Charleston, W.Va. - Head Coach Sarah Leiby brings in her first recruiting class for the 2024 season. The class is made up of 11 players from all over the world and varying backgrounds. The class includes 5 transfers and 6 true freshmen.

Coach Leiby shared her thoughts on the incoming Golden Eagles, "I'm very excited about the 11 players we're adding to our roster. Finding the right fit for our program is so important during recruiting and I believe we've been able to accomplish that with these additions. They want to learn and grow in the classroom and on the soccer field, they're competitive and want to compete for championships, and they want to positively influence the community."

Jamie Bland | Sophomore | MF/D | Bournemouth, England

The English transfer joins us from Pratt Community College entering her sophomore year as a Golden Eagle. Whilst at Pratt Jamie played 9 games, starting 7 whilst scoring 1 goal. Prior to coming to the US Jamie was captain for her county team back in the UK for 4 years. She chose UC because of the team culture and having an academic program that interested her.

Coach's Thoughts: "Jamie's desire to be in a competitive and challenging environment was something that really stood out in the recruiting process. Having spent last season in the US at Pratt CC prepared her well to step into our program and hit the ground running."

Rilynn Becht | Freshman | D |Mt. Orab, OH

Rilynn will be coming into the Golden Eagle team as a freshman, she is from Mt. Orab in Ohio and attended Western Brown High School where she played all 4 years on the varsity team and obtained the honors of being captain for 3 years and making the 2023 SCAAB All Conference Second Team. Rilynn is also a part of the club team Cincinnati United Premier that Club team won Midwest Presidents Cup in 2022 and were runners-up in 2023. Academically she graduated high school with an associate's degree of science, was on the college Dean's list for 2 years, and the honor roll for all 4 years of high school. Rilynn chose to attend UC because of the beautiful campus and area, as well as it fitting the criteria she was looking for in a college.

Coach's Thoughts: "Rilynn will add to our strong backline as an outside back. She's played for a successful youth team and we're looking forward to seeing what we can accomplish together."

Sofia Mosquera Chaverra | Junior | GK | Medellin, Colombia

Sofia is a Colombian transfer student from Heartland Community College and will be entering her junior year at UC. Whilst at Heartland Sofia was All Region for 2022 and 2023, Honorable Mention All-American for 2022 and 2023, and named MWAC

Keeper of the Year in 2022. She chose UC because of the competitive nature of the UC Women's Soccer team and the goals they are striving for, as well as the academic aspect of the Business program.

Coach's Thoughts: "We're looking forward to adding Sofia to our team this fall after a very successful career at Heartland CC. She's a great shot stopper and is really looking to take her game to the next level."

Ida Marhaug | Freshman | D | Oslo, Norway

Ida will be joining the Golden Eagles as an incoming freshman from Oslo, Norway. She attended high school at WANG Toppidrett – Oslo, and played for the club team of KFUM Oslo with who she won the league with in 2022. Ida chose to attend UC because of the team culture and their ambitions aligning with her own.

Coach's Thoughts: "Ida is an athletic and physical defender. She's trained with high level teams during her youth career which have prepared her well for this next step. Off the field, she's a great representation of who we want to be."

Ciara Casamento | Sophomore | MF | Sydney, Australia

Ciara is a native of Sydney, Australia and will be going the UC Women's Soccer team from Davis & Elkins College. Whilst at Davis & Elkins on the field Ciara was named in the MEC All-Freshman Team and obtained an All-MEC Honorable Mention for the Fall 2023 season; whilst off field being named in the 2023 Fall Academic All-MEC Honors list after achieving a 4.0 GPA within her Freshman year. She chose to transfer to University of Charleston because of the extensive commitment to the athletics programs and Exercise Science department; as well as the close-knit environment in which personal connections can be formed with professors and other students, enhancing the learning experience.

Coach's Thoughts: "We're thrilled to have Ciara joining us this fall! She is a true representation of what it means to get the job done on and off the field. Ciara brings great vision and athleticism to our midfield and we look forward to seeing her go box to box for us."

Demari Curry | Redshirt Sophomore | F | Ellicott City, MD

Demari is another transfer joining our Women's Soccer program from Ellicott City, Maryland, she was previously at Marshall University. Demari has achieved numerous accolades within soccer, including the following team accolades, CASL Champions in 2014, Maryland State Cup Champions in 2015; as well as achieving WCAC Honorable Mention in 2018, WCAC Second Team All-Conference 2019, and WCAC First Team All-Conference 2021. She has also achieved awards within futsal, including being U18 Regional Futsal Champions in 2018, and the U20

National Futsal Champions 2019. Outside of soccer Demari is a part of the National Honors Society, Marshall University Honors College, and was a former member of the Society of Black Scholars Club at Marshall University, she has also been on the Marshall University Dean's List for her Freshman and Sophomore Year. Demari chose Charleston because of the campus, and the resources that the Health Sciences department has to offer as this will help her on her journey to the career that she wants.

Coach's Thoughts: "Demari is a great fit for UC Women's Soccer. She's competitive, inquisitive, and overall, a great teammate. She will add speed and finishing ability to our front line and we're looking forward to seeing her score many goals in a UC jersey!"

Ava Landers | Freshman | MF | Christiansburg, VA

Ava is an incoming freshman to the Golden Eagles team. She is from Christiansburg, Virginia, and attended Christiansburg High School where she was a 4-year varsity letterman, as well as being achieving an VHSL Honorable Mention in 2021, VHSL 2nd Team All District Midfielder in 2022, VHSL 1st Team All District Midfielder in 2023 and 2024, VHSL 1st Team All Region Midfielder 3D in 2023 and 2024 and was VHSL Co-Player of the Year in 2023. She was also a part of the Virginia State ODP from 2018 to 2021. Outside of high school, Ava played for the club team NC Fusion. Off the field Ava was a part of the national Honor Society and BETA Club. She was an Honors Scholar and achieved an associate's degree in general studies. She chose Charleston because of the competitive energy that the team brings, as well as the coaching staff and the culture of the university.

Coach's Thoughts: "We're super excited about Ava's future in our program. She's a very driven player who shares our vision of winning championships and has the quality to help us do that. She's great on the ball and does well defensively, we're looking forward to seeing her in the midfield."

Emilía Dís Óskarsdóttir | Freshman | F | Reykjavik, Iceland

Emilía is join the Golden Eagles as a freshman from Reykjavik, Iceland where she played for the club team Fylkir who are in the second highest league in Iceland. Whilst at Fylkir Emilía played with the first team in Iceland's cup and the league cup, as well as winning the U16 national cup with Fylkir. Off the field she won an academic award for the best progress, and graduated from one of Iceland's top high schools, Menntaskólinn við Sund. She chose University of Charleston because "it is an exciting school, and because it has a good soccer program".

Coach's Thoughts: "Emilía is an exciting forward who runs with the ball extremely well and knows how to get to goal. Academically, she's been challenged at one of the top schools in Iceland and we know she will make a great student-athlete at UC."

Ines Degli Esposti | Freshman | GK | Paris, France

Ines joins the UC Women's Soccer program from Paris, France where she attended high school at École Jeannine Manuel and played for Gpso 92 Issy. At Gpso 92 Issy she trained with the Division 2 professional team in 2022 to 2023. In 2022 she played her first game with the U19 PSG team in the U19 Nationale ELITE League. She also won the Vinci Cup and McDonald's Cup at the U16 level. Ines says she chose the University of Charleston because it seemed like a perfect fit for her because it combines a competitive soccer program with high level academics, and she always wanted to pursue her soccer passion while still being able to maintain a high educational level.

Coach's Thoughts: "Ines comes from a great training environment and has a solid foundation that will add to our goalkeeping unit. She's brave off her line and reads the game very well. We love that Ines is looking for a complete student-athlete experience."

Kim Smal | Sophomore | MF/F | Avenhorn, Netherlands

Kim comes in as a Sophomore from the Netherlands, where she was playing in the top league for AZ Alkmaar. She made her debut within the highest league (Eredivisie Women) as a 17-year-old. Academically she has a propedeutic achievement for nutrition and dietetics. She chose the University of Charleston because of the coaching staff, the high standard of the team and school, and what her previous teammate, currently on the UC Women's Soccer Team, had told her.

Coach's Thoughts: "Kim is an extremely versatile player who can play multiple positions. She has great ball striking qualities and is aggressive with and without the ball. We're excited to have her as a Golden Eagle!'

Allison Andrew | Freshman | D |Buckhannon, WV

Allison is a freshman from Buckhannon, WV, where she attended Buckhannon-Upshur High School. Whilst at Buckhannon-Upshur she started for the varsity team all 4 years and was the captain for her junior and senior year. She also picked up the accolade for defensive player of the year in her junior year and was in the second team all-state for two years in a row. Away from the soccer field she took AP classes and dual credit classes, as well as making the honor roll. When asked why she chose the University of Charleston she said "I loved the campus, and it is just the right distance away from my home so I can still go see them when I like. I wanted to go to a college that had a homey vibe and that I knew I would love and that was Charleston for me."

Coach's Thoughts: "We're looking forward to adding another player from West Virginia to the roster. Allison brings great leadership qualities and is a tough defender. Having played with and against many players in the MEC conference during her youth career, she understands the level and what's necessary to be successful."