VIDEO: Richard Moodie Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman women's soccer coach Richard Moodie announced the signing of five new members to the reigning South Atlantic Conference regular season and tournament champions on Thursday morning.
Allie-Anne Blackburn, Katelynn Hadjopoulos, Jazmine Rizk, Sydney Spadafora and Lindsey Williams will all join the Eagles in the fall. Blackburn, Hadjopoulos, Rizk and Spadafora all hail from the Volunteer State while Wiliams is a North Carolina-native. Two wingers, two midfielders and a goalkeeper make up the body of the signing class for the Eagles.
Allie-Anne Blackburn – Franklin, Tenn. – Brentwood High School – Forward
Allie-Anne Blackburn is a forward from Brentwood High School in Franklin, Tenn. Blackburn scored over 25 years during her final two campaigns with the Bruins. She is a six-time Tennessee State Champion and she plays club soccer with the Tennessee Soccer Club. Blackburn is currently playing in the U.S. Youth Soccer National League competition, which is a competition for the nation's top club teams. Blackburn won the U.S. Youth Soccer Region II Championship from 2012-14 and she was a 2012 U.S. Youth National Finalist. She also played basketball and ran track for Brentwood. Academically, Blackburn is a member of the National Honor Society. She was recruited by Lipscomb and Tennessee Tech. She was coached by Ronnie Woodard.
Blackburn is the daughter of Douglas and Susan Blackburn and she will study Business and Pre-Law. She was born on Dec. 21, 1997. Her cousin, Patrick Ashford, is a former Carson-Newman and University of Tennessee football player and her cousin, Billy Swann, played football for C-N. Her father, Doug Blackburn, and grandfather, Bill Blackburn, each graduated from Carson-Newman.
Moodie on Blackburn: "She is a young lady from Nashville and plays for Tennessee Soccer Club on their premier club team and played for former Vanderbilt coach Ronnie Woodard. We obviously had an opportunity to go watch her play and we started to recruit her when she was a junior. I don't think the signing would be possible if it wasn't for the relationship of her family having with Carson-Newman with a parent graduating from this school is a huge asset for us. I think Allie-Anne is unlike any other player in the conference that plays at her position. She is tall, strong, physical, aggressive and she is just a freshman. For us, she can play at multiple positions but I think as a striker, she will be deadly. We are real excited about the impact she will bring to the team."
Katelynn Hadjopoulos – Greeneville, Tenn. – Greeneville High School – Winger – @KHadjopoulos
Katelynn Hadjopoulos is a winger from Greeneville High School in Greeneville, Tenn. Hadjopoulos scored 52 career goals and added 41 career assists for the Green Devils. During her senior campaign, Hadjopolous and the Green Devils won the TSSAA Class A-AA State Championship with a win over Chattanooga Christian School; in the 4-1 win, Hadjopoulos assisted on two goals, including the eventual game-winner. During her time with Greeneville, the team won four-straight district and region titles. She is a four-time All-District selection, a four-time All-Region honoree and was named All-State as a senior in 2015. In addition to her All-State honor, Hadjopoulos garnered second-team All-Prepxtra accolades during her senior campaign. She was a team captain as a senior and was named the team's co-MVP. She is also a basketball player and runs track for the Devils; on the court, Hadjopoulos is an All-District selection and owns the school record in assists with 435 and counting, while on the track, she finished third in the 400m Dash at the State Championships and has been named All-State twice. Hadjopoulos will graduate as an Honors Student with Distinction. She plays club soccer for the Greeneville Lady Galaxy. She was coached by John Eiskamp.
Hadjopoulos is the daughter of Shonna Bowlin and Eric Hadjopoulos and will study Pre-Dentistry. Her mother, Shonna Bowlin, played softball and basketball at Tusculum.
Moodie on Hadjopoulos: "She is a girl from Greeneville that we stole right off of Tusculum's door step. She played for a high school that won the state championship. She was actually a young lady that played in the Olympic development pool. She has fantastic ability and again, is going to be a player that takes this program further and deeper to where we think we can go in the national tournament. She's very physical, athletic and left-footed. She has great character and a great individual and I think a player that will come in and compete to play right off the bat."
Jazmine Rizk – Andersonville, Tenn. – Oak Ridge High School – Goalkeeper
Jazmine Rizk is a goalkeeper for Oak Ridge High School in Oak Ridge, Tenn. With the Wildcats, Rizk tallied 38 career clean sheets and was a two-time District Champion in 2012 and 2013; Rizk was a runner-up in the district in 2015. She was named the Wildcats' Rookie of the Year as a freshman and also played basketball at Oak Ridge. Academically, she is a member of the National Honors Society and Beta Club. Rizk was coached by Jeff Trombly. She was recruited by the University of Tennessee – Chattanooga and Tennessee Tech.
Rizk is the daughter of Teresa Rizk and will study Biochemistry. She was born on May 12, 1998. Her mother, Teresa, played basketball at Mars Hill.
Moodie on Rizk: "She is local girl from Knoxville, Tenn. and another Tennessee kid. I think, for us a staff, we are trying to send a message with the kids we signed; a majority of them are Tennessee kids and we have worked hard to get them in. Jazmine is a sign of that. She is a fantastic talent here locally and a goalkeeper at a position where we already have a lot of success in. We have added a mid-year transfer there, too. I think we have three fantastic goalkeepers here at Carson-Newman."
Sydney Spadafora – Collierville, Tenn. – St. George's Independent School – Midfielder – @SpadaforaSydney
Sydney Spadafora is a midfielder from St. George's Independent School in Collierville, Tenn. Spadafora was named an All-State player during her junior season with the Gryphons and helped the school win the 2013 TSSAA Division II-AA state championship. Spadafora was also a swimmer at St. George's. She was coached by Tony Whicker.
Spadafora is the daughter of Susie and Kar Spadafora and will study Nursing. She was born on Dec. 26, 1997.
Moodie on Spadafora: "She comes out of Memphis and another Tennessee girl for us. Sydney is a fantastic player and although we believe that we have signed her as a center back, we have seen her play for the Lobos premier team at multiple positions. Like an Averi Williams for us, she can play at multiple positions and she is very versatile; she is definitely a utility player. One thing for Sydney, she is definitely a player that can come here and step into the line-up as a freshman. She's also a player that will continue the success of the program and keep it headed in the right direction."
Lindsey Williams – Wilmington, N.C. – Eugene Ashley High School – Midfield
Lindsey Williams is a midfielder from Eugene Ashely High School. Williams was a four-year starter for the Eagles and led Eugene Ashley in assists during her sophomore and junior campaigns. During her junior season, she was the team's second-leading scorer. Williams garnered All-Conference and Honorable Mention All-Area accolades during her junior year. She plays club soccer for Jacksonville Area Soccer Association (JASA) 97 Coastal Surge, which is a top-10 U18 team in North Carolina and was a finalist at the 2015-16 Disney Showcase. Williams was also a cross country and track athlete for the Eagles and qualified for the state championship in the 4x800. Academically, she is a member of: the Beta Club, National Honor Society, an AP Scholar and Scholar-Athlete. She was coached by Greg Marinich and Claire Quick.
Williams is the daughter of Greg and Peggy Williams and will study Special Education. She was born on June 9, 1998. Her sister, Bailey, is a softball player at Emory & Henry College.
Moodie on Williams: "She is a player we have had the pleasure of watching on multiple recruiting trips and she is a young lady that has come here and spent a lot of time training with us at camps. She has a great character and great personality. She is a technical player and great with a ball at her feet. She is too a winger and left-footed. Lindsey is a great player and compete to start and compete for minutes right off the bat. She is unpredictable and you never know what she is going to do; she can shoot from distance, she's got the ability to go inside or outside, left or right foot. She holds the technical qualities that are a nightmare to deal with if you are a fullback."
- C-N -
