Florida Gators add four Class of 2024 recruits during early signing period

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida Head Soccer Coach Samantha Bohon announced the signing of four new Gators from the Class of 2024.

The four-member class includes signees who have played internationally and found success with their club and/or high school teams.

“We are thrilled with this year’s signing class. While smaller in numbers, they’re certainly mighty in the impact we expect them to have. They’re going to continue the tradition of our student-person-player culture. I know they’re chomping at the bit to get started, so we can’t wait to have them come next fall.

“I think one of the appealing things for all in this signing class is that they mentioned the student-person-player piece. One of the amazing attributes of the experience here at Florida is you’re not just coming to an incredible athletic department with a storied soccer program but you’re coming to a No. 1 ranked public academic school in a great location that has an incredible storied tradition on a lot of different fronts. I know that that was a big part of the decision making process for this four. We’re really excited for them to have this entire Florida Gator experience.”

———

Florida Soccer Signees

Enrolling for 2024 season

Norah Abbott

• Position: Defensive midfield
• High School: IMG Academy (Coaches: Marco Salazar & Jason Nicolette); West Florence High School (Coach: Alex Shortall)
• Hometown: Florence, S.C.
• Club Team: IMG Academy (Coaches: Janny Rivera, Miguel Rodriquez)

Club Info

• Played with Switzerland Under-17 National Team in 2022 Round 1 of UEFA European Championship
• SCUFC- ECNL 1^st team Mid Atlantic IMG Academy at GA National Talent ID Event
• 2023 Girls Academy Southeast Talent ID Camp 2006 roster
• Named the 2006 roster for 2022 US Youth Soccer ODP National Training Camp
• 2021 ECNL All-Conference Mid-Atlantic U15 first team
• 2021 US Youth Soccer Piedmont Conference U15 Best XI

High School Info

• MVP Freshman year at West Florence HS; 1^st Team All Region

Abbott Said: “I chose the University of Florida because they care about me as a person and not just an athlete.”

Bohon Said: “Nora Abbott’s a player who from the first time we watched her play, she just stood out because she embodies that blue-collar grittiness. She’s a tough six – hard to beat, disrupts a lot of things and is just a quality person off the field. She has her mom’s CrossFit mentality with training and she’s not afraid of hard work, so we’re really excited to have her join us.”

DYK: 

• Plays soccer internationally for the Swiss National Team as an American citizen
• Mom, Nicole Abbott, played collegiate soccer for Framingham State University

Ryleigh Acosta

• Position: Midfield
• High School: Mariner High School (Coach: Jami Hagy)
• Hometown: Cape Coral, Fla.
• Club Team: FC Prime ECNL (Coach: Alan Hough)

Club Info

• ECNL Playoffs twice
• Three years on the ODP State Team
• One year on the ODP Regional Team
• One year in the ID2 National Training Camp
• Attended 2019 U.S. Soccer Olympic Development national camp in Chula Vista, Calif.

High School Info

• 2022-23 United Soccer Coaches Winter/Spring High School Girls All-American
• 2023 Florida Dairy Farmer Class 5A Player of the Year
• 2023 and 2022 Florida Athletic Coaches Association All-State
• 2022 and 2023 Southwest Florida Sports Award winner for girls soccer by News-Press and Naples Daily News
• 2023 Southwest Florida All-Region soccer team after 25 goals and 21 assists
• 2022 SWFL All-Region soccer team after 26 goals and 26 assists
• 2021 SWFL All-Region soccer team after 18 goals and 16 assists
• Mariner won 2022 5A Florida High School Athletic Association State title – the first in any sport for the Tritons and lost in 4-2 in penalty kicks in 2023 5A final
• Mariner H.S. advanced to 2021 FHSAA Class 4A Region 3 semifinal
• Three-time FACA Academic All-State
• Two-time Mariner H.S. varsity captain
• Mariner H.S. Most Valuable Player as freshman, sophomore and junior

Acosta Said: “I chose the University of Florida because of the academics, the college atmosphere, and the culture of the team.”

Bohon Said: “I actually first met Riley at my previous program as her sister was on a visit and she was an eighth grader. She came to our ID camp and stood out incredibly – highly technical, very quick, fast player. She was one of my first phone calls on June 15 when I could start recruiting for Florida. So it’s a long time coming but we are really excited to have Riley and her family here.”

DYK

• Member of the National Honor Society, won the Superintendent Award three times and three-time All-State Academic in soccer
• Wears #20 in honor of Gator Abby Wambach, her favorite women’s soccer player

Skye Barnes

• Position: Defender
• High School: Hagerty High School (Coach: Angie Densburg)
• Hometown: Oviedo, Fla.
• Florida Kraze Krush ECNL (Coach: Hue Menzies)

Club Info

• Southeast Conference First Team
• Chosen to play in the Tennessee national selection game

High School Info

• 2023 Orlando Sentinel All-Area second team
• 2022 Orlando Sentinel All-Area first team
• Hagerty High School advanced to 2022 Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) 7A regional semifinal and 2023 regional quarterfinal

Barnes Said: She loved the “family-like atmosphere between the team at coaches” at UF.

Bohon Said: “Skye is awesome. We are pumped because we think she can fill a lot of different positions. The fun part will be figuring out where she’s going to be able to impact the most. She’s a very capable athlete but also a soccer player who has incredible appealing versatility for us. So we expect her to have an impact right away.”

DYK:

• Her high school coach, Angie Olson Densburg, played for Florida and was the 1992 SEC Tournament MVP.
• Mom, Kelley Barnes, played collegiate soccer at University of Central Florida

Zamiyah Hill

• Position: Forward
• High School: Mosley High School (Coach: Marek Betkowski)
• Hometown: Lynn Haven, Fla.
• Club Team: Florida Elite Soccer Academy (Coach: Mike Johnson)

Club Info

• 2022, 2023 National ODP Team
• Named to U.S. Youth Soccer U18 National Team that competed in London, England, in March 2023
• 2018-2023 2005 South Regional Team
• 2017-2018 South Regional Pool
• Florida State Team 2017-2023

High School Info

• 2021, 2022, 2023 county 1^st team (9^th-11^th grade)
• Scored 84 goals in first three season of Mosley H.S. career
• 35 goals as a sophomore Mosley H.S. record
• Mosley H.S. advanced to 2023 Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) 6A regional quarterfinals; 2022 and 2021 5A regional semifinals
• 2023 MVP (11^th grade)
• 2021 and 2022 Offensive Player of the Year (9^th and 10^th grade)
• 2021 (9^th grade) Track and Field won county in 400m and 4×400 relay; 6^th place in long jump at districts; 7^th place in 400m at districts

Hill Said: “The coaching staff was a big deciding factor for me [in choosing UF], and of course University of Florida is an amazing university.”

Bohon Said: “Zamiyah is a great, athletic, fast-attacking player, but I think the thing that really stood out to us is she competes so she’s not just a one-trick pony where she can run really fast. She likes to get stuck in, she really prides herself on the defensive side of the ball and we think she’s a little bit of a hidden gem that slipped through the cracks a bit. We’re really excited that she’s going to be wearing a Gator uniform next year.”

DYK:

• Played the piano since age 5.
• Scored seven goals in a single Mosley H.S. match as a sophomore.