NATCHITOCHES -- Northwestern State co-head soccer coach Jess Jobe enlarged the Lady Demons' signee class to 13 with the addition of Finland native Olivia Mattsson.
 
Mattsson is a starting defender for Finland's Aland United, a team in the country's top professional league Naisten Liiga.
 
"We're really excited about Olivia for a lot of reasons, but her bringing an international and overseas perspective along with her experience in a professional organization is valuable," Jobe said about the 19-year-old signee. "She's played with players who do this for a living, and she'll make an impact on and off the field.
 
"All the little areas that a player commits to, all the time in between games and in the offseason -- she has a lot of experience to draw from."
 
Mattsson, who protected her NCAA eligibility by not accepting compensation for her play, has played primarily at right center back but also has seen time at center midfield.
 
"Olivia possesses a lot of versatility in positions she can play, and she has the opportunity to challenge in a lot of areas," Jobe said. "She can be a sound defensive player or one of our most dangerous attackers.
 
"She keeps her head up and is calm and composed on the ball. Her skill set translates well to a number of positions.
 
The Mariehamn, Finland, native followed her twin sister Isabella to the U.S. as Isabella joined the Memphis Tigers this spring.
 
Jobe announced 12 signees this past fall as he and co-head coach Anna Jobe inked their first full recruiting class since taking over the NSU program in January of 2018.