, I am thankful to have you as my last coach at Placer United. I am confident you will help me and my Placer teammates prepare for the next level as we end one journey and prepare to begin another. Lastly, I am really looking forward to playing for coach Bobby Renneisen at CSU San Marcos. Coach Renneisen has already instilled confidence me and I can not wait to join my cougar teammates in their drive to be successful and have an immediate impact in joining the very challenging California Collegiate Athletic Association Conference.

Go Cougars!”

Macey Moen

“I am excited to announce that I have verbally committed to Cal State Monterey Bay. This has been a long process that I could have never done without the help of my coaches, teammates and parents. I want to say thank you to my teammates for pushing me in everything, and I know that wherever they are going, or wherever they end up, they will all do great things. I also want to thank Missy Price at University of Nevada Reno for all of the training, mentoring and continuous support, also for following and helping me all the way through the college process. Without Missy, I would have never even gotten the opportunity to play for Placer. Thank you Todd DeCarlo for welcoming me as a U-16, for pushing me to be great, not good, and for always being such a big help in the recruiting process. Thank you Katie for really giving me this last push and for preparing us the best you can for the college transition. Also thanks for always finding a way to make us laugh whether its on or off the field. Thank you Ron for being such a big help in the recruiting process and for always pulling me aside to give me some extra pointers. Last but not least, thank you to my parents for always supporting me and pushing me to do what’s best. Thank you for driving me two hours to practice and then two hours home each day. Most of all, thank you for sacrificing so many things in your life to make mine better. I am more than excited to start playing for Coach Erin Reinke at CSUMB in 2016. She is an amazing coach who I know will continually push me to become the best I can be as an athlete and a person.”

Thanks
Ashlee

“I am beyond excited to announce my decision to play soccer at the D1 level this fall at Troy University in Alabama. It’s been a dream come true and I couldn’t have accomplished it without the numerous coaches and teammates I’ve come across all over the world. I’d especially like to thank Todd DeCarlo, for pushing me, not accepting excuses, and not settling for good, but great. Even after I moved 3,000 miles southeast, Coach Todd continued to keep me in check and help me with the collegiate process, calling coaches and arranging visits. He has been more than just a coach, but a mentor and leader as well and I can’t thank him enough. As always, I’d like to thank my family for all of the sacrifices they have made and for giving me the best possible opportunities and experiences to excel at the sport I love; soccer. I’d also like to thank God for the talents and abilities he’s given me as well as the people he’s put in my life. I couldn’t do it without my teammates. Not just the girls from every team I’ve ever played on, but more specifically the girls I spent three years with at Placer. They were constantly my motivation and competition to improve and get better. Without any of these people; coaches, family, teammates, I wouldn’t be able to even fathom playing division one soccer. It’s to these people that I’m forever grateful. Go Trojans!” — Megan Aaron

“I am more than thrilled to announce that I have committed to Biola University. I am very excited to be continuing the play the sport I love while attending a great academic school and I can’t thank the people enough who have guided and supported me through this process. I would like to thank coaches Kevin Unsworth, Todd DeCarlo, and Ron Benjamin for pushing and encouraging me to improve myself as a player. Without them, I would not be where I am today. I would also like to thank Todd DeCarlo especially because during the two years I have had him as a coach, he has helped me recognize the potential I have and has definitely pushed me to grow into a better soccer player. I would also like to thank my teammates because they are a huge contribution to my growth as a player. Most importantly, I owe an incredible amount of thanks to my parents after driving me to practices and games and pushing me to never give up on my passion. Without them, I would have never been able to play soccer for Placer United.

Go Eagles!” — Sarah Jeffries

“I am beyond excited to announce that I have verbally committed to attend and play soccer at Brown University in 2016. I don’t think I could have found a more perfect fit for me and I cannot wait to play for Coach Laughlin and receive an Ivy League education. Go Bears!

I would like to thank everybody who helped me get to where I am today. I could not have done it without the support from the Club and Placer staff members. First of all, I want to say thank you to Matt Scammacca and Kelcey Chaidez for helping me grow as a player in my youth years. Another thank you goes to Robbie Handie for helping me further develop my skills this past year.

I am incredibly grateful to Jason Gantt for allowing me to be part of the Placer ’97 team at Dallas Cup this past spring, where I was seen by Brown University. I would also like to say thanks to the guidance of Francois Barbe this past year. I’d like to thank my teammates who constantly push me to get better as a player and for being some of my best friends on and off the field.

I want to especially thank Paul O’Brien for making me the player I am today and helping me turn this dream into a reality. I could not have done it without him.

Most of all, I would not be the person I am today without the love and support from my parents, who backed up my every decision the entire way. I am very much looking forward to my final year representing the yellow submarine and being part of the Placer family.”  —Zac Anderson

“I am very excited to announce that I have committed to Chico State. After trying to find the perfect fit, I decided that Chico would be the best fit for me and I cannot thank everyone who helped me with this process enough. My parents devoted many years and long trips to allow me to continue my soccer career and I would not be anywhere without them. I am especially thankful to both Todd Decarlo, who helped initiate the whole process, and Ron Benjamin, who helped to develop me into a stronger and more confident player. I am also thankful for the experiences I have shared with each of the different teams and players at Placer United.  It has been amazing past few years and I grew so much not only as a player, but also as a person.  I am so excited to continue soccer on a college level and know I am going to have an amazing time at Chico. I cannot wait to see how I develop as a player with the help of my new coach Kim Sutton, and am so grateful for all that Placer United has done for me!” — Abby Huizenga

“I am very excited to announce that I have committed to Occidental College to play soccer for the next four years! I can’t wait to attend such a great academic college while continuing to play the sport I love! 

I’m so grateful that I was able to become part of the Placer United family over the past three years; joining the club has been one of the best decisions I made during high school and I would not have developed as a player if it weren’t for Placer United. I wanted to thank all of my teammates from the past few years. The journey has been unforgettable and I wouldn’t be the same player without every one of my teammates. I also owe a big thank you to the coaches who have helped me grow as a player. Thank you to Sarah Alderson and BJ Glass for helping me become more confident as a player and helping me understand my own potential. And, thank you especially to Ron Benjamin and Todd DeCarlo for welcoming me into the club, helping me acclimate to the new environment, and pushing me to become a better player, all while helping me with the college process.

Most importantly, I owe an incredible amount of thanks to my parents who have driven me thousands and thousands of miles for practices and games and who have supported me in everything for as long as I can remember. Without them, I would not have had the chance to be a part of such a great club. And, special thanks to my Dad, who helped me fall in love with the game and taught me so much of what I know today.

Go Tigers!” — Sophia Vallas