Jessica Wineke and Taylor DiCicco To Play Women's Soccer At Ferris State
Jessica Wineke (Rochester Hills/Adams) and Taylor DiCicco (Washington Township/Eisenhower) will be wearing the Crimson and Gold starting this 2011 season after each recently signed a National Letter of Intent to attend and play women's soccer for the Bulldogs. The announcement was made by FSU women's soccer head coach Matt Kellogg.
"Jessica and Taylor are two great people that I have really enjoyed getting to know during the recruiting process," said Kellogg, who will embark on his second season at Ferris State this fall. "I look forward to working with Jessica and Taylor this fall and I believe both of them can have an impact on our team's success this fall right away."
A goaltender, Wineke earned second-team all-state honors in 2010 during her junior year at Rochester Adams High School in Rochester Hills, Mich. The 2010 All-Oakland Activities Association All-Red Division netminder also received all-region, all-district, and all-county honorable mention laurels this past season while compiling a 16-3-3 record with 10 shutouts and a .0.73 goals-against average. Wineke played an integral role in leading the 2010 OAA Red Division Champion Highlanders to both district and regional championships along with a Division I state semifinalist showing for the 2010 campaign.
Wineke, a four-time (2008-11) Rochester Scholar-Athlete Award recipient, went 4-2-1 with three shutouts and a 0.71 goals-against average as a sophomore in 2009 as head coach Adam Donaghy's team concluded the season at 7-7-4 overall. A three-year (2008-10) letterwinner, the 5-5 Wineke notched an 11-7-3 mark and a 1.40 goals-against average to go with six shutouts for her 2008 freshman year as the team turned in an 11-7-3 overall record. A certified soccer referee, Wineke is a member of the high school yearbook staff and involved in the freshman mentor program.
Wineke spent her first seven seasons (2001-07) playing for the Vardar Soccer Club team before joining the Michigan Gators in 2008. A two-year member of the Gators, she was tabbed as the 2009 Michigan State Cup Most Valuable Goalkeeper in the under-16 age group.
Jessica, the daughter of Kenneth and Susan Wineke of Rochester Hills, Mich., will major in either communications or graphic design at Ferris State following graduation this spring.
"Jessica is another player who comes to Ferris State with a tremendous club background," said Kellogg. "I have seen Jessica improve immensely over the past year and a half and expect there to be even more improvement in her years at Ferris. She will definitely come in and push our goalkeepers to continue their improvement and force them to be at their best every single day in practice and in our games."
DiCicco, a midfielder, will embark on her senior season this spring at Eisenhower High School in Shelby Tornwship, Mich., under head coach Merhaad Nekoogar. As a junior in 2009, she registered 11 points on two goals with seven assists as the Eagles were crowned both Macomb Area Conference (MAC) Red Division and regional champions while compiling a 13-1-3 overall record. The 5-4 DiCicco tallied two goals and had seven assists for 11 points in her initial varsity campaign for 2009 en route to the Eagles claiming MAC Red Division, district, and regional titles to go with a state tournament semifinalist appearance. In 2008, she was tabbed as the junior varsity team's Most Improved Player after producing six goals with 12 assists for 24 points.
A two-year (2009-10) varsity soccer letterwinner, DiCicco has competed in club soccer for USL (2003-04), Michigan Gators (2004-10), and Michigan Hawks (2010-11).
The daughter of Mario and Jeanne DiCicco of Washington Township, Mich., Taylor will graduate this spring and plans to major in pharmacy at FSU. Her older sister, Toni-Lynn DiCicco played women's soccer at Northwood University from 2008-09.
"Taylor is another crafty attacking player who has a great ability to attack defenses on the dribble and then put teammates in on the pass," said Kellogg, who directed Ferris State to a 7-9-3 overall record and a fourth-place 7-6-2 mark in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference's (GLIAC) North Division. "Taylor is the type of player who you hate to play against, but love to have as a teammate. Her competitiveness is contagious and I know she will be a positive influence on her teammates in our training sessions every day."