Arizona State signs Dutch international Lieske Carleer for 2019

TEMPE, Ariz. (Via Arizona State University) – The Arizona State Sun Devil soccer team welcomed another talented international player to their program, announcing the addition of defender Lieske Carleer to the 2019 roster.

“Lieske is somebody we identified a long time ago now and have been working on tirelessly to push over the line,” head coach Graham Winkworth said. “When we announced our signing class back in November, I mentioned that we hoped to add one more world class defender to the mix before all is said and done. “Lis” is exactly that.”

The talented defender will arrive at ASU in the midst of a very successful playing career with the Netherlands U19 squad. During her four most recent games in the Orange, her squad has given up just one goal (to the US U19 team in a 1-1 draw) and recorded wins over Albania, Poland and Norway all in shutout fashion.

“Despite her young age, Lieske has proven that she is one of the top young center backs currently in the world,” Winkworth added. She was previously the captain of the Dutch U17 National Team and is a current starter for the U19’s. Her ability to defend is excellent and she is very intelligent in her play. I am also very impressed with her ability to play under pressure and range of passing. We are very hopeful that with the addition of Lis, our other recent signings plus the quality we already have, our back line will continue to improve.”

Carleer will join a Sun Devil squad in 2019 that boast a lot of international talent, including fellow Netherland native, Eva Van Deursen. She will also look to make an immediate impact on a roster that graduated three players from the 2018 backline.

“Losing three of our starting back four was always going to create some challenges for the 2019 season,” Winkworth said. “I am very optimistic now that the group we have put together is not only talented, but very deep and so will create great competition in our training sessions.”