Muncie, IN — With a short roster and a number of injuries which plagued the 2005 season, the Goshen College women’s soccer team found scoring goals a difficult task to come by. In an attempt to rectify this problem, Goshen head coach Thavisith Mounsithiraj announced the signing of 2006 Muncie Central High School graduate Kaylee Pichardo on Wednesday, the program’s sixth commitment in a highly productive signing period.

“We couldn’t be happier about Kaylee’s decision to attend Goshen College next fall,” Mounsithiraj said. “She and her family are a welcomed addition to our soccer family. I am excited about Kaylee’s future here and I anticipate her being very successful both athletically and academically.”

Pichardo, a forward, was named the East Central Indiana Player of the Year following both her sophomore and senior seasons at Muncie Central, setting the program’s all-time scoring record for both boys and girls with 73 goals in the last four seasons. Pichardo’s ability to find the back of the net is a needed quality for a Goshen program that has been shut out in 20 of its 35 games over the past two seasons — after a 2005 season that saw injuries to key offensive players, the Leafs were only able to muster nine goals the entire season, two of which were off of penalty kicks.

“Kaylee gives us a true offensive threat, evident by her 73 career goals,” Mounsithiraj said. “We expect her to step in as a forward and have a great season as a freshman. She is a great leader that will make an immediate impact on our team.”

In addition to being a two-time East Central Indiana Player of the Year, Pichardo was also an All-North Central Conference selection in each of her four seasons as a starter for Muncie Central. Pichardo was also voted by her teammates as Muncie’s Offensive Player of the Year in her sophomore, junior and senior seasons, along with being selected her team’s Most Valuable Player at the conclusion of her senior season.

“Kaylee is a great finisher around the goal, and what I like about her even more is that she sees the field very well and is able to distribute the ball to the right places,” said Tera Franklin, Goshen assistant coach. “Her job on the field was to score goals for her team, but she also had 16 career assists. She has the ability to take the long shot and is also capable of attacking the goal with her dribble. Kaylee is a great addition to our team and will only get better with time.”

Pichardo, who is in the top 25 percent of her class academically, said she chose Goshen for a variety of reasons. She is undecided on what field of study she will pursue once on campus.

“I chose Goshen College because it felt like the best fit for me,” Pichardo said. “Coach Franklin and Coach ‘T’ were very welcoming when I came for my visit. They definitely showed that they cared and were very interested in me by keeping close contact and attending many of my soccer games. It just seems like a caring place which I can relate to through my studies, spiritually and athletically.”

With Pichardo a key role for Muncie Central over the past four seasons, success followed: The scoring forward helped her prep team to three sectional championships and one regional championship in her four years in a varsity uniform. Muncie Central narrowly lost its semi-state game this season, giving up only one goal on a penalty kick.

“Kaylee is a talented athlete who can adapt and play in any system,” said Bryan Murray, Muncie Central varsity girls’ soccer coach. “She put up huge numbers during her career but she is remarkably humble. She is very excited to be a part of the talented freshman class coming to Goshen this fall. Her disciplined work ethic and her ability to find the back of the net will continue during her playing career at Goshen. Kaylee is a great team player.”

Franklin echoed Murray’s comments, obviously excited about what could be the greatest recruiting class in recent program history.

“There is no doubt in my mind Kaylee will fit in very well at Goshen College,” Franklin said. “She comes from a strong Christian family and has the values we are looking for in a student-athlete. She is a quality person and I anticipate her fitting in perfectly with a group of young ladies I cannot speak of highly enough. I am excited about the possibilities for our team in the near future.”