FARMVILLE, Va. – The Longwood women's soccer team will grow seven players stronger next season with the addition of a 2015 recruiting class that includes Amber Gustafson (Bolton, Mass.), Amber Hodges (Woodbridge, Va.), Emily Hunter (Spotsylvania, Va.), Kathryn Miller (Midlothian, Va.), Paige Robertson (Spotsylvania, Va.), Sheyenne Stretz (Virginia Beach, Va.) and Sydney Wallace (Fredericksburg, Va.).
 
"We've put a lot of thought, work and resources into this class and feel very good about the final product," said Longwood head coach Todd Dyer, now entering his 22nd season as head coach of the Lancers. "This class has a little bit of everything and addresses our needs all over the field.  The challenge now is to see how all of the pieces fit within this group, and then determine how that best meshes with what we already have in the team.  Our entire program is eager to work and earn the right to be successful and our roster gives us the opportunity to do exactly that."
 
The seven newcomers will join a Longwood program that graduates five seniors from 2014, including All-Big South forward Samantha Phillips and All-Big South defender Kelsey McDonald. The class includes one defender, three midfielders and three forwards from programs spanning the commonwealth of Virginia and Massachusetts.
 
Three members of the class – Hunter, Robertson and Wallace – are all products of the Fredericksburg Football Club, while Robertson and Wallace both starred at Courtland High School in Spotsylvania, Va.
 
Amber Gustafson is the lone out-of-stater in the class, coming from Lancaster, Mass., where she is a forward at Nashoba Regional High School and the New England Premier Soccer Club. Gustafson is a four-year letterwinner at Nashoba and has helped the school win three Division 1 District Championships and advance to three state semifinals and the 2012 state title game. Gustafson totaled 39 goals and 17 assists during her first three prep seasons and is also a member of the National Honor Society, an honor roll student and volunteered with RADkids as a mentor.
 
Gustafson's career aspirations include to become a strength and conditioning coach at the high school level.
 
"Amber is an attacking player who takes advantage of all the details and subtleties of the forward position," Dyer said. "She has a knack for reading the game, timing her runs and arriving at the right moment."
 
Amber Hodges is a product of Woodbridge, Va, where she plays midfield at Woodbridge Senior High School and the PWSI soccer club. She is a four-year letterwinner, an All-Met honorable mention selection and has helped the PWSI Courage 96 Red squad to multiple cup championships.
 
"Amber is going to be a handful for our opponents wherever she finds herself on the field," Dyer said. "She is able to play the flank position in all thirds of the field, and her feistiness and competitive nature has true bite and edge."
 
Emily Hunter hails from Fredericksburg, Va., where she is a midfielder at Spotsylvania High School and alongside fellow Lancer signees Sydney Wallace and Paige Robertson with the Fredericksburg Football Club. Hunter is a first team all-district and second team all-region selection at Spotsylvania where she not only stars on the pitch but has also amassed a lengthy resume filled with volunteer work. Among her off-the-field highlights are memberships in the National Honor Society and a four-year spot on the honor roll as well as volunteer initiatives with Safe Haven Village in Guatemala.
 
After college, Hunter plans on moving to Texas to begin an apprenticeship with Downunder Horsemanship to  pursue her passion for riding and training horses.
 
"Emily is a strong central midfielder that has the skill and work rate to have an impact on both sides of the ball," Dyer said. "She's strong in the air, can do the dirty work defensively as well as threaten going forward."
 
Kathryn Miller is a local product from Midlothian, Va., where she stars in the midfield at Midlothian High School and Football Club Richmond. Miller is a multi-sport athlete, competing in soccer, track and cross country. She has won titles in all three sports, including Dominion District Championships in both soccer and track – as a member of the 4x4 relay team – and a state championship in 2011 as a member of the cross country team. She is also a member of the National Honor Society and volunteered with Meals on Wheels.
 
"I saw Kat warming up for a high school game in ninth grade and knew there was something special about her," Dyer said. "She has extreme focus and respect for the game matched by her pace, athleticism and skillset."
 
Paige Robertson comes to Longwood from Spotsylvania, Va., where she is one of two signees out of Courtland High School and a member of the three-player trio at Fredericksburg FC. Robertson is a four-year letterwinner and forward at Courtland alongside teammate Sydney Wallace and earned first team all-state as a sophomore and junior, and first team all-region and all-conference honors three times. She has 63 goals and 58 assists heading into her senior season and has scored at least 19 goals all three years. Robertson has led Courtland to three straight conference titles and the 2013 region championships while leading the team in goals for two consecutive seasons.
 
Robertson is president of the National Honor Society and YOVASO and is eying a career in the behavior analysis unit of the FBI.
 
"Paige will be our version of the Energizer bunny with her quickness, tenacity and work rate," Dyer said. "Her compact frame and power also allow her to be effective as a forward and an outside defender."
 
Sheyenne Stretz is a forward and midfielder from Virginia Beach, Va., where she plays at Kellam High School and the Beach Football Club. Stretz is a two-sport athlete lettering twice in field hockey as well. She scored two goals with an assist as a junior and was named to the All-Atlantic Conference first team. Stretz plans to major in criminal justice at Longwood.
 
"Sheyenne is primarily a forward with the ability to play almost any position on the field," Dyer said. "She is well-rounded technically, has good tactical sense and is ultra-competitive in spite of her mild demeanor."
 
Sydney Wallace is the third member of the Fredericksburg FC trio, a defender Fredericksburg, Va., where she also played alongside Robertson at Courtland High School. Wallace is a four-year letterwinner who is coming off a junior season in which she was named the Conference 22 Player of the Year, first team all-district and all-region and the team's defensive MVP. The first team all-district selection is the most recent of three for Wallace, who is also her team's three-time defensive MVP and a former all-state selection as a sophomore.
 
"Sydney's athleticism, strength and versatility will give us a lot of options on our defensive line," Dyer said. "Her combination of physical attributes is rare and will give our team a new dynamic on the field."
 
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