COACH KING INTERVIEW
 
KENNESAW, Ga. – Kennesaw State soccer head coach Rob King announced the signing of three student-athletes to National Letters of Intent, as well as the addition of a pair of international student-athletes, in the 2014 signing period on Wednesday.
 
The 2014 class includes goalkeeper Mady Carter (Conyers, Ga./Heritage HS), midfielder/defender Abby Roth (Columbus, Ga./Shaw HS) and athlete Ashtah Das (Kennesaw, Ga./Allatoona HS).
 
Along with the three signees, KSU adds a pair of international student-athletes in midfielder Ida Hepsoe (Malvik, Norway/Kristen Videregående Skole Trøndelag) and goalkeeper Catherine McDuff (Ste-Catherine, Quebec, Canada/Champlain College St-Lambert), who are set to join the Owls in the 2014 spring semester.
 
"It is always an exciting day when Signing Day rolls around," said King. 'We have got three local kids in this particular group and two that joined us in January that were our international students. The three we have coming in we are very excited about and we think they will impact the program right away."
 
The three incoming freshmen will join the Owls starting in the fall of 2014.
 
A three-year starter at Heritage High School, Carter earned All-Region First-Team and Second-Team accolades following her sophomore and junior season, respectively. While at HHS, the Coach's Award and Most Valuable Player honoree set school records for most career saves (322), as well as career shutouts (35). A member of the '96 Georgia Olympic Development Program (ODP), Carter was invited to its region camp as well as being selected to go to the ODP National Championship in March of 2013, where her team placed third at the tournament. Carter, a two-time Rockdale Citizen Athlete of the Week, has played club soccer with the Rockdale Youth Soccer Association (RYSA) Revolution Club since her freshman year, as well as guest playing with the Tophat Soccer Club 13 Gold team during her junior season.
 
Coach King on Carter:
"Mady is a powerful goalkeeper and has good size, good strength, good quickness, and good hands. She is very hard working. We are expecting big things from her."
 
A standout midfielder at Columbus High School, Roth was named a Columbus Regional All-Star in 2013, as well as a earning a spot on the Columbus All Bi-City First-Team following her junior season and Second-Team following her freshman and sophomore campaigns. She led her CHS squad to back-to-back Georgia High School Association (GHSA) Class AAA state runner-up finishes, including the first-ever trip to the state championship game for Columbus in 2012. Roth has played with the Columbus Red Star soccer club and the Southern Soccer Academy, as well as Georgia ODP.
 
Coach King on Roth:
"Abby is primarily a holding midfielder or defensive player, but the qualities we like with Abby is that she is very composed on the ball. We are trying to play a brand of soccer that controls the ball, that does not panic and she fits into exactly what we needed. We are excited to have Abby come in."
 
A four-year member of the varsity soccer team at Allatoona High School, Das helped lead AHS to the 2012 Georgia 3A state championship. She has played club soccer with the Cobb Futbol Club, the Southern Soccer Academy and the Atlanta Fire. During club play, Das earned all-tournament team at the Super Y Nationals, as well as All-Event Team at the Elite Club National League Phoenix event and led the Atlanta Fire United Super Y team to the National Championship.
 
Coach King on Das:
"Ashtah is very versatile. She is a quick play, lots of skill and she can play as an attacking player, she can play wide or she can play as a defensive player. She can play as an outside back or a center back. We are looking forward to having her on the team. It is anyone's guess to where we actually utilize her at the moment, but we will wait and see when we have our whole squad put together in the fall."
 
A gifted midfielder from Malvik, Norway, Hepsoe saw action with the Norway national U-16 team in 2010, as well as helping her Malcik IL team move up to Norway's second division for women and was chosen to play for the regional team. The following year, she debuted as a 17 year-old for the Kattem KF in Toppserien, the highest soccer division for women in Norway. Hepsoe was named captain for her Nidelv IL squad in 2013 and led the team to a fourth place finish in their division and a second place finish in the Danacup international tournament where she was named the Best Player of the tournament. Hepsoe currently plays with the Byåsen KF club team.
 
Coach King on Hepsoe:
"A very experienced player and a very technical player from Norway. She has played a little bit for their youth national team growing up. She is a lefty, but is very two-footed. She is quick, reads the game well, very composed on the ball and is somebody who will have a huge impact in our conference right away."
 
A talented goalkeeper from Champlain College St-Lambert, McDuff was named Champlain's women's soccer Most Improved Athlete for the 2012-13 school year. She has played for various club teams, including Celtix de Haut-Richelieu AAA and CS Longueuil senior AAA and participated in the Canada National u17 training camp. McDuff was also a member of the Quebec u16 provincial team that won the national championship. 
 
Coach King on McDuff:
"Catherine's a goalkeeper, so she is one of our three. She is an experienced keeper. She is good with her hands, good with her feet. She is someone who we can play back to get out of pressure. We have a couple of skill sessions, so we have had a chance to see her and have her join in on our sessions, which has been good. She is adjusting nicely and is a good addition to our squad.  "
 
To keep up with the latest Kennesaw State soccer news follow the team on Twitter @KSUOwlNation and @KSUOwlsSoccer or by liking Kennesaw State University on Facebook.
 
 

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