April 17, 2008

LMU women's soccer has added two more players for the 2008 season, Head Coach Joe Mallia announced Thursday. Midfielder Jaide Timm-Garcia and goalkeeper Katie Graul will join the four incoming freshman that Mallia signed to National Letters of Intent in February.

Timm-Garcia comes to LMU from Desert Christian HS in Lancaster, CA, where she was a four-sport athlete in soccer, cross country, track, and softball. In the last two soccer seasons, she has combined for 43 goals and 34 assists while earning the CIF Defensive Player of the Year and Antelope Valley Press All-Valley Female Soccer Player of the Year awards in 2008. She was also First Team All-CIF in 2007 and Second Team in 2006 while earning first or second team all-league recognition in all four of her high school seasons. A National Honor Roll student and member of the California Scholastic Federation, Timm-Garcia played her club soccer for Arsenal Premier.

"Jaide is a dynamic athlete who is technically strong on the ball. We look for her to come in this fall and add depth to our midfield," Mallia said. "Her experience playing at the highest club level in Southern California and leading her high school team to its best year in the program's history has prepared her for this next step in her career."

After two seasons at Santiago Canyon College, Graul will arrive at LMU with two years of eligibility remaining after well-decorated careers in high school and junior college. As a freshman at SCC, Graul posted a goals-against-average of 0.32 with 12 shutouts, helping her team to the Orange Empire Conference and first-ever state championships after a 25-1-1 campaign. SCC repeated as league champions in 2007, finishing with a 26-1 mark and a #3 national ranking after again making the state finals. Graul played in 21 games in 2007, allowing just six goals with 16 shutouts and a GAA of 0.38 to earn First Team All-American and all-league recognition. In high school, Graul led San Clemente High School to South Coast League championships in 2004, 2005, and 2006 and the CIF title in 2004. In doing so, she was named the 2006 SCL MVP. She is also an honors program student at SCC and was a member of the honor roll in high school.

"Katie has had a stellar career at the Junior College level and she is prepared to take the next step in her collegiate career in both Division I soccer and the West Coast Conference," Mallia said. "She will bring valuable depth and experience to our goalkeeper position and we look forward to her arrival on campus in August."

LMU has already received commitments from midfielder/defender Brittney Sanford, forward Erin Rementer, forward/midfielder Caroline Helfrich, and defender Marissa Zamora. Together, these four along with Timm-Garcia and Graul, will join an LMU squad that went 12-6-1 in Mallia's first season and finished third in the WCC with a 4-3-0 mark. The Lions graduated four seniors from that squad.