Colorado State women’s soccer head coach Bill Hempen announced the addition of 17 new players to his squad on Wednesday for the 2014 season. The Rams, coming off a 2-13-3 season in their first year at the Division I level, added depth at almost every position after carrying only 14 players on their roster last season.

Included in the class are four transfers with previous Division I experience as well as 13 high school seniors from five states (Colorado, California, Illinois, Hawaii and Utah).

The Rams bring in two goalkeepers, six defenders, nine midfielders and six forwards that will compete immediately with the Rams’ returning squad. Among the 17 players are a combined five high school state championships, eight all-state selections, 12 conference championships, 16 years of captaincy and 23 all-conference selections. One of the biggest keys for Hempen was not only finding talented players but also ones that would immediately provide competition on the practice field.

“One of the things that came up at the end of the year was the overall competition amongst the team that will help, not only our better players push themselves, but also the players that can maybe overtake them,” Hempen said in a statement released by the athletic department. “The kids realized that the competition level in our program had to rise for our program to move forward, and I think these kids will provide that for us.”

Next year’s roster now consists of 29 athletes – three seniors, four juniors, nine sophomores and 13 freshman. The Rams’ non-conference schedule for next season will be released later this spring.

Collegian Reporter Keegan Pope can be reached at sports@collegian.com and on Twitter @kpopecollegian.