Oregon State Adds Arizona, England Soccer Stars

Rachael Axon has been teammates with OSU’s Jodie Taylor on the English U-21 National Team in the past.

Photo: OSU Athletics

CORVALLIS, Ore. - The Oregon State women’s soccer team has doubled the size of its recruiting class, as head coach Steve Fennah announced Friday the signings of Holly Benson, an all-state high school player from Arizona, and Rachael Axon, a transfer from Alabama-Birmingham who is part of England’s National Team program.

OSU previously signed goalkeeper Katie Bell (Denver, Colo./St. Mary’s HS) and midfielder Courtney Wetzel (Puyallup, Wash./Puyallup HS), both of whom will be freshmen this fall.

“It’s an excellent group that we’ve put together,” Fennah said. “They fit exactly the type of player we were looking to bring in with this class. We’re excited about each one of them.”

Benson (Tempe, Ariz./Corona del Sol HS), a defender, was part of the 2006 5A state champion high school squad.

She earned all-state, all-region and all-city first team honors. She is part of the nationally ranked and state cup-winning Sereno Soccer Club program coached by Ally Maxwell and Les Armstrong.

“Holly is a very good addition to our recruiting class,” Fennah said. “She’s a very versatile defender. We’ll probably look for her to play on the outside but she does have the ability to slide into the center. She plays for one of the best clubs in the country in the Sereno Soccer Club and has been coached well. We’re really pleased to add her.”

Axon (London, England), a defender/midfielder, has been teammates with OSU’s Jodie Taylor on the English U-21 National Team in the past.

As a 2006 freshman, she was a key part of a UAB squad that won the Conference USA Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. Axon had one goal and three assists in 21 games.

She earned several awards, including All-Conference USA second team, Conference USA All-Freshman first team, Conference USA All-Tournament Team and UAB’s co-MVP honors. She will be a sophomore this fall for OSU.

Axon was part of England’s third-place team at the 2005 U-21 Nordic Cup. Axon and Taylor were teammates on England’s 2006 Nordic Cup squad. Axon has also represented England at the U-19 level and has been part of the full national team camp. She played club for AFC Wimbledon.

“Rachael has tremendous experience as an international player,” Fennah said. “She’s got some versatility. She plays in the back for England but we’ll likely use her in the midfield. She’s a good all-around player.”

Adding comments to these stories has been disabled. View the current sports stories Salem-News Sports