Soccer Amps Up with Eight Newcomers

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Recruiting both nationally and internationally, the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi soccer program strengthened its 2022 roster with the addition of eight signees, announced by head coach Craig Shaw.
 
The newcomers include four forwards, two midfielders, a winger and a defender. The Islanders added a pair from Texas and six from out-of-state including a pair from Germany.
 
The signees are Mai-Lisa Atis, Kelsey Eggleston, Rebekah George, Rachel Loetzer, Keira Lofton, Marlene Menzel, Lilli Oberhoff and Annie Hubbell O'Fallon.
 
Atis is a forward from Miami, Florida. She was an All-Dade First-Team selection and helped Dr. Michael Krop HS win a pair of district championships. Atis, who played club with FC Prime, was named Most Athletic Freshman at her high school. She'll be studying towards a degree in computer software engineering.
 
"Mai is one of them most creative players I have ever recruited and probably the reason she just got called up to the National Pool Camp for ODP. She is fast and great 1 v 1 with skill and speed and sees things two steps ahead which allows her to be able to play anywhere across the forward line or the attacking midfield positions," said Shaw.
 


Eggleston is a winger/wing back and a Beltsville, Maryland product. She was a three-time All-Conference honoree at Pallotti HS. Eggleston played two years of club with Maryland United FC. She'll be pursuing a degree in psychology.
 
"Kelsey is a very fast outside back/outside forward who has grown immensely over the past year finishing with a call up to her clubs ECNL team. She is very technical and loves to attack. Once she gets used to our system she will cause problems for the opposing players," Shaw said.


 
George, an Oklahoma City native, transfers from Oklahoma State as a midfielder. Over three seasons, she played in 25 games and made four starts. George was an Academic All-Big 12 First-Team selection. In high school, she racked up 89 goals (39 as a senior) and 36 assists at Choctaw and was an All-Conference, All-District an All-State performer.  George will be studying towards a degree in nursing.
 
"Rebekah was the final piece to the jigsaw to our amazing signing class to go with our exciting returning class. With such a young team we wanted to add someone with big time experience. It does not get any bigger than playing for national powerhouse Oklahoma State for three years and even competing in the NCAA National Tournament. She is a creative center-mid that will help us pull the strings and create many chances for our talented forwards. She is a fantastic student and will have three years of eligibility," Shaw said.
 


Another transfer is Loetzer, a midfielder from Frisco, Texas. She arrives at A&M-Corpus Christi after playing at Texas Woman's University. Loetzer started in 14 of 16 games at TWU last season and logged 1,239 minutes. He prepped at Memorial HS where she was a two-sport athlete in soccer and cross country. She was a three-time All-District selection and Offensive MVP in soccer, and a state qualifier in cross country. Her major is undecided.
 
"Rachel is the other of our two transfers who will bring athleticism, size and a great range of passing to our midfield. She breaks up play very well and loves to play our possession style of soccer. She was a huge reason her college was so successful last fall and she will bring over 1200 minutes of experience with her," said Shaw.
 


Lofton is a forward and a Frisco, Texas product. She was voted the back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year by her teammates at Lebanon Trail. Lofton played club for FC Dallas and her major at A&M-Corpus Christi is undecided.
 
"Keira is someone who we are very excited to coach. She has great speed and a very good left foot. Once we work out whether to play her as an outside back or forward she will grow into a very good college player," Shaw said.
 


Menzel is a forward reigning from Bremen, Germany. She helped Oberschule an der Ronzelenstrasse win a championship in her prep days and also played club for SV Werder Bremen. Menzel's major is undecided.
 
"Marlene is one of our two Germans that have come in this spring to prepare early for fall 2022. She is a true center forward, she can drop in and receive the ball, she can make runs in behind, she combines well with the team and can finish better than anyone. She is adapting well to the speed and physicality of DI soccer and expect her to be firing on all cylinders come August," Shaw said.
 


Another Bremen, Germany product is Oberhoff. The defender played prep at Gymnasium Links der Wester and also helped the team win a title. She played alongside Menzel at SV Werder Bremen for club. Oberhoff will be studying towards a degree in psychology.
 
"Lilli is our other German here this spring. She can play either side of the backline and even in midfield if needed. She has a great first five yards of speed, great composure on the ball and loves to get forward. She might look small but you do not want to mess with her and will be a huge pain for opposing forwards," Shaw said.

 

O'Fallon is a forward from Front Royal, Virginia. She was an All-Area, two-time All-District and two-time All-Region honoree at Skyline HS. O'Fallon was part of a 2021 Conference Championship squad in the Virginia High School League. She was a starter on the high school JV team as an eighth grader. O'Fallon played club for VISTA Freedom FC for five years. She'll be pursuing a degree in criminology.
 
"Annie adds some much-needed size to our forward line and is adaptable to where she can play anywhere across the front three. She is not only tall but fast and has the confidence to take people on," Shaw said.
 


Signee Roster
Mai-Lisa Atis – 5-5, Forward, Miami, Florida/Dr. Michael Krop Senior HS
Kelsey Eggleston – 5-3, Winger/Wing back, Beltsville, Maryland/Pallotti HS
Rebekah George – 5-4, Midfielder, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma/Choctaw HS/Oklahoma State
Rachel Loetzer – 5-10, Midfielder, Frisco, Texas/Memorial HS/Texas Woman's University
Keira Lofton – 5-6, Forward, Frisco, Texas/Lebanon Trail HS
Marlene Menzel – 5-9, Forward, Bremen Germany/Oberschule an der Ronzelenstrasse
Lilli Oberhoff – 5-3, Defender, Bremen, Germany/Gymnasium Links der Weser
Annabelle Hubbell O'Fallon – 5-10, Forward, Front Royal, Virginia/Skyline HS
 
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