Rochester, Mich. (Feb. 1, 2006) ???C Oakland University's women???s soccer head coach Nick O???Shea has announced commitments from four athletes to this year???s recruiting class. Kate Howe (Livonia, Mich.), Nikki Neubauer (Milford, Mich.), Marlie Lieberman (West Bloomfield, Mich.) and Susie Lee (Eagan, Minn.) will all join the Golden Grizzlies for the Fall 2006 season. Howe, a 5-6 forward out of Livonia Stevenson, is a three-time all-area and two-time all-district performer for the Spartans as well as an all-division and all-conference honoree in 2003 and ???04, respectively. The scholar athlete will be competing in her fourth year on the varsity squad this spring after leading Stevenson to a Top 10 ranking in the state each of the previous three seasons. To date, Howe has racked up 23 career goals and 38 assists. In addition to her high school team, Howe plays for the Michigan Hawks club team. ???Kate is an attacking-minded player with the physical attributes and technical abilities to succeed at Oakland University,??? O???Shea said. ???Our plan is to take advantage of her speed and quality moves to add an extra dimension to our attack.??? Neubauer, a 5-0 midfielder from Hartland H.S., has been a three-sport athlete for the Eagles, competing in cross country and volleyball as well as soccer. A current captain on her soccer squad, Neubauer is a three-time all-county selection with her senior season yet to come. She also plays for the ???88 Brighton Eclipse club team. In addition to her athletic achievements, Neubauer is a member of the National Honor Society and has been on her school???s Honor Roll each semester. ???Nikki is a midfielder with creative ideas, which we feel will fit in nicely with our offense,??? said O???Shea. ???Her technical ability to hit quality passes in the final third should create more scoring opportunities for our forwards.??? Lieberman, a 5-6 left-sided player from West Bloomfield High, is a three-time all-league player for the Lakers and has led her high school squad to a winning season each of the last three years with the 2006 season still to come. Lieberman has also been a teammate of Howe???s on the Michigan Hawks club team, which finished as state champs for four straight years and were the regional champions the past two summers. ???Marlie???s ability to play on the left side, both in the midfield and on the defense, will be a welcomed addition to strengthen our team,??? O???Shea praised. ???Her competitiveness and success in youth soccer have provided her the experience to be successful here at Oakland.??? Lee, a 5-7 forward out of Eagan H.S., has been elected as a captain for both her track and field and soccer teams this season. She was honored as an all-state soccer athlete in 2005 and is part of the Region 2 Olympic Development Program. The forward tallied a whopping 26 goals and 19 assists in her junior season in leading her team to a 10th place ranking in the state that year. Lee plays club ball for the Plymouth Panthers, which finished third in the league last year. ???Our expectations are high for Susie to both score and create goals immediately. She has the speed, determination and technical abilities to be an impact player in the Mid-Con her first year. She is one of the top recruits to commit to us over the last few years,??? the head coach commented.