HOUSTON -- Rice University head soccer coach Nicky Adams announced the signing of seven new Owls to join the program on Wednesday
(Feb. 1), the first national day to sign with the sport.

Adams’ sixth recruiting class boasts some of the top student-athletes from across North America who join Rice from some of the country’s elite club programs. The class includes midfielders Ashley Burgess (Aliso Viejo, Calif.),  Rebecca Keane (Keller, Texas), Remy Mathews (Surrey, British Columbia, Canada) and Erin van Dolder (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada); defenders Callie Ericksen (Lafayette, Calif.) and Trinity King (Frisco, Texas); and goalkeeper Amanda McMaster (Menlo Park, Calif.).

The talented new players are certain to play a major role in the upcoming 2017 season. Coach Adams stated the group is also in-line with Rice’s challenging academic curriculum.

“This is a very exciting day for our program as we are adding seven highly recruited young ladies to our Rice Soccer Program,” coach Adams said. “All of these ladies bring something special and they all will make a significant impact. Not only have they exceled on the field, they are all very strong in the classroom as well.  We cannot wait until they all arrive on campus to start their amazing athletic and academic careers at Rice.”

Under the direction of coach Adams, the Rice soccer program has won two conference championships, been to the NCAA Tournament and tied the school record for wins in a single season. The 2017 signing class is Adams’ sixth at the helm of the program.

2017 Rice Soccer Signees
Name            Pos.    Ht.    Class    Hometown  (Previous School / Club)
Ashley Burgess   MF    5-6    Sr.-HS    Surrey, British Columbia, Canada (Fleetwood Park / Coastal FC)
Callie Ericksen   D    5-5    Sr.-HS    Lafayette, Calif. (Acalanes HS / Lamorinda United ‘98)
Rebecca Keane    MF    5-5    Sr.-HS    Keller, Texas (Keller HS / Solar Chelsea Soccer Club)
Trinity King      D    5-4    Sr.-HS    Frisco, Texas (Wakeland HS / FC Dallas 99 ECNL)
Remy Mathews     MF    5-4    Sr.-HS    Aliso Viejo, Calif. (Aliso Niguel HS / West Coast FC)
Amanda McMaster  GK    5-6    Sr.-HS    Menlo Park, Calif. (Castilleja School / Palo Alto Soccer Club - 98G Power)
Erin van Dolder  MF    5-8    Sr.-HS    Edmonton, Alberta, Canada (Strathcona Composite HS / Northwest United)


(Quick bios on the signees are on following pages.)