PARKLAND – The Pacific Lutheran women's soccer program will debut a lot of new faces when the Lutes take the field for the 2014 fall season later this month, as third-year head coach Seth Spidahl announced a 13-player recruiting class on Friday.

Spidahl signed numerous players from all around the Pacific Northwest, along with one student-athlete from Hawaii and another from Norway. The Lutes hope the newcomers can step right in to contribute to a team that reached double-digit wins in 2013 for the first time in seven years and is aiming for its first Northwest Conference title since 1992.

Megan Anderson was a four-year varsity player at Todd Beamer High School and a three-time All-SPSL honoree. She gained some team leadership experience during her senior campaign as a team captain and will play both at forward and on defense for PLU.

"Megan is an electric player with great speed and athleticism," Spidahl said. "My challenge will be to figure out where Megan will best help the Lutes this fall. She can play multiple positions and excel at any one of them. I know Megan will have a great career here at PLU, and I'm excited to coach and watch her play for the next four years."

Christiane Astorp comes to the Lutes all the way from Oslo, Norway, where she played for Bjerke UGS. She already spent some time with the team in the spring and will play center midfield for the Lutes.

"Christi joined us for the spring 2014 season and made an awesome impression," Spidahl said. "She strikes a great ball and scored two of our three goals in the spring alumni game. We expect big things out of her on offense in the fall."

Machaela Graddy earned countless honors during a stellar four-year prep career at Eatonville High School. She twice earned 1A First Team All-State honors, claimed Nisqually League MVP honors as a senior and Offensive MVP honors as a junior and was named the Tacoma Athletic Commission Athlete of the Year following her senior season. During her time at Eatonville, Graddy scored 103 total goals, and Spidahl expects her to bring her goal scoring prowess to the Lutes.

"I am really excited about Machaela becoming a Lute," Spidahl said. "Any time you score 100-plus goals in four years, no matter what the level is that is, an impressive record. I expect Machaela to make an immediate impact here in our program. She embodies everything we are looking for here as a student-athlete at PLU women's soccer."

Jordan Haggerty comes to the Lutes from Mountain View High School in Idaho, where she was a team captain during her senior year and earned academic all-conference honors. On the club side, she played for an FC Nova Soccer Club that won a pair of state championships. She has the potential to play both forward and on defense.

"Jordan is our second player to come to PLU from the FC Nova program in Boise, following Nicoya Benham-Marin's footsteps," Spidahl said. "She has been playing in one of the top youth girls' soccer leagues in the country for the past year (ECNL), so I feel she is ready for the challenges that the collegiate level will bring. She can play as a winger or as a fullback, so when she gets healthy we are looking forward to integrating her into the team."

Emily Hanna joins the PLU program with two years of eligibility remaining after spending two season at Highline Community College. She was the captain of the Highline squad last season, making the NWAACC All Star team after scoring eight goals and tallying five assists. She played four years of varsity soccer at Kentridge High School and also played with Dos Football Club. She will be a center midfielder for the Lutes.

"Emily comes to PLU already with a deep background of college experience, having played two successful years at Highline CC," Spidahl said. "She is a mobile attacking mid who will add to an already deep position here for the Lutes. I am excited about the maturity she will bring, and I believe she is versatile enough to play a couple of positions for us during her time here as a Lute."

Rebecca Hultman is one of two goalkeepers in the 2014 class as the Lutes look to reinforce the position behind returner Takara Mitsui. Hultman was the captain for her club team as she played with Farasi Kujumalo.

"Rebecca will give us some much needed depth at the GK position," Spidahl said. "Last fall we only had two GK's, so we were one injury away from only having one. She will battle it out with Bryce Kennedy to see who will be the other GK that travels and competes with incumbent starter Takara Mitsui. Rebecca has a teachable spirit and will be a very hard worker. I know our GK coach Mark DeDominces is excited to work with her."

Kristi Kaneta comes to PLU all the way from Iolani High School in Hawaii. She has an extensive list of accomplishments at the club and prep level, as she captained the Honolulu Bulls club squad for 10 years. She was a member of the 2009 ODP championship team and helped lead her team to the Hawaii State Club Championship in both 2012 and 2014. She will play center back for the Lutes.

"Kristi is a very accomplished club and HS player with great leadership abilities and character," Spidahl said. "We lost a four-year starter at CB last fall in Mariah Rasmussen, so we have high hopes that Kristi can step in right away and fill that position. One of our top priorities in preseason training camp is to get our back four 'right,' and Kristi will be a big piece of that puzzle. The good news is she will have Kelly White next to her to help guide her along the way."

Bryce Kennedy joins Hultman among incoming goalkeepers for PLU this season, and she has a long line of experience backing her up. She played for Crossfire ECNL until her junior year and won a club national championship in 2009. During her senior season she played with Eastside Football Club, winning a club state championship at U18, and she earned second-team All-King-Co as a senior at Eastlake High School. She spent last season at Walla Walla Community College and will have three years of eligibility remaining at PLU.

"Bryce has an impressive youth soccer and HS background," Spidahl said. "She played for one of the best CC programs in the state at Walla Walla. Her coaches there, Max Weber and Chad Bodnar, rate her very high as a GK, so we are excited about what she can potentially bring to the Lutes. With the addition of Bryce, I'm very confident in the future of PLU goalkeeping."

Taylor Lunde joins the Lutes at the midfield and forward positions. She was named both NWC Offensive Player of the year and Girls' Soccer Player of the Year in 2013 and claimed First-Team All-State honors three times, 2011-13. She was also a first-team all-county player in 2012 and 2013.

"Lute soccer fans will really enjoy watching Taylor play the next four years," Spidahl said. "She has the uncommon ability to beat players off the dribble in 1-v-1 situations, which will give us a whole new dynamic in our attacking ability as a team. Taylor has great speed and will be a threat down either flank in the years to come. I'm excited to see what she can accomplish at the collegiate level."

Ashley Mindich was a four-year varsity player for Sehome High School and helped lead her squad to a WIAA State Championship during her freshman year and a runner-up finish during her junior season. She also played club soccer for the Whatcom Rangers and will play forward for the Lutes.

"Ashley came to our ID camp and did outstanding," Spidahl said. "She played club soccer with Taylor (another incoming freshmen) for the Whatcom Rangers and was blessed to have some great coaching with Travis Connell (current Western Washington women's coach). I'm confident she will work hard and do her best to compete for playing time. She will uplift our daily training environment."

Kailey Robinson will play centerback for the Lutes after a strong four-year career at Auburn High School. She earned first-team All-SPSL honors as both a junior and senior, along with Defensive MVP honors both years, after claiming second-team recognition during her sophomore season. She was also named Honorable Mention All-State as a junior.

"Kailey played at Auburn High School where PLU men's soccer coach John Yorke teaches, so she comes highly recommended," Spidahl said. "She has great athletic tools and a great attitude, so I feel like her best soccer is yet to come. She will provide some much needed depth and competition at the CB position. She will get better and better each day while she as at PLU, and I expect her to be able to compete for playing time sooner rather than later."

Savannah Schumacher capped a four-year varsity career at hillcrest High School in Idaho with first-team all-conference honors during her senior season. She was a three-time honorable mention all-area recipient and will play forward for the Lutes.

"When I first met Savannah, I was extremely impressed with her character," Spidahl said. "I know she will be one of our hardest-working players both on and off the field. Her dedication to being physically fit and improving every day as a soccer player are attributes that are awesome to have in our program."

Hailey Smoot makes the close trip to PLU from Puyallup High School, where she was a team captain. She was a two-time SPSL South honorable mention recipient and also claimed second-team all-league honors. She will play in the midfield for PLU.

"Hailey is a local product from Puyallup HS and has the ability to play multiple positions in our program as a midfielder," Spidahl said. "She is very fit, and her mobility is a strength. Combine that with good technical ability, and you have a combination that should make a positive impact in our program."

The Lutes' 13 newcomers will join a corps of 14 returners as PLU aims to continue a two-year streak of improved records and conference standings. Spidahl took over the program prior to the 2012 campaign and led the Lutes to their first winning season (6-5-7) since 2006, and the 2013 squad tied the 2005 and 2006 teams for the program's most wins since 1995 with an 11-4-5 mark. PLU begins the season Aug. 29 with a nonconference road match against California Lutheran in Thousand Oaks, Calif.