FERRIS WOMEN’S SOCCER PROGRAM ADDS HEATHER O’KEEFE
Huntington (Ind.) University Transfer To Join Bulldogs For 2005 Campaign
Third-year Ferris State University women’s soccer head coach Melissa Lalonde has announced the recent addition of Huntington (Ind.) University transfer forward Heather O’Keefe (Ada/Forest Hills Central), who has committed to attend and play soccer at FSU beginning with the 2005-06 academic year.
The 5-3 O’Keefe, who will be a sophomore in eligibility this fall, attained All-Mid-Central College Conference (MCC) accolades as a freshman in 2004 for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) member. She ranked as the Foresters’ second-leading scorer with 10 goals and seven assists as Huntington compiled an 8-9 overall record and a sixth-place (3-5) conference finish under head coach Tom Datema.
“Heather comes to us with a wealth of experience,” Lalonde said. “Her high school and club teams had quite a bit of success at the state and regional level. In addition, her father is a club coach so she’s had great exposure to team tactics and possess a solid understanding of the game.
“Technically, she’s an attacking-minded player with a naturally powerful shot who has proven herself as a goal-scorer,” added Lalonde.
Prior to her one-year stint at Huntington, O’Keefe earned three varsity soccer letters at Grand Rapids’ Forest Hills Central High School. She was a first-team all-state honoree as a senior (2004) after netting 16 goals along with 12 assists as the Rangers posted a 23-2-1 overall record. The two-time (2003-04) all-district pick also claimed all-region and all-conference laurels in her final prep campaign.
O’Keefe tallied 13 goals and eight assists in 2003 following her six goal along with five assist output in 2002. Forest Hills Central notched a 21-2 overall mark and reached the state finals in 2003 for head coach Clark Udell before advancing to the state semifinals in 2004. O’Keefe also played club level soccer for the Grand Valley Premier Soccer Club from 2001-04.
Besides athletics, O’Keefe also was a member of the school’s Pom-Pon and dance teams. The daughter of Rich and Donna O’Keefe, Heather plans to major in music industry management at Ferris State. Her brother, Ryan, is a junior goalkeeper on the men’s soccer team at NCAA Division III Adrian College (Mich.).
O’Keefe joins prep midfielders Jackie Back (Ortonville/Brandon), Michelle Young (Williamston) and Stacey Daschner (Rockford), forward Tammy Unsworth (White Lake/Walled Lake Northern), goalkeeper Sarah Crumback (Battle Creek/Lakeview) along with defender Amanda Mills (Rockford) as members of FSU’s 2005 recruiting class.
Ferris State recorded the program's second-best performance in its five-year history with a 9-9-1 overall mark under Lalonde in 2004, including a fifth place 3-5 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) finish.
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