The University of Minnesota Crookston women’s soccer team announced the signing of four student-athletes to National Letters of Intent. The Golden Eagles have added Tayettin Brodzinski (D, 5-11, Yelm, Wash./Yelm H.S.), Sarah Burgum (F, 5-10, Mandan, N.D./Mandan H.S.), Uda Kimba (D/M, 5-5, Rock Island, Ill./Rock Island H.S.), and Britney Le (MF/F, 4-10, Lincoln, Neb./Lincoln East H.S.).
Tayettin Brodzinski (D, 5-11, Yelm, Wash./Yelm H.S.)
Brodzinski competed for Yelm High School, and played club soccer for OL Reign Academy. She helped her club team to the Mt. Hood Challenge Championship and 2019. They won the PSPL League Championship in 2020. In 2021, they were a PSPL National Premier League State Cup finalist. In 2021, her team was the Adidas Beaverton Cup Champion. She was a PSPL Surf Academy selection in 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022. She is a Yelm H.S. FFA landscape design winner and landscape installation winner in 2019. She was the Thurston County Fair landscape champion in 2019.
She is the daughter of Brian and Kristin Brodzinski. Brodzinski plans to major in horticulture and turf management at UMN Crookston. Her relative Ryan Jacoby plays football at the University of Pittsburgh.
“Tayettin and I hit it off right away,” Halfpop stated. “Things just clicked from the start and it only got better. Her positivity, attitude, and energy is unbelievable! From a teammate standpoint, it was an incredible fit. Her desire to help this program will be unmatched. Tayettin is an incredibly talented player. She can play in quite a few roles for us, so my challenge will be putting her in a place where she helps us most. She is really good on the ball. She deals with pressure very well and doesn’t get rattled into making poor decisions. She’s a great ball winner and can flip into attack very quickly. She likes to go forward with pace which is exactly what I’m looking for. The scary part is, off the ball she excels even more. She reads the game really well and will bring a lot of tactical flexibility to our team. I’m very excited to welcome Tayettin to Golden Eagle Nation!”
Sarah Burgum (F, 5-10, Mandan, N.D./Mandan H.S.)
Burgum competed on the soccer pitch for Mandan H.S. In addition, she was the third female kicker on the football team in five years for Mandan H.S. Burgum was a Second Team All-State soccer player. She earned WDA Academic All-Conference in both soccer and field. Burgum was named to the WDA All-Conference Team in 2021. She has also been a member of the All-State concert band in 2020 and 2021 and has been in the high school’s concert band for four years. She has been in piano lesson for the last 12 years.
She is the daughter of Barb and Corey Burgum. She plans to major in exercise science and wellness. Her twin brother Lucas plans to play baseball at Alexandria Technical and Community College. She is a member of the National Honor Society.vv“I’ve liked Sarah’s game for quite a while,” Halfpop said. “She’s someone I identified early in this class and have been talking to for quite some time. We’ve built a great relationship and I’m really excited to work with her. Sarah has a great feel for where the goal is and can score in a variety of ways. She’s a tireless worker on the field and brings a good energy to the game. She’s a team-first player and that will be evident as soon as she steps on the field for us. I’m excited she’s joining the Nest!”
Uda Kimba (D/MF, 5-5, Rock Island, Ill./Rock Island H.S.)
Kimba was a Western Big 6 All-Conference pick as a junior at Rock Island H.S. She also competed in club soccer for the Muscatine Soccer Club. “Uda plays the game with such joy and passion that it’s infectious,” Halfpop remarked. “She’s a high-energy player that has an incredible engine. She’s a great athlete on top of that. She can and will play in multiple spots on the field for us. Uda has a great sense of what we’re doing here and her personality will make us stronger right away. Another team-first player that will work incredibly hard for her teammates. Our players will really enjoy playing alongside her! I’m so happy and excited that Uda will be part of Golden Eagle Nation!”
Britney Le (MF/F, 4-10, Lincoln, Neb./Lincoln East H.S.)
She played high school soccer for Lincoln East H.S. and club soccer for Gretna Elite Academy. Her full name is Giaan Britney Le. She is the daughter of An and Cam Le. She plans to major in marketing. “Britney stood out for me in our first conversation,” Halfpop stated. “She has a great personality and desire to be a part of what we’re doing here. She instantly took to our current group of players and that is fully reciprocated. On the field, Britney is a dynamic attacking player that can break down teams in a variety of ways. Her movement is really good and she’s comfortable on the ball. She can play as a number ten as well as out on the wing. She’s tactically very smart and will have a really good impact for us going forward. We’re very excited that Britney is joining the Nest!”
