VERMILLION, S.D.–South Dakota soccer head coach Mandy Green has announced the signing of Danielle Brown, Ellie Eskierka, Kenzie Harte, Sunny Huettner, Alexis Mitchell and Abby Ostrem to National Letters of Intent. The program also has commitments from Emma Harkleroad, Sophia Morgan and Maddison Sullivan.
 
"This class fills the missing pieces to the puzzle as we continue to build our program," said Green. "It was important to find a group of players who have been consistently competing and experiencing success from some of the best teams across the country. All nine players have been recognized as top players in their conferences and states. We are confident that each individual in this class will add speed, soccer IQ, scoring ability, athleticism and competitiveness to help our program reach a new level of success. They are all excellent students and great people who we believe are going to make an impact on our program immediately."
 
The class includes players from eight different states. There are two commitments from Minnesota and one each from South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Texas and Washington.
 
Danielle Brown | Midfield | Lino Lakes, Minn. | Totino Grace HS | Biology
 
An all-state honoree as a senior, Brown handled the midfield for Totino Grace High School. The past two years, Brown additionally played for Coach Dave Golan at the Minnesota Thunder Academy, a premier girls' team that is a member of the Elite Clubs National League. Brown was a four-sport athlete for the Eagles and competed on the varsity hockey, lacrosse and track and field teams. She is a member of the National Honor Society.
 
Coach Green's take: "Dani is a feisty and technical midfield player that will help our team keep possession and create plays for us. She's extremely talented with great vision and has the ability to pick apart opposing defenses."
 
Ellie Eskierka | Midfield | Lino Lakes, Minn. | Centennial HS | Pre-Physician Assistant
 
A three-time all-Northwest Suburban Conference midfielder, Eskierka led Centennial High School to a 2016 Minnesota state title. It was the third Minnesota state tournament appearance for Eskierka and the Cougars. Eskierka also played for the Minnesota Thunder Academy coached by Turk Ozturk and Danny Storlien, a member of the Elite Clubs National League. Eskierka is also a National Honor Society member and honor roll student.
 
Coach Green's take: "Ellie sees the field well. She's good in the air, gets on the ball a lot and does a good job starting attacks from midfield. Her ability to read the play will have an impact defensively as well."
 
Emma Harkleroad | Goalkeeper | Geneva, Ill. | Geneva HS | Pre-Physician Assistant
 
An all-Upstate Eight River Conference goalkeeper for Geneva High School, Harkleroad has totaled 13 shutouts through her first three seasons. She has tallied 126 career saves in 31 games for the Vikings. Harkleroad earned the starting spot her junior season and was subsequently named all-area by Beacon News and Kane County Chronicle. She earned academic all-conference honors in both her sophomore and junior seasons. Harkleroad plays for Amy Winslow at the Strikers Fox Valley soccer club. She also lettered in basketball at Geneva and was an academic all-conference honoree as a junior. Harkleroad is a member of the National Honor Society and Spanish National Honor Society.
 
Coach Green's take: "Emma has a lot of qualities about her that will make her a successful collegiate goalkeeper. She has a great presence in goal and has shown solid athleticism by making saves a lot of goalkeepers are unable to. She's eager to learn, a strong communicator and distributes the ball well."
 
Kenzie Harte | Defender | Omaha, Neb. | Millard North HS | Pre-Occupational Therapy
 
A defender at Millard North High School, Harte also played an integral role in the Mustangs' offense as she helped the team to a runner-up finish at the 2016 Nebraska State Championship. She scored 13 goals and dished out six assists in her junior season. A pair came in the state tournament quarterfinal against Kearney, while another five were scored in one match to break Millard North's single-game record. Harte earned first-team all-Metro and second-team all-state for her efforts. Additionally, Harte plays club soccer for Sporting Omaha FC under Neil Hope and Alex Mason. Harte lettered on the Mustang basketball team and is a member of the National Honor Society.
 
Coach Green's take: "Kenzie is a strong and dominating presence along the back line. She's quick, explosive and covers a lot of ground. Her composure with the ball at her feet helps her make great decisions with her distribution out of the back."
 
Sunny Huettner | Midfield | Overland Park, Kan. | Shawnee Mission South HS | Exercise Science
 
An all-Sunflower League midfielder, Huettner tallied 56 points in three years at Shawnee Mission South High School. Huettner was named second-team all-state as a junior after scoring 10 goals. She set a school record for single-season assists with eight both her sophomore and junior year. Huettner also played for Doug McClagan and Colin Bulwich with the Sporting Blue Valley soccer club for four seasons.
 
Coach Green's take: "Sunny is going to create problems for opponents' defenses. She's an incredibly gifted attacking player and a student of the game. She has a knack for the goal and a tremendous shot. I am confident that she will come in and increase our attacking options by creating open looks for herself and her teammates."
 
Alexis Mitchell | Midfield | Lee's Summit, Mo. | Lee's Summit North HS | Mathematics
 
A three-time all-Big 6 Conference midfielder, Mitchell has scored 30 goals and dished out 25 assists in her first three years for Lee's Summit North High School. She earned second-team all-state honors as a junior with 10 goals and five assists. Mitchell also led Sporting Blue Valley to the Elite Clubs National League finals in 2013 and a pair of Missouri State Cup titles in 2012 and 2015. She was a member of the Disney's Kick-It 3v3 Championship squad and a National Futsal Champion in 2012. Currently she plays for Goran Karadzov and the NWSL-affiliated FC Kansas City Forte Elite. Mitchell is the president of Student-Athlete Advisory Council and a member of the National Honor Society.
 
Coach Green's take: "Alexis is a soccer savvy midfielder that has the ability to find the open space and has terrific control of the ball. She connects passes to teammates all over the field with great accuracy in a variety of ways. We look forward to watching her score and set up a lot of soccer opportunities for her teammates."
 
Sophia Morgan | Defender | Langley, Wash. | South Whidbey HS
 
A defender from Langley, Wash., Morgan plays for the Greater Seattle Surf soccer club. She's also formerly a member of the Washington Rush, Pacific Northwest Soccer Club and Crossfire Premiere. Morgan's teams won the Rush Cup in 2013 and the international President's Day Tournament in Phoenix, Ariz., in 2015. At South Whidbey High School, Morgan is a member of the cross country and track and field teams. She earned all-Cascade Conference honors in cross country.
 
Coach Green's take: "Sophie is a talented athlete who is a smart and composed defender. She uses her body well, is extremely competitive, feisty and quick. She attacks out of the back well, will help patrol the back line and use her ability to read the play to cut off any counter-attacks."
 
Abby Ostrem | Defender | Wylie, Texas | Wylie HS | Pre-Law
 
A two-time all-District 6-6A defender, Ostrem has tallied 17 goals and four assists in her first three seasons at Wylie High School. Ostrem also plays for FC Dallas of the Elite Clubs National League under Ben Waldrum. She helped the Dallas Texans to a conference championship in 2014. Ostrem runs track for the Pirates.
 
Coach Green's take: "Abby is a talented and intelligent defender who has a knack for separating the ball form her opponents with regularity. She's a fast outside back that loves getting involved in the attack. She's feisty, has a great work ethic, loves a challenge and we feel she will fit in our current system well."
 
Maddison Sullivan | Forward | Rapid City, S.D. | Central HS | Biology
 
A forward for Rapid City Central High School, Sullivan earned all-state honors the last two seasons. She holds school records for both goals scored (40) and assists (30) in her high school career. A multi-sport athlete, Sullivan has lettered in soccer, basketball, track & field and cross country over the past five seasons. Sullivan is an honor roll student and member of the National Honor Society.
 
Coach Green's take: "Maddi has good speed, athleticism and an incredible work ethic. She's not afraid to throw her body around and can be disruptive to defending teams as they are trying to build out of the back. Her proven ability to find the back of the net makes her a terrific addition and will bolster our offensive attack."