Head coach Ed Matz of the women’s soccer team announced the initial 2007 recruiting class. Eight freshman and one transfer student will join the team, which finished last season with a 9-6-4 record. The nine new players will have to fill the holes left by the graduation of five seniors and the transfer of juniors Caitlin Whelan and Hanna Olsson.

“I think if you take our losses individually we can absorb them,” Matz said. “But when you take the losses as a whole it adds up a bit. Our freshmen class is going to have to be counted on quickly.”

Kristen Blake (Canton) accumulated 97 points during three seasons at Canton High School, earning Eastern Massachusetts All-Star and All-State honors as a senior after being sidelined with a knee injury her junior year.

Marissa Bodner (Cincinnati, Ohio) spent last year at UNC Charlotte, making 13 starts in her only season with the 49ers. In high school, she was an All-State player at Summit Country Day School.

Lindsey Boisvert (Brewster) was a midfielder and forward for Nauset Regional High School and served as co-captain her senior year. She also earned Atlantic Coast South All-Star honors for three years in a row.

Brianna Brennan (Marlton, N.J.) was a four year starter as a defender at Holy Cross High School, and led her team to a conference championship as a senior. She also played for six seasons for the New Jersey Olympic development program, leading the team to a Region I Championship in 2004.

Logan Kirkpatrick (Westhampton) played four seasons between the pipes for Williston Northampton School, setting the school record for saves in a game and shutouts in a season, including one in the 2006 New England Prep School Class B championship game.

Kristen McDermott (Canton) started for four years at Canton High along fellow Husky recruit Kristen Blake. The defender was a captain her senior year and was named the top female athlete of the Canton Class of 2007. Additionally, she earned league All-Star honors in 2005 and was named the Gatorade Soccer Player of the Year in 2006.

Alexandra Skonieczny (Sarasota, Fla.) attended Cardinal Money High School for two and a half years before transferring to the Edison Academic Center, which has an affiliation with the IMG Soccer Academy. In her final season, the midfielder earned team MVP honors and the team’s Coaches’ Award while tying for the team lead in points.

Emily Tunney (Medfield) played for Medfield High School and was a tri-captain her senior season. The defender was a two-time Tri-Valley Conference All-Star and was named to the Eastern Massachusetts All-Star team in her senior season.

Emily Winkler (Merrimack, N.H.) played high school soccer at Bishop Guertin, serving as co-captain in her senior season. She was a three-time All-Area and All-State honoree. In 2006, she was the team’s second leading scorer and also earned the Coaches’ Award. She was named one of the top 10 players in New Hampshire by Varsity Magazine in 2006.

“We found many of these girls through the club system in Massachusetts,” Matz said. “[Assistant coach] Kelly [Desmond] and I both work in the system so we have access to a lot of games and players. We are still finalizing some international players but we have a strong core to work with now. Two or three of these freshmen are going to have to step up immediately but they have the ability.”