Feb. 22, 2007

Contact: Brian McCann

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CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Four high school student-athletes have signed national letters of intent to attend Cleveland State and play women's soccer beginning in the fall of 2007. Head coach Derrek Falor made the announcement on Thursday.

Signing with the Vikings are Marley Greiner (Burnaby, BC/Burnaby South), Nicole Howard (Jeannette, PA/Penn Trafford), Sylvia Olsby (Seattle, WA/Shorecrest) and Kelly Zinkiewich (Oakville, ONT/Thomas A. Blakelock). Each player will enter CSU as freshman with four years of eligibility.

In addition, Falor announced that freshman Emily Arpidone (Strongville, OH) has transferred to Cleveland State after spending last fall at Virginia Commonwealth University. She will be eligible to play in the fall and have four years of eligibility remaining.

"As a whole, we feel confident that we have added a group of players who are extremely dedicated to performing at an elite level, both on and off the field," Falor said.

"The thing I like about this group is that they are outstanding students of the game, some of the hardest working individuals on their own time I have seen, and are all technically sound players. While this class isn't long on quantity, it is very deep in quality and should be the driving force behind our rise in the Horizon League.

"We have built our program to the point where we are on the cusp of having the ability to raise our profile within the Horizon League. The additions that we have made today should help us to improve enough at just about every part of the game to make this possible.

"The other emphasis was to bring in more high quality players who excel at possession through creativity as well as being capable of providing a bit of scoring punch.

"I feel strongly that we have landed a group that gives us the opportunity to make the jump up to the top of the Horizon League next fall," Falor added. "I know that's a big jump but with this class, along with the return of a solid corp of players, it's a realizable goal."

The signing class includes two defenders, one midfielder, one forward and one goalkeeper.

A synopsis on each of the five additions follows:

Emily Arpidone
5-9, Fr., Defender
Strongsville, Ohio (Strongsville H.S./Virginia Commonwealth)
VCU: Enrolled at Virginia Commonwealth in the Fall of 2006 but did not play, transferring to CSU in January, 2007. . . was a member of one of the top 25 Recruiting Classes in the nation by Soccerbuzz Magazine.
High School: Four-year letterwinner in soccer at Strongsville High, playing for coach John Felton. . . started on squad that won state title as a senior in 2005 and played as a reserve on state title team as a freshman in 2002. . . also came off the bench to help team finish second in state as a sophomore in 2003. . . played club soccer for five years with the Cleveland Football Club, helping team to the 2003 Ohio North State crown. . . member of the Ohio North ODP State Team for two years (2002-03).
Personal: Born Feb. 16, 1988 in Cleveland, Ohio. . . daughter of Mary and Charles Arpidone. . . has two older brothers. . . was a member of the honor roll and Who's Who in high school. . . nursing major with an English minor.
Coach Falor's Comments: "Emily is a fantastic mid-year addition for us. As a central defender, she's tactically sound and excels at keeping the back line organized. She's won state championships with Strongsville High School as well as with her club team so she knows how to be effective when it counts. She's solid with the ball at her feet which is a great fit for our defensive system in the way we choose to build out of the back."

Marley Greiner
5-6, Fr., Midfield
Burnaby, B.C. (Burnaby South H.S.)
High School: Played club soccer with the Burnaby Girls S.C. for 11 years, playing at the rep level in the Metro League for the last 4 years.... has helped her current team to the Provincial finals the last two years and to an 11-1-1 record this year.. . . named the MVP on European Football School's 2006 tour of. Scandanavia in 2006. . .qualified for B.C. Soccer's School of Excellence in 2004...played U-16 Super Y for the Abbotsford Rangers and at U-17 made the Semiahmoo Premier Women's team in the Pacific Coast Soccer League....has also run track and cross country three years at Burnaby South High, running the 800 and 1,500 meters.
Personal: Born Jan. 14, 1989 in Burnaby, B.C. . . daughter of Monica and Greg Greiner. . . has two older brothers. . . was a memerb of the honor roll and psychology club in high school. . . undecided on a major but is interested in sports psychology.
Coach Falor's Comments: "I'm excited to add Marley to our midfield next fall. She will be a natural fit to our system in all that we ask our mids to do on both sides of the ball. Her strengths lie in her ability to place the ball on teammate's feet with a wide variety of texture and pace on her passes. She brings a sound understanding of transitional defense and team cohesion. We love her work-rate and her overall soccer intelligence and know that for her, the successful transition to college soccer will be a smooth and quick one."

Nicole Howard
5-2, Fr., Defender
Jeannette, Pa. (Penn Trafford H.S.)
High School: All-state selection as a senior at Penn Trafford High. . . tabbed as the team MVP and first team all-area as a senior. . . represented school in a post-season all-star game. . . earned the team's Unsung Hero Award as a junior.
Personal: Born April 22, 1989 in Greensburg, Pa. . . daughter of Tom and Michelle Howard. . . has one older brother. . . a member of the High Honor Roll in high school, she received the school's Noble Warrior Award in English, which annually goes to the top student in the subject. . . spends her free time snowboarding and hunting. . . was a member of the Ski Club, German Club and SADD in high school. . . interested in majoring in business.
Coach Falor's Comments: "Nicole is proficient in many roles and her addition to our defensive group is a welcome one. She is one of the quickest players I've seen in a while, both on and off the ball. She's spent a lot of time honing her technical ability with the ball and will be a threat coming forward into the attack as a wing defender. She is wonderful in transitional defense and will simply out work her opponents for 90 minutes on all facets of the game. Her addition will help us solidify our back line for years to come."

Sylvia Olsby
5-5, Fr., Forward
Seattle, Wash. (Shorecrest H.S.)
High School: Three-time all-league choice in soccer at Shorecrest High, playing for Mindy Dalziel, the sister of CSU head coach Derrek Falor. . . missed most of her senior campaign with a knee injury. . . nominee for the school's athlete of the year in each of her first three season. . . named team's hardest worker as a junior. . . played basketball in her first two seasons and intends to run the 100 and 200 meters in track this spring. . . played club soccer the last five years for the Evergreen Soccer Academy, which won the state title in 2003.
Personal: Born Oct. 21, 1988 in Seattle, Wash. . . . daughter of Cindy and Kalo Olsby. . . has one younger sister. . . is a member of the Japanese Honor Society in high school and volunteers time working on the jury of Youth Court. . . interested in majoring in international business.
Coach Falor's Comments: "I feel like we've discovered a hidden gem in Sylvia. I love her ability to see the field as a forward and produce dynamic and threatening second and third runs. She's recently developed her ability to target and hold the ball under pressure and like all good forwards, she's crafty and driven to finish balls in the box. She's a fast and dangerous forward who will help split apart opponent defenses right away this coming fall whether she has the ball or not."

Kelly Zinkiewich
5-7, Fr., Goalkeeper
Oakville, Ont. (Thomas A. Blakelock H.S.)
High School: Starting keeper on West Lincoln Wolverines club team, the top-ranked team in the region. . . played the previous two years for the Bolton Wanderers (2004-06), helping team to a perfect 16-0 record and both regional and league championships cup titles. . . allowed just five goals in 16 games with the Wanderers. . . played on Bolton teams that won the Sun Cup Championship in Virginia Beach, Va. in August, 2005 and the Orange Classic in Ft. Lauderdale, Fl. in December, 2005 . . . was a member of the Ontario Provincial team from 2002-04. . . was Captain of her volleyball and basketball teams...earned 14 letters at Blakelock High, including four each in volleyball and basketball and two in badminton.
Personal: Born July 29, 1989 in Oakville, Ont. . . daughter of Brenda and Doug Zinkiewich. . . has one older and one younger brother. . . is a lifeguard and swim instructor in her community. . . also a member of the school's athletic council the last three years. . . communication major who is interested in a career in advertising.
Coach Falor's Comments: "Kelly is destined to be a very special player at this level. She's one of the most technical and clean keepers I've seen in a couple of years and has a quiet confidence to her game that comes through at all times. Her work rate is tremendous and she uses her athleticism to completely cover her box. The part of her game that stands out above all is her bravery coming for crosses and through balls. She's played with some very good teams in many championship level games, trained with great coaches, and will immediately help push us."