Soccer Adds Two Players for the 2015 Season
1/22/2015 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Alabama head soccer coach Todd Bramble announced the addition of two newcomers for the 2015 season. Celia Jiménez Delgado and Emma Welch both enrolled for the spring semester in Tuscaloosa and will be eligible to play immediately.
Jiménez comes to Tuscaloosa from Spain, but has spent the past two seasons at Iowa Western Community College. She has represented Spain on every youth national team from the age of 14 onward, and is currently a member of the Spanish national team preparing for the World Cup this summer in Canada.
"Celia is going to be a great addition to our university for the next few years," Bramble said. "She is an outstanding soccer player and is very committed to finishing her degree in Aerospace Engineering here."
During her two years at Iowa Western Community College Jiménez scored 21 goals and collected 11 assists across 23 total games. While playing with Spain, she made 12 appearances with the U-19 team, and 12 appearances with the U-17 team. She made her Spanish national team debut in a 1-0 victory against the Czech Republic.
Welch attended the Crimson Tide's summer camp two years ago and caught the attention of the Alabama coaching staff. She spent the last year with the Concorde Fire ECNL team, the same club that freshman defender Molly Moroney played for.
"Her development has really accelerated," Bramble said. "We love the fact she is left footed, skillful and plays with flair and creativity. She is a tireless worker and starting with us a semester early is going to put her on track to be an impact player for us in the fall."
A native of McDonough, Ga., Welch was a 2012 and 2013 All-Area team member and was her team's MVP in both of those seasons. She also was recognized as a Georgia All-Star selection following the 2012 season. With her club team, she earned State Cup championships in 2012 and 2013 while making it to the finals in 2014, coming up just short of a third title. Welch was a multi-sport athlete at Locust Grove High School, participating in track and field, basketball and cross country in 2012 and 2013.
Off the pitch, Welch was the salutatorian of her high school class while also participating in student government, Beta Club, the Leadership Institute and was a member of the National Honor Society.
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