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MOREHEAD, Ky. \u2013 A 15-member class that features multiple members with collegiate and international experience highlight coach Paul Cox<\/a>‘s first full recruiting class for the Morehead State women’s soccer team. The group also includes three state champions and three others with state finals experience.<\/p>\n The global group features players from Switzerland, England, California, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey and Kentucky. Virtually every newcomer enters MSU with a long history of playing for highly successful and championship teams.<\/p>\n They will join 10 returnees from an Eagle squad which finished 2024 with a 9-8-6 overall record and a 4-3-2 Ohio Valley Conference mark, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament, while setting school records for best road mark, lowest team goals against average and most games played.<\/p>\n “We are excited to bring in a wealth of players that offer something different,” Cox said. “We brought in four transfers in the spring who helped rejuvenate our team culture. We are now bringing in a large freshman class that has international experience for national teams. We have players coming from top level clubs as well as some in-state talent that is going to help our program grow again this year as we look to go back to the NCAA\u00a0tournament.”<\/p>\n Cox hit the portal hard with five transfers, including four who enrolled in the spring and played with the Eagles in the 2025 offseason. One freshman also joined the squad in January after graduating early from high school. That group helped MSU post an undefeated (4-0-1) spring campaign and outscored its opponents 12-1.<\/p>\n Junior midfielders Hannah Carter<\/a> (Bowling Green, Ky.\/Murray State) and Molly Tapak<\/a> (Greenwood, Ind.\/Southern Illinois), junior forward Keara Chafee (Blair, Neb.\/Omaha), redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Sofia Rodriguez<\/a> (Taylor Mill, Ky.\/Western Carolina) and freshman defender Faith Peper<\/a> (Mahtomedi, Minn.\/Mahtomedi HS) joined the program earlier this year.<\/p>\n Carter spent two years at Murray State, where she played in 35 matches, starting 20. During that time, she recorded 12 shots and had one assist. As a freshman, she recorded the second most minutes on the squad. A graduate of Greenwood High School, her teams finished with a 69-17-6 record over four seasons, winning the state title in 2019 and advancing to the state semifinals in 2020. In her final two years, GHS was the regional runner-up. As a senior for the Lady Gators, Carter recorded 15 points on seven goals and one assist. She finished second in goals and third in points on the team. Overall, she tallied 13 goals, seven assists and 33 points. Academically, she was a member of the National Honors Society. She played for the Nashville United club side.<\/p>\n Tapak comes to MSU after two seasons at Southern Illinois. In her time as a Saluki, she played in 27 games, starting 20, and finished taking 12 shots. In her first season, she played the full 90 minutes in 14 of 17 contests, finishing with the second-most minutes on the team and fourth most in program history. A two-year starter and team captain at Center Grove High School, her squad was a semi-state runner-up after winning the regional and sectional. She also competed in gymnastics and track and field, qualifying for the state meet in two events in the latter sport. Tapak earned Academic All-State and Second Team-All District honors and also won a team sportsmanship award in track and field. She was a starter for her club team, Indy Premier United GA, which qualified for nationals.<\/p>\n Chafee enters MSU after spending two years with Omaha, where her Mavericks’ teams posted a 17-8-12 overall record. As a sophomore, she played in 16 games and recorded one assist and one shot. As a freshman, she saw action in 11 outings, starting once, and taking one shot. She led her Blair High School team in scoring as a freshman with 20 goals and 10 assists in just 13 games. For her efforts, she earned first-team all-conference and honorable mention all-state honors, as well as being named both the Team and the Offensive MVP. On the club level, she was a member of the Gretna Elite Academy ECNL. There, she earned first-team all-conference honors in the 2021-22 campaign. Her team qualified for the ECNL Nationals three years. She graduated high school after the fall semester and was an early enrollee at Omaha.<\/p>\n Rodriguez did not see the pitch in either of her two seasons at Western Carolina and consequently earned a redshirt. The Newport Central Catholic graduate played and started two seasons for the Thoroughbreds, earning team MVP honors both times. In 2020, she averaged 6.5 saves per game, while posting a 2.8 goals against average and five shutouts. In 2019, she notched 4.7 spg and a 2.0 GAA, while collecting three shutouts. She was recognized as first-team all-state as a sophomore and “Defensive Player of the Year” as a freshman. Rodriguez was named on the Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll in 2023-24. She spent three years with the Cincinnati United Premier club team, with the squad finishing third nationally in 2020-21.<\/p>\n Peper graduated a semester early from Mahtomedi High School after the Zephyrs won the Class 2A state title with a 17-2-1 record last fall. As a senior, she finished with six goals and five assists. She was named to the all-classes, all-state team by the Minnesota Star Tribune and 2A First-Team All-State by the state coaches’ association. Peper also earned All-Metro East honors. She was named the Zephyrs co-Best Defender of the Year after helping hold her opponents to just seven goals all season. Mahtomedi had a successful run while she was there, finishing with a 60-10-3 in her four years. Her club team was the Tonka-Fusion Elite.<\/p>\n Aston Villa FC’s Charlotte Lee<\/a> (Nottingham, England) and Olivia Lowe<\/a> (Nottingham, England), as well as freshman forward Joni Bandi<\/a> (Bern, Switzerland) add international flavor to the roster. Lowe, a freshman defender, and Lee, a freshman midfielder, both have extensive experience with their U21 WSL Academy club, while Bandi, who is already 21, plays in the first tier Swiss Women’s Super League with the Thun Berner-Oberland club.<\/p>\n Lee has been a member of the U19 Welsh National Team for the past year. She also has been a regular starter for her Aston Villa side. In 2022-23, AVFC finished 14-6-2 (W-L-T), with Lee appearing in all but one contest and starting all but three. That season, she tallied two goals and six assists. In 2021-22, she played in four games, starting two. That team finished 15-2-3. She is a graduate of Sutton High School.<\/p>\n Lowe made her international debut as a 13-year-old in 2020-21. She has been training as a member of the Premier League Futures Program since June 2024. Prior to that, she played at Redhill Academy from 2017-23. In Aston Villa’s 2022-23 season, she played and started in one game, with the team finishing 14-6-2 (W-L-T). She graduated from Nottinghamshire High School.<\/p>\n Bandi most recently played for Thun Berner-Oberland in the top league in Switzerland. She saw action in 17 matches, starting nine, scoring twice and collecting four points in 2024-25. The team finished 2-14-2 (W-L-T). In the two previous years, she also played in the Swiss Women’s Super League. In 2023-24, she also was a member of Thun Berner-Oberland, where she again played in 17 matches, starting nine, and was on the pitch for 770 minutes. She also scored twice that year. As a 17-year-old, she spent her first season in the WSL on the Young Boys club, where she saw action in three games.<\/p>\n Graduate student midfielder Karissa Vela<\/a> (Chino Hills, Calif.) is joining her third collegiate program after spending the last two years at West Virginia State and her first two campaigns at junior college powerhouse Mt. San Antonio. She earned all-conference honors at both schools.<\/p>\n In 2024, Vela helped lead WVSU to the conference tournament title and its first-ever Division II national tournament, where it won its opening game before falling in the second round. The team finished 16-4-3. She started all 22 games as a senior, tallying four goals, four assists and 12 points on 37 shots (18 shots on goal). She also had two game winners and was named second-team all-conference. As a junior, she started 18 games, was a reserve in another, and recorded two goals, one assist and five points on 21 shots. As a sophomore, Mt. SAC posted a 20-2-1 record, won its conference tournament and advanced to the fourth round of the playoffs. She again was named second-team all-conference after registering 16 goals, seven assists and five game-winning goals for a total of 39 points. She did all that in just 26 shots. That season, she started 22 of the 23 games and had a hat trick versus Citrus College and three assists against Compton College. As a freshman, Vela helped the squad to a 16-3-6 mark and the semifinals of the California Community College Athletic Association, after winning another conference tournament crown. That year, she had eight goals, three assists and 19 points, while playing in 22 games, starting 10. She also had three game-winning goals and took 17 shots. At one point in the middle of the season, she scored in five consecutive games that she played. Vela graduated from Chino Hills High School, where she was first-team all-league and named the Most Improved Player. She played club soccer for Legends FC.<\/p>\n Six additional freshmen enter MSU with a bevy of impressive credentials. Included among that group are midfielder Hailey Hernandez-Repreza<\/a> (Huntington Park, Calif.\/Warren HS), midfielder Natalie Lentine<\/a> (Fraser, Mich.\/Regina HS), midfielder Alyssa Brians<\/a> (Saint Leon, Ind.\/East Central HS), forward Lily Burt<\/a> (Voorhees, N.J.\/Eastern Regional HS), midfielder Addison Petry<\/a> (Louisville, Ky.\/Sacred Heart Academy) and goalkeeper Hannah Sullivan<\/a> (Louisville, Ky.\/Eastern HS).<\/p>\n Hernandez-Repreza has spent time with El Salvador’s national team playing in the CONCACAF Women’s U17 Championship. She topped the squad during that tournament with three goals. She also trains at the country’s U20 National Team Camp. As a senior at Warren High School, Hernandez-Repreza helped the squad post a 21-4-3 record and was the Division 3 state runner-up for Southern California. In her four seasons at Warren, the team boasted a 46-32-16 mark. She also played for FRAM SC.<\/p>\n Lentine’s Regina High School soccer team was the state runner-up this spring. She also ran track and cross country, and was a member of the basketball team. Over the last two years, her RHS soccer squad posted a 15-11-8 record. She is a member of the state ODP team and also coaches soccer at the Lake St. Clair Sports Club. On the club level, she plays for the Nationals 07 Girls Academy Gray Team. Academically, Lentine boasts a GPA of over 4.0. She twice attended the State Leadership Conference and was a presenter there in 2023.<\/p>\n Brians was a standout for the state semifinalist East Central High School soccer team, which notched an 18-3-1 record this past season. She tallied eight goals and added six assists for the Trojans. Her squad surrendered just six goals in her senior campaign, finishing the year with 17 shutouts. As a junior, ECHS posted a 17-2 record, with Brians tallying three goals and five assists in 16 games. In her four years with the team, it boasted a 66-12-4 record and advanced to the state playoffs each season. She finished her career with 12 goals, 13 assists in 71 games. The Trojans went 27-1 in conference play during her tenure, and she earned the Top Team Player Award from the state coaches’ association. She also is a member of the volleyball team. She notched a 4.0 GPA in high school and was recognized for her academics. She plays for the Ohio Elite club side.<\/p>\n Burt’s Eastern Regional High School was the state runner-up in her senior season. She collected 19 points on eight goals and three assists for the Vikings, which posted an 18-7-2 record. As a junior, ERHS was 19-2-3, with Burt accounting for 29 points on eight goals and 13 assists. As a sophomore, the squad went 23-2-2, with her scoring twice and adding eight assists. She also ran track for the school. She is a member of the PDA South club team.<\/p>\n In 2024, Petry played in all 27 games for Sacred Heart, one of the nation’s top girls’ soccer sides. The Valkyries finished the campaign with a state title and a 24-1-2 record. The club allowed just 10 goals all season. Multiple organizations ranked Sacred Heart among the top 20 teams in the country. In 2023, the Valkyries finished 20-3-3 and were the state runners-up. In that campaign, she played in 24 contests, finishing with a goal and an assist. As a sophomore, she recorded two goals and three assists for the 20-4-0 district champs. In her three years on the varsity, SHA posted a 64-8-5 mark and allowed just 48 goals. She is a member of Racing Louisville FC.<\/p>\n Sullivan was a teammate of Petry on Racing Louisville’s U19 Purple side. At Eastern High School, she was a four-year starter in the net. In 16 games in 2024, she averaged 10 spg, had five shutouts and a 2.8 GAA. The previous season, she posted a 2.3 GAA, with three shutouts and 12.6 spg. In 2022, she finished with a 3.2 GAA and 10.6 spg. As a freshman, she registered a 3.0 GAA with 12.3 spg and two shutouts.<\/p>\n Three All-OVC honorees return from a squad that was among the league’s best defenses. However, the club will have to replace 16 players, including three graduates.<\/p>\n Morehead State begins preseason camp on Monday, July 28. The team’s first exhibition game is on Thursday, Aug. 7 at home against Brescia (Ky.), before opening its regular season on Thursday, Aug. 14 at home against Marshall.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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