June 5, 2006

COLUMBIA, Mo. - The University of Missouri soccer team added one more recruit to the previously announced signing class, announced Tiger Head Coach Bryan Blitz on Monday. Bianca Pritchett, a midfielder from Rancho Cucamongo, Calif., becomes the sixth member of the class that will compete for the Tigers in the fall of 2006.

Bianca Pritchett

Pritchett led Alta Loma High School in 12 goals and eight assists during her senior season as she was named all-league first team. She helped the Southern California Premier Team to a State Championship, U.S. Club Soccer Regional Championship, and a second-place league finish in 2005. Pritchett also played for the Arsenal ('89) Futbol Club, where she was an original member of the squad.

"Striving to continue the improvement of Mizzou's soccer program, our staff has worked very hard over the past year and a half to bring in one of one fastest and most athletic classes to date," said Blitz. "We have a very solid core of players who are working extremely hard this spring. We will definitely miss the tremendous senior class of 2005 but we feel that with our returnees and the addition of these six freshmen, our squad will continue to improve. We are excited for the 2006 season and the endless opportunities that this group of players can achieve."

Pritchett joins a recruiting class that was ranked fifth out of 68 teams in the Central Region and 44th nationally by Soccer Buzz. Other members of the class include Kristin Andrighetto (Pleasant Hill, Calif. / Carondelet), Michelle Collins (Naperville, Ill. / Neuqua Valley), Katya Hessel (Edwardsville, Ill. / Edwardsville), Breanna Thornton (Lake View Terrace, Calif. / Los Angeles Baptist) and Crystal Wagner (Houston, Texas / Memorial). Soccer Buzz previously listed Hessel and Wagner as Top-100 recruits and Andrighetto as a Top-150 recruit.