Maruschka Waldus

Position:
Defender/Midfielder
Height:
5-10
Class:
Senior
Hometown:
Heerenveen, Netherlands
Prev School:
Johann Cruyff University

2014 (Senior)
Waldus came to Alabama as a senior and made an immediate impact early in the season on the defensive side of the ball ... near halfway through the season, she became a defensive midfielder ... Waldus was the initial line of defense and was used to hold possesion before transitioning the ball to offense ... she used her size for heading balls on corner kicks and in the air ... she started and played in all 20 games of the season ... accumulated 1,672 minutes and eight points during the season, both stats ranked among team leaders ... scored the game-winning goal in a 1-0 double-overtime win at Tennessee (Sept. 26) ... that goal helped clinch the Tide's first ever victory at Knoxville ... scored her first collegiate goal in an 8-0 win against Alabama State (Sept. 21) ... made her collegiate debut in the 5-1 victory vs Kennesaw State (Aug. 22).

High School and Personal Data
Comes to Tuscaloosa from the Netherlands where she has been a stand out performer on the pitch ... attended Johann Cruyff University in the Netherlands and will have at least one year of eligibility remaining ... has played the last three seasons for the soccer club Heerenveen in her home town ... playing in the premier league (BeNe), she was named to the women's first team for three consecutive seasons ... was team captain in each of the last two seasons ... scored 10 goals during her career at Heerenveen, including seven in 2013 ... a two-time member of the KNVB (translated in English as Royal Dutch Football Association) Academly's Talent Team (2009 and 2010) ... also played for v.v. de Blesse under-18 boys team since the age of 8 (1999-2012) ... the daughter of Irma Zwartjens and Thijs Waldus ... intends to major in operations management at Alabama.

Coach Bramble on Maruschka:
"We are excited to have worked out the details to bring Maruschka into our team. We've watched her play for a few years now and are confident she is going to be able to impact our team immediately. She is an intelligent, mature young woman who brings a lot of experience to the field."