Stetson women's soccer head coach Manoj Khettry today announced the addition of student-athlete Cornelia Sochor (Langenzersdorf, Austria) for the 2015 season. She will have three seasons of eligibility remaining.
A member of the full Austrian National Team since 2014, Sochor is a midfielder/defender who has played in 57 Bundesliga games and two games in the Champions League with SV Neulengbach during the 2012-13 season. She also is a three-time Austrian National Champion (2010, 2011, 2012) and three-time Austrian Cup winner (2010, 2011, 2012) with SV Neulengbach.
Sochor fills an immediate need for Khettry and the Hatters due to the graduation of veteran and former team captain Carmen Bernecker. Sochor will be a 21-year old sophomore when she enrolls at Stetson. Her age, combined with her significant international experience makes her an attractive addition for the Hatters.
“We're not getting an 18-year old freshman, we're getting a seasoned player who has international experience at various national team levels,” said Khettry. “And certainly that will make it easier to replace a player of Carmen's importance.
“Cornelia has great vision and is a fantastic passer of the ball. She knows how to sit in the back of midfield and be a pivot and change the point of attack and organize our defensive shape in midfield for us. She is two-footed, and she is very quick to pounce on loose-balls in midfield or an errant touch by an opponent. I see her being able to cover a lot of ground defensively and provide immediate support for our other midfielders on both sides of the ball. I'm excited to have her be a member of our team.”
Sochor, who has spent two years studying at the Vienna University of Economics and Business, has also played for the Austrian U-17 (2010-11) and U-19 teams (2011-13). She joins a recruiting class which includes seven true freshmen. Khettry believes her skills will enable many newcomers and veterans alike to play their natural positions.
“We feel really good about the incoming freshmen,” said Khettry. “We know we're getting some players who are talented and will help us right away. What Cornelia does is allows some of those players to play in their natural positions. We didn't have a bona fide holding midfielder before, and now we do. And that means we don't have to move a player who's best position may have been higher in midfield to come back and be a holding midfielder.”
Sochor chose the Hatters after receiving interest from Kansas, Ball State, FAU, Fresno State, Middle Tennessee State and UALR.
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