Marissa “Mo” Vaughan

“I would like to say that I am so very grateful and honored to become apart of the soccer program at Sierra College. I have been with Placer United for the past nine years and its unbelievable that I’m coming to the end of my senior year. My journey with Placer has been one that I will cherish for the rest of my life. I’m thankful for all of the things that I have been so lucky enough to experience with this Club.

First I would like to thank my mom, dad, brothers, aunt, gramma and papa. You have all been so supportive of me throughout my life and I am so blessed to call you my family. I thank you for everything you have done for me during all of my years with Placer.

Second, I would like to thank all of my teammates. Each and every one of them has a completely different type of personality and they continue to surprise me at every practice. Ashley O’Conner, thank you for being my very best friend. I’ve been very lucky to have shared the past nine years of Placer United with you. I love you all!

I would also like to thank all of my coaches for encouraging me to be a better player each and every day. I would especially like to thank Cory Clonce, Todd DeCarlo and of course, Ron Benjamin, for being the best, most inspiring coaches that I have ever known and I thank you for all that you’ve done for me.

I am so excited to play soccer at Sierra! Good luck to all my teammates in the future!”

— Mo

Jessica Hinsken

“I am excited to announce that I have verbally committed to Dominican University of California! I am beyond grateful for the amazing opportunity to play D2 soccer while receiving a great education. I would not be where I am today with out the amazing support from my family, friends, coaches, and teammates.

I would like to thank my coaches Crystal Chaidez, Todd Decarlo, and Ron Benjamin. Thank you all for pushing me to do my best and never giving up on me! Thank you to my older sister Tasha, for always being my number one fan, and my older brother Alex, for making sure I always put in the work I needed to. I would also like to thank my second family Ali, Kurt and Steph for always being so supportive in everything I do! Lastly, I would like to thank my mom for being my best friend, always believing in me and making my dream come true.

To my team… thank you for an amazing final season of youth soccer and I will never ever forget all the crazy, outrageous, memories that we have had together. I hope all of you do amazing in the next part of your lives!”

—Jessica Hinsken

Brittney Neumann

“I am excited to announce my verbal commitment to Bethany University in Kansas. After talking to the coach and looking into the school’s academics, I am positive this is the school for me. I never saw myself moving away from Cali but the best things in life are unexpected.

I couldn’t have done it without the help of my club, coaches, teammates, my dad and my grandpa. I have been playing for Placer for four years now and I can honestly say I do not know what I would have done without this club. I never had much confidence in my skill and thought collegiate soccer was a long shot. But with the help of the amazing coaches at Placer, my life dream has become a reality.

I want to give a special thanks to my coach Crystal Chaidez. I could not have done this without her. I feel that everyone has that one person in their life who has such an immense impact and gives you the strength to fight for what you want and that’s exactly what Crystal has done for me. I had very little faith in my playing ability until Crystal taught me differently. Whenever I made a mistake she would point it out but tell me how to fix it in a positive manner. She has showed so much faith in me not only as a player but also as a person which in return made me play harder and improve everything I did. Crystal taught me to never give up and train harder than you trained the day before. I am so lucky to be finishing my final year as a youth soccer player with her as my coach. Thank you Crystal! I couldn’t have done this without you.

Also, I want to thank my dad and grandpa for driving me all over Cali and flying me out to all of my tournaments. You guys have put just as much effort into all of this as I have and you always believed in me. Thank you.

I can’t forget about my team! I love these girls to death. This is my first year playing with these girls, but I have known them since I started playing for Placer. I have been through the best and worst times of my life with them and they have always been there for me. I look at all of them as my sisters. I am going to miss you all so much but I know we will always have that special bond. I love you guys.

Lastly a special thanks to Jamie Baker! She is on my team this year and it was actually her who got me started talking to this coach. She has also committed to Bethany so we not only will be playing together, but we are also roommates! I’m looking forward to the next four years with you Jimmy!!

Thank you for all who have supported and believed in me. I can’t wait to make you proud these next four years! Go Swedes!”

—Brittney Neumann

Maddi Dunn

“I’m excited to announce that I have just recently verbally committed to Colorado College. The idea of playing college soccer at a D1 level is surreal and I’m thankful for everyone in my life who has helped make this possible.

First, I would like to thank my big brother, Austin, for introducing me to the game of soccer and helping me become the player I am today. My brother stood as a role model for me and watching him succeed in his soccer career only further deepened my ambitions of one day playing soccer at the collegiate level.

I would also like to thank my coaches and teammates. Todd Decarlo, my first full season coach at Placer United, provided me with two awesome years of soccer in which I developed tremendously, all the while having a good time on the field. My current coach, Ron Benjamin, demanded so much hard work and effort out of me as well as the rest of the team. He truly pushed us to great limits, and I know he will continue to push us to work hard and excel. Ron’s work on the soccer field is as much appreciated as his work off the soccer field. Thank you for dedicating so much time to helping us with our college process. My goals would not have been achieved without you.

To my team..… I thank you for being the crazy awesome people that you are, and for giving me a season I know I won’t forget. I love you all and wish you well in your future endeavors.

The biggest thanks of all goes to my parents for the countless hours they’ve devoted to all my years of soccer and to years still to come. The amount of time and energy they’ve invested is more than I could ever ask out of them. Thank you guys for always being there and providing encouragement.”

— Maddi Dunn

Nick Schnable

I am excited to announce that I have verbally committed to C.S.U. Dominguez Hills. Dominguez is a soccer priority Division II school in a very strong conference with multiple soccer fields on campus including the Home Depot Center as home of the L.A. Galaxy. After taking a visit to Dominguez and training with their goal keeper coach, Mike Littman, I knew that the school was the right fit for me and that Coach Littman will challenge me to reach my full potential. I look forward to moving onto the next level of soccer, as it has been a dream that I had been working toward for many years. Over the last few years I have been striving to improve every day to be able to play college soccer at a high level, but I could not have reached my goal without the support of my family and coaches. I would like to thank the entire club of Placer United for giving me this opportunity, especially Jason Gantt, Danny Cruz, Kelcey Chaidez, Matt Scammacca, and Paul O’Brien. They have challenged me and taught me everything I need to know to move on to the next level. I would also like to thank my parents for supporting me through the whole process and making many sacrifices for my benefit.

Thank you,
Nick Schnable

Melissa Stoakley

“I am very excited to announce that I have verbally committed to Dominican University of California! After careful consideration I am confident with my decision and know that it is the right fit for me academically and athletically. It is funny to reflect back to fourteen years ago when I was that player who sat in the middle of the field and cried after scoring her first goal, and now here I am taking my first steps toward being a collegiate women’s soccer player for a Division 2 school. Without the support from coaches, teammates, and family I would not be the player I am today.

I would like to thank Jimmy Frazelle who brought me into the competitive soccer world at 10 years old and showed me what it meant to be passionate about the game of soccer. Ron Benjamin has also supplied me with the materials I needed to get connected with college coaches and has been a huge supporter over the last four years. Additionally, I’d like to extend a huge thank you to my current coach, Crystal Chaidez, who I am truly grateful to play for and have built a personal relationship with over the last two years. As a coach and a former college soccer player, Crystal saw the potential I had to play in college that I never saw in myself and developed the confidence I needed to bring me to the next level. She has helped me grow as a player, a leader, and a person and that is something I will be forever grateful.

I have been fortunate enough to have 16 sisters (give or take a few) that have always been there to support me through the good and the bad times- my teammates. No matter where life takes us on our own individual journeys, I will forever cherish the memories I have made with these girls here at Placer United.

The biggest thank you I have is to the people who have and always will be my biggest fans, my family. Without their sacrifices none of this would have happened.  They have turned my dream into a reality, and I can’t wait to make them proud over the next four years!

Thank you all and Go Penguins!”

—Melissa Stoakley