Shady Side Academy senior Eliza Cochran officially signed an NCAA National Letter of Intent (NLI) to play soccer at Georgetown University on the first day of the NLI signing period on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017.

Joining Cochran at the signing ceremony in the Senior School College Counseling Office were SSA Associate Director of College Counseling Tom Colt, Athletic Director Gene Deal and Head Girls Soccer Coach Mary Lynch, along with her parents and brother, several classmates and faculty members.

A three-year starter for the Shady Side girls' soccer team at center back, Cochran emerged as the defensive leader this fall, earning all-section and All-WPIAL honors as she helped SSA to a 19-4 record, a WPIAL Championship and a PIAA runner-up finish. She finished the 2016 season with six goals and four assists, most notably scoring the game-winning goals (and only goals) in both the WPIAL championship and PIAA semifinals – both 1-0 victories over Greensburg Central Catholic. She also helped the team to a WPIAL title in 2013.

"Eliza has a tremendous ability to see the field and distribute the ball to her teammates," said Lynch. "She plays the game with great composure and confidence, and is extremely skilled with the ball at her feet. In addition to her role as a defender, she is also a scoring threat. She has the ability to score from 35 to 40 yards out, and has also proven that she can finish in the box. While we will miss Eliza next season, we are excited to watch her continue to grow as a player at the collegiate level, and Georgetown is lucky to be getting her!"

The NCAA's National Letter of Intent (NLI) is a binding agreement between a prospective student-athlete and an NLI member institution. By signing an NLI, the student-athlete agrees to attend the institution full-time for one academic year, while the institution agrees to provide athletics financial aid for one academic year. Learn more at www.nationalletter.org.

Georgetown's women's soccer team competes in NCAA Division I in the Big East Conference. In 2016 the team won the Big East Championship and advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament. Cochran will study in the Georgetown College of Arts and Sciences.

Congratulations, Eliza!