Saint Louis University builds on remarkable season with strong 10-player recruiting class

ST. LOUIS – Saint Louis University head women’s soccer coach Katie Shields has announced the addition of 10 student-athletes to the Billikens’ program. All 10 will have four years of eligibility beginning next fall.

“We are thrilled to welcome our 2024 recruiting class officially into the Billiken family,” Shields said. “Each of these women will bring special qualities to our championship culture. This class will be instrumental in our relentless pursuit of championships and the continued growth of SLU women’s soccer on the national stage.”

The new Billikens are:

• Emily Fox • F • Deerfield, Ill. (Deerfield H.S. | Eclipse SC)
• Nimu Karani • G • Overland Park, Kan. (Blue Valley Northwest H.S. | Kansas Rush Academy 05/06 GA)
• Hope Kim • F • Overland Park, Kan. (Blue Valley Southwest H.S. | Sporting Blue Valley)
• Addy Lang • M • Overland Park, Kan. (Blue Valley Southwest H.S. | Kansas City Athletics)
• Caigan Leonard • F/D • Cornwall, N.Y. (Cornwall Central H.S. | Quickstrike FC)
• Ashley Miller • M • O’Fallon, Mo. (Fort Zumwalt South H.S. | JB Marine SC)
• Isa Moreno • D/M • Johns Creek, Ga. (Greater Atlanta Christian School | TopHat – GA Gold 05/06)
• Sarah Sarnowski • F • Barrington, Ill. (Barrington H.S. | GLSA FC 1974 Libertyville 2006 Elite)
• Ulla Sharp • D • Edwardsville, Ill. (Edwardsville H.S. | St. Louis Development Academy)
• Audrey Smith • F • St. Peters, Mo. (Fort Zumwalt South H.S. | St. Louis Scott Gallagher ECNL 06 Navy)

Emily Fox • F • Deerfield, Ill. (Deerfield H.S. | Eclipse SC)

Deerfield’s career points leader with 73 goals and 33 assists … IHSA All-State and team captain as a junior … Lake County News-Sun All-Area first team as a sophomore and junior … All-Sectional as a freshman and sophomore … Chicagoland All-State as a sophomore … three-time All-Conference … a 2023 Midwest Conference ECNL Player to Watch … 2022 ECNL All-Conference second team … National Honor Society member and high honor roll student.

Shields on Fox: “Emily is a prolific attacking player who continues to improve. She is on pace to score 100 goals in her high school career and finds different ways to ask questions of the opponent’s backline and goalkeeper. Emily is a great passer, dribbler and finisher, as well as a relentless worker on both sides of the ball. We look forward to aiding her development in our program and seeing her become another dangerous weapon in our attacking arsenal.”

Nimu Karani • G • Overland Park, Kan. (Blue Valley Northwest H.S. | Kansas Rush Academy 05/06 GA)

All-State first team, Eastern Kansas League Goalkeeper of the Year, All-Conference first team, All-Midwest Region first team and All-Star Kansas goalkeeper in 2023 … All-State second team, EKL Goalkeeper of the Year, All-Conference first team, All-Midwest Region first team, Rush Select National Team and USYNT U16 ID Camp participant in 2022 … All-State honorable mention and a Hy-Vee Athlete of the Week in 2021 … three-year member of the Blue Valley Northwest honor roll.

Shields on Karani: “Nimu is an elite athlete and one of the nation’s best goalkeepers in the 2024 class. She comes from a soccer family, and she lives, eats and breathes the game. In the goal, Nimu plays with tremendous presence and confidence, reading the game at a very high level and always prepared to make game-changing saves. She has tremendous leadership ability and an infectious personality that will further our culture on and off the field. I look forward to watching Nimu continue the tradition of elite SLU women’s soccer goalkeepers.”

Hope Kim • F • Overland Park, Kan. (Blue Valley Southwest H.S. | Sporting Blue Valley)

First-team All-State as a sophomore and junior … first-team All-Conference ECNL Midwest in 2022 (U16) and 2023 (U17) … U16 USYNT ID Camp participant … three-year member of the Principal’s Honor Roll … 2023 treasurer of the student council executive board.

Shields on Kim: “Hope is an athletic, powerful and dynamic wide-attacking player. She is both a goal scorer and creator. Hope will add another weapon to our team attack and bring a tremendous engine to our team’s high-pressing mentality. Her athleticism and work rate make her challenging to defend in the wide areas, and her relentless pursuit of improvement is special. Hope is a beloved teammate and will bring joy to her teammates daily.”

Addy Lang • M • Overland Park, Kan. (Blue Valley Southwest H.S. | Kansas City Athletics)

Graduated early (magna cum laude) from Blue Valley Southwest and is already enrolled at SLU … played two years in high school and was selected team captain … was named a KSHSAA Class 5A Top 25 Player … earned first-team All-State, first-team All-Conference and TEAM KANSAS honors both years … played for KC Current II in the summer of 2023 … selected captain for KC Athletics and helped lead the team to the 2022 ECNL Midwest title.

Shields on Lang: “Addy has already hit the ground running in Billiken blue. She has been training with us since the start of January and is already fitting in like a veteran. Addy possesses a tremendous soccer IQ and an ability to make everyone around her better. She is clean technically and beyond her years tactically. Addy has a tremendous mentality and will be a mainstay in our midfield, both creating and destroying at an elite level.”

Caigan Leonard • F/D • Cornwall, N.Y. (Cornwall Central H.S. | Quickstrike FC)

Four-year varsity starter … collected All-State accolades as a senior … 2019 GA All-Star … member of the 2023 USYS national champions … also will compete in track and field for the Billikens … finished 13th in the 400-meter hurdles at the 2023 New Balance Nationals … as a junior, earned outdoor All-State recognition in the 400-meter hurdles and 4×400-meter relay and indoor All-State honors in the 55-meter hurdles, finishing second, third and sixth, respectively, at the state meet … two-time Section 9 champion in the indoor 55-meter hurdles and outdoor 100-meter hurdles, and also won a Section 9 outdoor 400-meter hurdles title … 2023 Loucks 100-meter hurdles champion … National Honor Society member … three-year member of Cornwall Central’s high honor roll … has won awards in algebra and Spanish.

Shields on Leonard: “Caigan is our program’s first-ever athlete who will compete in both soccer and track. One of our program’s greatest strengths is its speed and athleticism, and Caigan is one of the best athletes to ever join our program. She is a dynamic wide player who can beat defenders on the dribble or by combining. Her humble and hard-working mentality will continue to further our competitive culture on and off the field.”

Ashley Miller • M • O’Fallon, Mo. (Fort Zumwalt South H.S. | JB Marine SC)

Four-year starter … as a junior, made the All-State, All-Conference and All-Metro first teams, as well as the All-Region team … All-State honorable mention and All-Region as a sophomore … led the St. Louis metro area in assists both seasons … helped lead Fort Zumwalt South to three consecutive state titles … her JB Marine team was the 2023 Missouri State Cup champion and the 2022 Presidents Cup national champion … at the 2022 Presidents Cup Nationals, was selected to the Best XI and received the Golden Boot and Most Valuable Player honors … named to the Best XI at the 2023 USYS Nationals and NL conference playoffs … 2022-23 Elite 64 Best XI … 2022 NL P.R.O. Mesa Best XI … Academic All-Conference and honor roll student … earned pre-professional certification in early childhood education … League of Leaders member.

Shields on Miller: “Ashley is an incredibly creative and savvy midfielder. She specializes in ‘hockey assists,’ making everyone around her look good with her ability to combine and solve pressure in the midfield. As a three-time state champion at Fort Zumwalt South, she has led the St. Louis metro area in assists during her high school years. Ashley is a sophisticated passer and playmaker who makes the game go for her team, and we look forward to watching her shine in Billiken blue.”

Isa Moreno • D/M • Johns Creek, Ga. (Greater Atlanta Christian School | TopHat – GA Gold 05/06)

Serving as team captain this season … played on GACS teams that reached the state final in her freshman and sophomore years … has combined for 11 goals and 13 assists in her last two club seasons … 2023 GA National Talent ID camp … GA SE Talent ID camp in 2021, 2022 and 2023 … U16 WNT camp and regional camp call-up in 2021 … U14 YNT East Region camp call-up in 2020 … U13 YNT ID Center in 2019 … club team reached the U13 ECNL national semifinals in 2019 … honor roll and President’s List student … National Honor Society and Beta Club member.

Shields on Moreno: “Isa comes to us from TopHat, one of the best youth clubs in the country. She is an athletic and hard-nosed individual who can play in the back or middle of midfield. Her creativity on the ball and tactical awareness make her a versatile threat wherever she plays on the field. As a leader and captain of her high school team, Isa holds herself and her teammates to a high standard and has the potential to be a future leader in our program.”

Sarah Sarnowski • F • Barrington, Ill. (Barrington H.S. | GLSA FC 1974 Libertyville 2006 Elite)

All-State and All-Conference as a junior … helped lead Barrington to state runner-up finishes in her sophomore and junior seasons … in club soccer, played on the 2022 and 2023 Illinois State Cup runner-up teams … member of National Honor Society and German National Honor Society.

Shields on Sarnowski: “Sarah is a speedy and dynamic left-footed winger. The first time I had an opportunity to watch her play with her club team, she scored one of the best hat tricks I’ve seen a youth player put together. Sarah’s ability to beat players on the dribble and serve accurate crosses with her left foot will thrive in our system and style of play.”

Ulla Sharp • D • Edwardsville, Ill. (Edwardsville H.S. | St. Louis Development Academy)
Honorable mention All-State, first-team All-Conference and Edwardsville’s Defender of the Year as a junior … second-team All-Conference as a sophomore … captain of the 2023 ODP ’05 National Select Team … ranked among the Heartland Region’s top 10 by Top Drawer Soccer … 2022 Girls Academy National Talent ID participant … made the MRL Best XI in 2020 … club team was a 2023 GA national semifinalist and 2022 Missouri State Cup champion … National Honor Society member who has made the high honor roll and honor roll.

Shields on Sharp: “Ulla is an elite competitor and tough defender. She plays with a toughness and a mentality that will thrive in our program’s culture. As a lockdown defender, Ulla has excellent timing, physicality and technique to shut down the opponent’s attack. We look forward to watching her grow into an elite member of our back line.”

Audrey Smith • F • St. Peters, Mo. (Fort Zumwalt South H.S. | St. Louis Scott Gallagher ECNL 06 Navy)

A 2024 Top Drawer Soccer High School Player to Watch and St. Charles County Amateur Sports Hall of Fame high school athlete nominee … helped lead Fort Zumwalt South to three consecutive state titles … as a junior, was a United Soccer Coaches All-American, Missouri Class 3 Player of the Year, Region 2 Player of the Year, first-team All-Conference and first-team All-Metro, scoring a school-record 41 goals … All-State and All-Conference first teams as a sophomore when she tallied what was then a school-record 35 goals, including a record-tying three (matching her own mark set the previous year) in the state final … Just Women’s Sports Athlete of the Week … in her freshman season, was honorable mention All-State, All-Region, first-team All-Conference, second-team All-Metro, and a St. Louis Post-Dispatch and KTRS Athlete of the Week … added an assist to her three goals in the state final for a record-setting seven points … played for Scott Gallagher’s ECNL national champions in 2022 (U16) and 2023 (U17) … honor roll student every year … participates in Fort Zumwalt South’s League of Leaders, Positive Peer Influence, and Empowering Young Women & People … 2021 Certificate of Academic Excellence recipient.

Shields on Smith: “Audrey is a goal scorer and serial winner. She is one of the most dynamic and efficient goal scorers in St. Louis. She has a deadly combination of speed, quickness, and technical and tactical sophistication. Audrey is a two-time ECNL national champion as a member of the SLSG 06 Navy team and a three-time high school state champion at Fort Zumwalt South. We look forward to adding her talents and character to further our program’s success.”