Junior forward Ryanne Lewis attempts to score a goal during Friday evening’s match against Memphis at Wescott Field. SMU won 2-1. (Spencer J Eggers/The Daily Campus)

The SMU women’s soccer team has announced Sara Watson, Lissi Lonsberry, Shannon Moroney, Brooke O’Hare and Lauren Shroyer as its 2012 signing class.

Brent Erwin, the women’s soccer coach, has officially announced the new signees to join the Mustangs on the field next season.

“This was not a year that we had to replace a huge number of players,” Erwin said. “We had to look for individual qualities to go along with their ability to play and think.”

Both Lonsberry and Watson will saddle up with SMU after both helped lead the Dallas Texans club team to a national runner-up finish in 2009 and the 2008 Gothia Cup championship in Gothenburg, Sweden, along with other impressive achievements.

The pair has also helped lead their club to five North Texas State Cup championships since 2005 and five-straight Region III Premier League championships.

Coming to Dallas from Flower Mound, Texas, Watson is a central defender and has been a member of the North Texas state team and the Region III Olympic Development Program Pool.

When it comes to finding a place on the team, Erwin is sure that she’ll be able to jump right in to the swing of things.

“Sara Watson is a player who we would like to see come in and step into that position right away and be able to contribute,” Erwin said. “She has every ability that you look for in a center back–strong, tall, can win the ball in the air, combative and can win tackles. Also, if you look at a history of the defenders that come out of her club, they’ve always gone on to do well so I think she’s been trained in a good way.”

Lonsberry, a midfielder/forward from Southlake, Texas is currently ranked as the No. 11 player in Texas according to TopDrawerSoccer.

Not stopping there, Lonsberry is also in ESPNHS’s Top 150 Class of 2012 and leads Southlake Carroll, her high school team, in goals scored.

With impressive stats backing up Lonsberry’s talent, Erwin sees the many benefits of having her in the program.

“Lissie has just gone through a year that she’s scoring a lot of goals for both Southlake Carroll and the Dallas Texans,” Erwin said. “She’s scored goal playing on the outside or at the center striker. She’s very versatile, has good speed and is a fantastic athlete.”

Because two natural born leaders weren’t enough, SMU also welcomes Maroney, the D’Feeters team captain out of Allen, Texas.

The goalkeeper has been ranked as one of the top 100 players in the nation by TopDrawerSoccer.

She has also been a member of the North Texas and Region III ODP teams since 2007.

Erwin has had an eye out for the talented goalkeeper, and is ready for her to join the Mustangs.

“Shannon fills a need for us at goalkeeper,” Erwin said. “She can come in and compete with the players that we already have. She fits the profile, six-foot, has good range and is an unbelievable athlete.

“She’s come to our summer camp before and any sort of physical testing we have put her through, she’s tested off the charts. She is one of the top goalkeepers in our region and we are excited to have her at SMU.”

O’Hare, a defender from Jacksonville, Fla., will be leaving the sunshine state after making history in 2009 with Pont Vedra Storm.

In 2009, O’Hare helped Storm become the first club from North Florida to win a regional championship before going on to take the silver medal at the USYS National Championship.

Erwin is proud to have a player from a “very prestigious” school, the Bolles School, that has seen a lot of success.

“She’s a very high character-person who works very hard,” Erwin said.

Also teaming up with the Mustangs to guard the goal line is Shroyer, a defender from Hinsdale, Ill.

Shroyer is a member of NSA Premier Fury, one of the top club teams in the Midwest, and has helped her team to two Illinois State Cup championships, a Region II title in 2010 and a USYS Championship in 2011.

Bringing versatility to the team is high on Erwin’s list when it comes to making a team and adding players like Shroyer does just that.

“We look for players who have won at different places and her team has done just that,” Erwin said.

With such a phenomenal signing class behind them the women’s soccer program is sure to continue to grow and see success on Westcott Field.

The Mustangs are currently playing in the Spring season with a 1-0 record after defeating Midwestern State on March 24.

Next, SMU will take on TCU for a cross-town showdown at the Dallas International Girls Cup on April 6.