The 2004 University of Portland women’s soccer recruiting class features a Parade Magazine all-American and member of the U-19 National Team, the Washington State Player of the Year, two Oregon all-state selections, a U-17 U.S. Adidas all-star team representative and a New York product who captained her club team to the State Championship and Regional semifinals. Pilot head coach Garrett Smith said his goal was “to get the best players in the country, and I think we did that.”

Natalie Budge from Tualatin, Ore.; Kelli Cronkrite from Corvallis, Ore.; Mary Kuder from Seattle, Wash.; Megan and Rachael Rapinoe from Redding, Calif. and Michele Scifo from Lynbrook, N.Y. have all signed National Letters of Intent to attend the University of Portland and will be eligible for the 2004 season.

Natalie Budge is a local product out of Tualatin, Ore. who was named to the all-state team four consecutive seasons at Tualatin High School. Budge earned second team honors in 2000 and 2002 and was a first team all-state pick in 2001 and 2003. The 5-6 forward guided Tualatin to three Pac-9 league titles in four years, as well as a second-place finish in the state in 2002. Budge was named the Pac-9 Player of the Year in 2001 and first team all-league each of her four years en route to scoring more than 70 goals and recording 50 assists for the Timberwolves. She also played with the Oregon State Select team for four years, the Region IV ODP team for five seasons and is a member of the FC Portland Purple.

“Natalie is the best player coming out of Oregon, without a doubt,” noted Smith. “We’ve been watching her since she was 12 years old and at age 16, Clive Charles called her one of the most technical players he has seen. She is an offensive-minded player who will set up as many goals as she will score.”

Kelli Cronkrite is another Oregon native who is coming off a first team all-state selection for the second consecutive year. A 5-7 forward/midfielder from Corvallis, Ore., Cronkrite led Corvallis High School to three Valley League Championships. She was named Valley League Player of the Year her junior and senior seasons after racking up 49 goals during the two years. Outside of Corvallis High, Cronkrite is a member of the Oregon ODP, joined the Region IV team in 2000 and is a member of the U-19 National Team Pool. Cronkrite is continuing the family legacy of Portland Pilot soccer players as her brother Erik just wrapped up a stellar, three-year career with the Pilot men’s soccer team.

“Kelli is already enrolled at UP and settled into the college environment, which gives her a huge advantage,” Smith said. “She will basically step in with sophomore experience as a true freshman next year after training and playing in six or seven spring contests with our current team.”

The 2003 Washington State Player of the Year and Gatorade Washington High School Player of the Year, Mary Kuder joins the Pilot program from Seattle, Wash. and Lakeside High School. Kuder, a 5-8 forward/midfielder, was an all-Seattle Metro League selection four consecutive years in high school and claimed league MVP honors in 2002 and 2003. She was named the High School Soccer all-Star MVP by the Seattle-Post Intelligence in 2003 after scoring 27 goals and racking up 37 assists for the Lakeside team that went undefeated, won the state title and was ranked 11th nationally by the NSCAA. Outside of Lakeside, she was a two-year MVP on the Emerald City FC Premier state championship teams (1999-01), is a standout on the U-19 Eastside Football Club team that advanced to the 2004 state championship game and took part in the 2002 Region IV ODP Camp.

“Mary is a quality midfielder who will fit in very well with our style,” says Smith. “She is also a very offensive-mided player, and her accolades speak volumes for her game.”

A 2003 Parade Magazine and NSCAA Adidas High School all-American, Megan Rapinoe joins the University of Portland out of Redding, Calif. and Foothill High School. Currently a member of the U-19 National Team, Rapinoe was a standout on the Elk Grove United club team that was ranked No. 1 nationally in 2003 and finished second in the 2003 U-19 Girls’ National Championships. The 5-7 forward has also been a member of the U-14 State team, 2002 Regional team and the U-17 National Team.

Joining Megan at the University of Portland is her sister Rachael Rapinoe, a 5-4 defender/midfielder and teammate on the Elk Grove United club. Rachael, selected to the 2003 U-17 U.S. Adidas all-star team, was also a member of the U-17 Western Regional and Nor-Cal U-14 state teams. She was also recognized on the list of Who’s Who Among High School Scholar-Athletes.

“The Rapinoes will make three Elk Grove club players on our current roster, joining Stephanie Lopez, and they are invaluable additions,” Smith said. “Megan gets stronger and stronger every time I watch her play and her potential is limitless. She is possibly the number one recruit in the country and her immediate impact will reflect that. She is a big, strong one-on-one type striker who can flat out score. Rachael is no slouch as an attacker either despite being listed as a defender. I witnessed Rachael score three goals as a midfielder when their club team was without Megan, so she as well will fit the mold of a dangerous defender on our roster.”

Michele Scifo will be making the trek all the way from Lynbrook, New York to don the Pilot uniform in 2004. Scifo, a 5-4 midfielder from Lynbrook High School, is a member of the New York ODP Regional team (1999-2004) and was invited to the U.S. Youth National Camps from 2000-2002. Scifo captained the Albertson Elite club team to the New York State Championship in 2003, the Virginian Cup Championship in 2002 and the semifinals of the Region I Premier Tournament and Raleigh Shootout. The all-time leader in assists at Lynbrook High, Scifo played five years of varsity soccer claiming all-state, all-region and league MVP honors after leading the team to a 17-1 record and an appearance in the state semifinals.

“Michele is the first recruit we have ever signed that has come from outside of our region, and that is very exciting for both her and our program” Smith stated. “She is a creative, ball-playing forward who will entertain. Michele is someone you have to watch to truly appreciate and she will complement our other forwards very well.”