PORTLAND, Ore. --- The University of Portland has signed a talented group of seven players to National Letters of Intent to comprise its 2010 recruiting class, head coach Garrett Smith announced on Friday. Two national team experienced goalkeepers and five highly-rated field players, all incoming freshman, make up the diverse group which includes two of the best players from the state of Oregon.

The newest Pilots are Sarah Bridges (Portland, Ore.), Micaela Capelle (Gresham, Ore.), Michelle Cruz (Thousand Oaks, Calif.), Erin Dees (Downers Grove, Ill.), Nichole Downing (Carlsbad, Calif.), Amanda Frisbie (McKinney, Tex.) and Ellen Parker (Paradise Valley, Ariz.).

“The field players are all offensive-minded players that will only enhance our attack from last year, which led the nation in goal scoring,” Smith said. “All of them have great offensive gifts and a capacity to work hard on defense. It was exciting to see what we could accomplish as a goal-scoring team last year, but now the future looks even brighter.

“Securing two top national goalkeepers will give us the stability we have grown accustomed to defensively. To be able to recruit top out of region talent shows that the Portland name is being recognized nationally and players want to come to the Northwest.”

Sarah Bridges (Portland, Ore./Jesuit HS/FC Portland) – A 5-8 midfielder, Bridges is a two-time NSCAA High School All-American who was named the Oregon State Player of the Year after leading Jesuit to state championship and No. 1 national ranking by ESPN Rise in 2009. She was named to the all-state team three straight years and guided Jesuit to four consecutive Metro League Championships. She has been a member of the regional and state Olympic Development Program teams since 2007. Bridges has played for the FC Portland club system since 2004, helping her team reach the state finals in 2008 and state semifinals in 2009.

“Sarah is a top local talent coming from one of the top local clubs in FC Portland,” Smith said. “She will enhance our athleticism and give us a natural left-footed player, which are both key commodities. Sarah has a tremendous work ethic and the capacity to cover a lot of ground during a game.”

Micaela Capelle (Gresham, Ore./Sam Barlow HS/FC Portland) – A 5-4 forward, Capelle is a three-time all-state honoree and two-time Mt. Hood Conference Player of the Year. She scored 28 goals as a senior, en route to her fourth consecutive first team all-conference award. A member of the ODP state team in 2008, Capelle is in her third season with the FC Portland club.

“Micaela is another great athlete that brings flair and creativity to the game,” Smith noted. “She creates many scoring opportunities for herself and teammates. We are excited that another top local player has chosen to attend UP and we happy to have Micaela as a Pilot.”

Michelle Cruz (Thousand Oaks, Calif./Thousand Oaks HS/Real So Cal) – A 5-6 midfielder/forward, Cruz has a strong history with the USA Youth National Teams and is a current member of the Under-18 National Team that will compete in the Ten Nations Tournament in Spain later this month. Cruz played a big role in her club soccer team, Real So Cal, winning six championships: the San Diego Surf Cup (2009, 2007, 2006), Fall Far West Regional League (2009), Manchester United Premier Cup (2006), Gothia Youth World Cup (2006). During a brief stint with the Slammers FC, Cruz helped the team to win the U-17 Premier Championship. As a junior, Cruz led the Thousand Oaks High School to the 2008 CIF-SS Division II title and as a senior, to the 2009 Marmonte League Championship. She was listed as the No. 39 recruit according to the TopDrawerSoccer.com Top 100 and was a Top 50 high school player in 2009 according to Takkle.com.

“Michelle is a player that brings a wealth of national team experience to our squad,” Smith said. “She is creative in the attack and has the pace to go by people. She is an exciting player to watch.”

Erin Dees (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove North HS/Eclipse Select) – A 5-10 goalkeeper, Dees was a member of the USA Under-15 National Team and has spent time with both the regional and state ODP teams in Illinois. She helped the renowned Eclipse Select to the 2009 U-17 USYSA National Championship after posting a runner-up finish at nationals in 2008. She won the Golden Gloves Award at the 2009 championship. Dees is rated the No. 29 national recruit according to the 2010 TopDrawerSoccer.com Top 100.

Nichole Downing (Carlsbad, Calif./La Costa Canyon HS/San Diego Surf Soccer Club) – A 5-8 goalkeeper, Downing also trained with the USA Under-15 National Team and has an extensive record of success on the club circuit with the San Diego Surf. Downing and the Surf have claimed nine tournament titles since 2006, including the championship of the Presidio League, Pegasus Cup and WCFC Futbal Classic in 2009. She was rated the No. 63 player in the 2009 TopDrawerSoccer.com Top 100 and No. 18 according to the Takkle.com Top 50 in 2009. She played two years of high school soccer and was named All-San Diego Second Team by XK San Diego. Downing also helped La Costa Canyon to the school’s first San Diego C.I.F. basketball title in 2009.

“Erin and Nichole provide us with two of the top goalkeepers in the country,” Smith noted. “Both have national team experience and have excelled with top club teams. Erin and the Eclipse Soccer Club have competed and won at nationals, while Nichole’s Surf Soccer Club is annually one of the best in the country. With the luxury of working with an elite goalkeeper coach in Bill Irwin on a daily basis, I think both players will have excellent careers.”

Amanda Frisbie (McKinney, Tex./McKinney HS/Dallas Texans) – A 5-8 forward, Frisbie becomes the second recruit Portland recruit from Texas in the last four years, joining Sara Jackman on the Pilots’ roster. Frisbie was rated the No. 45 recruit by TopDrawerSoccer.com and No. 13 on Takkle.com. She has been a member of the ODP Region III team has traveled to Italy and Portugal. She has been a member of the Dallas Texans Club since 2006, winning the USYSA National Championship in 2006 and placing third at nationals in 2007 and 2009. The club also won State Cup titles the last two years and a regional title in 2007.

“Amanda is a player that has one thing on her mind and that is to score goals,” Smith said. “She has a goal-scorers mentality that accepts the responsibility of ensuring victory. She is another natural left footed player with an assortment of abilities to score goals.”

Ellen Parker (Paradise Valley, Ariz./Sereno 92) – A 5-7 midfielder, Parker has been a member of the USA National Team pools at the Under-18 and Under-20 levels. She was also an ODP State and Region team member for four years. Parker helped the Sereno 92’s to seven state club titles in a row. Sereno reached the regional semifinals three of those years and won the 2008 Nike Friendlies and were finalists at the 2008 Disney Showcase and Red Bull Tournament each of the last two seasons. Parker, rated No. 49 on the TopDrawerSoccer.com Top 100 recruits, has already enrolled at UP and is taking classes this spring.

“Ellen has a technical side of the game and understanding of soccer that makes game look easy,” Smith said. “She is another top club player, joining a long history of great kids from the Sereno club that have become Pilots. It is nice to see a player like her come to a ball playing team.”