SMU women’s soccer program brings in trio of transfers and two freshmen

DALLAS (SMU) – SMU Women’s Soccer Head Coach Nicole Nelson added three transfers and two incoming freshmen to the roster ahead of the 2025 season.

“We are very excited by the ground we were able to cover in the transfer portal with this class,” Nelson said.  “These women add significant quality to our very talented roster of returning players, as well as align with our values and standards. We believe they will make us better immediately and set us up for success in this ACC powerhouse of women’s soccer.”

The Mustangs added the trio of Claire Jones, Sydney Japic and Zoe Parkhurst from the portal, all of which can affect the game offensively and defensively while also bringing experience onto the pitch. Japic brings not only international experience playing for Bosnia’s national team but also NCAA Championship experience, appearing in four tournament games during the 2022 championships with Alabama. Jones started every game she played in at Oregon State last season and was second on the team in assists. Parkhurst was a multi-year US National Training Center invitee prior to her time at Oklahoma.

On National Signing Day, SMU added two high-level freshmen who are poised to make an impact next season. The duo is highlighted by Lindsay Nicholson, who is currently an academy player for the Tampa Bay Sun FC.

The five will join a talented SMU roster that returned 21 players from last season, including Nyah Rose, Hali Hartman, Lydia Ungashick and Liz Eddy, who were leaders in different statistical categories.

SMU begins off-season training in the upcoming weeks and will look to build on the team’s success from its inaugural season in the ACC. SMU scored 32 goals last season, the most under Nelson and the most since 2019. On the defensive side, the Mustangs recorded four shutouts during the season and had eight of the team’s 10 ACC games decided by one goal or less.

The Mustangs faced nine teams that held a top-25 ranking at least once during the season and seven that were ranked when the teams played. For the first time in Women’s College Cup history, the ACC sent four teams to the national semifinals, as the conference had six in the Elite Eight.

TRANSFERS

#25 Claire Jones, Jr., 5-7, Midfielder, Ridgefield, Wash.

Claire Jones comes to the Hilltop after spending the last two seasons at Oregon State. Last season, she started each of her 16 appearances and recorded 1,325 minutes on the pitch. She ended the year with one goal and three assists and was named to the All-WCC Academic Team. She stated 22 out of 28 games at OSU tallied 1,967 minutes. Prior to Oregon State, she attended Ridgefield High School, where she was First Team All-League and All-Region junior and senior year. Jones was also a District Champion in her freshman and sophomore year and Second Team All-League her freshman season.

#7 Sydney Japic, Sr., 5-9, Midfielder/Defender, Palo Alto, Calif.

Sydney Japic played the last three seasons at Alabama before transferring to SMU. She started in 14 out of 20 games played and totaled over 1,000 minutes played on the pitch. She helped the Tide record four shutouts and tallied two assists during the season. Japic brings a lot of experience to the Hilltop, as she has played in 57 games with 23 starts in her career. She also appeared in four NCAA tournament games during the Tides tournament run in 2022. Prior to college, she attended Hebron High School and was named first-team all-district 6A from 2019-21. Japic has also spent time on the international stage, playing in the UEFA U-19 and U-17 Euro qualifiers with the Bosnian National Team (2019 & 2021). She also scored a goal at the U17 UEFA Euro Qualifiers against Belgium in 2019.

#11 Zoe Parkhurst Jr., 5-8, Midfielder, Menlo Park, Calif.

Zoe Parkhurst transfers to SMU after playing at Oklahoma for the last two seasons. She appeared in six games last season with 110 minutes on the pitch. She comes to SMU having played 15 career games with 383 minutes played. Prior to college, she attended IMG Academy and was a multiyear US Soccer National Training Center invitee (2016, 2017, 2020, 2021) as well as a team captain on the IMG U19 and U16 teams.

FRESHMEN

#10 Lindsay Nicholson, Fr., 5-11, Midfielder, Palm Harbor, Fla.

A native of Palm Harbor, Fla.,she is currently an academy player for the Tampa Bay Sun FC, which has helped take her game to the next level. Nicholson played club soccer for NC Courage before making the move to play with Tampa’s USL team. She played two years of varsity-level soccer at Palm Harbor University High School, where she made back-to-back 7A final four appearances, contributing 19 goals and 11 assists during her freshman season and 17 goals and six assists as a sophomore year.

# 9 Julianna Millin, Fr., 5-6, Forward, McAllen, Texas

A goal-scoring forward, Julianna Millin is a native of McAllen, Texas, who played for McAllen High School. In three years of high school soccer, she became McAllen’s high school all-time goals leader, scoring 148 goals, including 42 as a freshman. She led her team to a UiL 5A Elite 8 appearance and was a three-time First Team All-Region honoree (2022, 2023, 2024). She was also named the Rio Grande Valley Player of the Year in 2022 and 2024 and was named to the Republic of Ireland Youth National Team u17 Player Pool (2022). Millin plays club soccer in the ECNL for Sting Austin.