For a high school athlete, signing a letter of intent is the culmination of his or her soccer career.
After being parts of championship-winning teams for the Riverhounds Development Academy (RDA), 19 LadyHounds members and one player from the RDA boys team now take their shot at the collegiate level, signing their respective letters of intent on Feb. 1.
In addition, three more ladies and six more on the boy’s side are still deciding on which college they will choose to attend.
“I was beyond excited,” said Marissa Dezorzi (Yough) about the moment she received her offer. “I’m looking forward to getting better as a player and experiencing new styles of play.”
Dezorzi said the Academy coaches helped her prepare for this new style of soccer and further her playing career, providing her with the mental toughness that is needed to play at the collegiate level.
Dezorzi and teammate Alexis Bengel (Highlands) will stay in the Pittsburgh region, signing with West Virginia and Pittsburgh, respectively. Other signings include Sabrina Bryan (Canon McMillan), who will play at Hofstra, and Brittany Palla (Kiski), who will further her soccer career at Indiana State.
“I was extremely excited,” Bryan said about being accepted into Hofstra. “It was confirmation of this is where I’m going to be for the next four years of my life. It was really exciting to be able to share that with my teammates, family, friends and coaches.”
Bryan, as well as teammates Bengel and Dezorzi, was part of the 2014 RDA National Championship-winning team. Bengel scored the game-winning goal in the title game, helping the LadyHounds to a 5-2 victory over the Parsippany Cheetahs.
“That was one of the greatest moments for me,” Bengel said about winning the National Championship. “Afterward we were all hugging and crying. I think I’ll remember that for the rest of my life.”
Dezorzi and Bryan agreed with Bengel, each saying that being part of the title-winning team will be an experience they will take with them from playing with the RDA.
Palla also won a National Championship with RDA, being part of the 2013 title-winning team – the inaugural season for RDA at the U-15 level.
Palla said she is looking forward to her collegiate career at Indiana State, being in a different part of the country and traveling to new places as she continues playing the sport she loves.
“The academy helped me so much with getting ready for playing college soccer,” Palla said. “The academy helped us a lot with the recruiting process and had a big impact on being able to play at the college level.”
For more information on the RDA’s celebration of the Class of 2017, visit here.
