MONMOUTH, Ill. — Princeton High School’s Ashley Kensinger, the 2003 Bureau County Republican Girls Soccer Player of the Year, will continue her soccer career at Monmouth College next fall.

“Very early in the recruiting process, we identified Ashley as a top recruit for our program,” said Barry McNamara, who guided the Fighting Scots women’s team to a 7-6-2 record in his first season. “She’s the type of player that we can plug into the middle of the field and let her all-around abilities take over, both offensively and defensively. She may become a leading goalscorer for us, or she may become our top player in assists. Whatever the case, we believe she is going to be an impact player from Day One.”

McNamara’s first recruiting class last spring brought two Illinois players to the team who had been honored by the IHSSCA, and Kensinger, who has 40 goals and 31 assists in 42 career games entering her senior season, is also in that class. She made the organization’s honorable mention state team in 2002 and 2003 and figures to have a great chance at All-Sectional honors in 2004.

“I can’t say enough about the assistance we’ve received from Princeton’s coaching staff, not just in the recruitment of Ashley, but also in the identification of other PHS players who might want to play soccer in college,” said McNamara. “In a very short amount of time, Coach Ed Young and his staff have developed a quality program with many talented players. Hopefully, Princeton will be a soccer pipeline for the Fighting Scots.”

Kensinger will join a Monmouth team that plays at the college’s beautiful $1.7 million Peacock Memorial Athletic Park, which features two professional-quality soccer fields. She will also be able to train in the school’s new $22 million Huff Athletic Center, which opened last fall and features a 200-meter indoor track, a state-of-the-art weight room and a natatorium.

Kensinger is the daughter of Rita and Carl Pacunas of Princeton and Tony Kensinger of Ottawa.

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