SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State women's soccer head coach Rob Brewer announced Wednesday the arrival of National Letters of Intent from six high school seniors on the opening day of the 2020-21 NLI signing period.
 
Committing to the Bears for the 2021-22 season were:

• Jenna Anderson (M, 5-9, Fr., Overland Park Kan., Blue Valley High)
• Kaeli Benedict (M, 5-4, Fr., Bridgton, Mo., Pattonville Sr. High)
• Jayden Dorrell (M/F, 5-4, Fr., Kansas City, Mo., Park Hill High)
• Genevieve McIntyre (M, 5-10, Fr., Dardenne Prairie, Mo., Ft. Zumwalt West High)
• Grace O'Keefe (F, 5-6, Fr., Overland Park, Kan., Saint Thomas Aquinas High)
• Brynna Rutherford (D, 5-3, Fr., St. Peters, Mo., Francis Howell North High)
• Eyglo Thorsteinsdottir (F, 5-5, Fr., Reykjavik, Iceland, Kvennaskólinn í Reykjavík)
• Iraia Arrue (F, 5-6, Fr., Caracas, Venezuela, Colegio Jefferson)

 
"Associate Head Coach Kirk Nelson has done a fantastic job as our recruiting coordinator and it is reflected by this group of signees," Missouri State head women's soccer coach Rob Brewer said. "He has followed these young ladies for the last few years and I believe that we are welcoming a very strong group of athletic and dedicated soccer players that will fit into our program and make contributions beginning day one."
 
Missouri State is in its 25th season of women's soccer with a 217-195-55 (.525) all-time record. Rob Brewer is the only head coach in the program's history and has guided the Bears to two NCAA Tournament appearances (2000, 2017).
 
Joining the Missouri State women's soccer program next season are:
 
Jenna Anderson (M, 5-9, Fr., Overland Park Kan., Blue Valley High)
Anderson has been a member of the Sporting Blue Valley club that is associated with the U.S. Soccer Girls Developmental Academy for three years. In her junior season at center back, she helped Sporting Blue Valley advance to the playoffs and a No. 2 ranking in the conference. Her junior and sophomore seasons, she helped the team climb to a top-10 national ranking. Jenna is the daughter of Michael and Stacy Anderson; Michael played football at Northern Iowa.
 
Coach Nelson's notes on Anderson:
"Jenna is a true box to box midfielder in the 8 spot. Her mobility and vision make her extremely effective on both sides of the ball. Technically, her passing range is optimal and keeps her team in possession as she can connect with a high success rate.  We are excited to see her come in and compete from day one."
 
Kaeli Benedict (M, 5-4, Fr., Bridgton, Mo., Pattonville Sr. High)
Covid-19 canceled Benedict's junior season, but as a sophomore for Pattonville High, she was named team captain and earned 1st team all-conference, all-region, all-region co-offensive player, all-academic team and 1st team all-state honors. Her freshman year, Benedict received 1st team all-conference, all-region, all-state honorable mention and all-academic team laurels. Benedict also plays basketball for Pattonville. Kaeli is the daughter of Shawn and Melissa Benedict; both parents played basketball at Missouri Baptist and Shawn also coached basketball for St. Louis College of Pharmacy.
 
Coach Nelson's notes on Benedict:
"Kaeli shows high quality attacking initiative from the midfield by breaking the back line with her 1v1 ability and off ball runs that create goal scoring opportunities. Her defensive presence will create problems for opposing teams by disrupting their build up through the midfield. We feel she has the skill set to make an immediate impact for us."
 
 Jayden Dorrell (M/F, 5-4, Fr., Kansas City, Mo., Park Hill High)
As a freshman, Dorrell helped lead Park Hill to a state championship and earned all-region, all-conference honorable mention and 2nd team all-district honors. During her sophomore campaign, she was named co-offensive player of the year. She received 1st team all-conference, 1st team all-region, 1st team honorable mention all-state and 2nd team all-district laurels. Dorrell also plays basketball for Park Hill.
 
Coach Nelson's notes on Dorrell:
"Jayden's primary position is one of the frontrunners, but she is very versatile and could play any of the field players spots. Game responsibility is one of her key qualities – she consistently battles, competes, and executes her role on the field. This keeps her team in the game. She will be a very welcome addition to our family."
 
Genevieve McIntyre (M, 5-10, Fr., Dardenne Prairie, Mo., Ft. Zumwalt West High)
McIntyre's junior season was cut off due to Coivd-10, however during her sophomore season at Ft. Zumwalt West, she received 2nd team all-conference honors and earned MVP of the St. Dominic Tournament. She helped guide her team to back-to-back St. Dominic Tournament Championships and a District Championship her freshman year. Gen is the daughter of John and Annette McIntyre and has relatives who have played collegiate soccer at Indiana State, Central Methodist and McKendree.
 
Coach Nelson's notes on McIntyre:
"Gen will help solidify our backline. She can play in the 4/5 or 6 spot. Her high-level defensive awareness makes her extremely sharp in dispossessing opponents. Her timing in the tackle is precise, poised, and effective. She will improve an already strong position group."
 
Grace O'Keefe (F, 5-6, Fr., Overland Park, Kan., Saint Thomas Aquinas High)
Although her junior year didn't see action, O'Keefe was selected as a United Soccer Coaches All American. She was also nominated as a nominee for a KC ESPY award. O'Keefe is a two-time varsity offensive player of the year for Saint Thomas Aquinas by being the leading scorer her freshman and sophomore seasons. She also earned 1st team all-state and 1st team eastern Kansas League honors in her first two seasons. Grace is the daughter of David and Lori O'Keefe; David played football at the University of Wyoming and baseball at Pittsburg State. Lori played volleyball at Longview Community College.
 
Coach Nelson's notes on O'Keefe:
"Grace scores goals period. She has the ability to be dangerous and put teams under distress from any of the front five attacking spots. Her high game understanding allows her to dissect opponents to find multiple ways of unlocking the defense. We can't wait to see her score many goals for the maroon and white."
 
Brynna Rutherford (D, 5-3, Fr., St. Peters, Mo., Francis Howell North High)
Rutherford's junior season at Francis Howell North was cancelled due to Covid-19, however she was able to complete her club season with Lou Fusz Athletic Club. In 2019, she was named the U.S. Youth Soccer Midwest Conference Best XI Player. Rutherford helped lead her club team to a Missouri State Cup Championship, U.S. Youth Soccer Midwest Regional Championship and a U.S. Youth Soccer National Championship. During her sophomore season at Francis Howell North, Rutherford led the team in scoring and earned all-conference and all-academic team honors. During her sophomore and freshman year of club ball, she helped guide her team to two more Missouri State Cup Championships.
 
Coach Nelson's notes on Rutherford:
"Brynna is a fierce 1v1 defender in the 2/3 spot. She has extremely quick footwork and can read the cues of when to tackle to regain possession of the ball. She also has an attacking mindset to get forward to help create opportunities in the final third. That mentality fits our style of play extremely well and we look forward to seeing her bring it here."

Eyglo Thorsteinsdottir (F, 5-5, Fr., Reykjavik, Iceland, Kvennaskólinn í Reykjavík)
Thorsteinsdottir has appeared in nine games for Icelandic youth national teams. She most recently played for Haukar in the Iceland first division while making over 40 appearances at the senior level in Iceland. Eyglo is the daughter of Thorsteinn and Gunnhildur Thorsteinsdottir.
  
 Coach Brewer's notes on Thorsteinsdottir:
 "Eyglo is a physical, technical and versatile player who can play anywhere in the midfield or on the backline.  She will be the third student-athlete our program has had from Iceland. Eyglo will bring great experiences from having represented her country in international competitions."
  
 Iraia Arrue (F, 5-6, Fr., Caracas, Venezuela, Colegio Jefferson)
 Arrue was a member of the U-17 Venezuela national team in 2017. As a member of the Deportivo Petare soccer club, she won the 2019 Venezuelan national tournament while being named best youth player. She was the top scorer for both Fratelsa Sport and Deportivo Petare the past four seasons. Iraia is the daughter of Unai Arrue and Maria Alejandra Santiago; Unai competed in the 1992 Summer Olympics as a member of the Venezuelan Pelota Vasca team.
  
 Coach Brewer's notes on Arrue:
 "Iraia is an attacking player with speed and a bit of flair who can play on both the left and right sides. Iraia is the first student-athlete our program has had from Venezuela. Similar to Eyglo (Thorsteinsdottir), she will bring great experience with her previous international competition."