Syracuse women’s soccer signs nine to National Letters of Intent
The Syracuse University women’s soccer program has signed nine newcomers to National Letters of Intent, head coach Nicky Adams announced.
The group includes one transfer and eight incoming freshmen. Two of those who have signed the NLI plan to enroll in January 2021 for the spring semester.
The lone transfer is Chloe Deveze from San Clemente, Calif. Deveze joins the Orange from Saddleback College (Calif.).
The list of signees also includes midfielder Koby Commandant, forward Erin Flurey, goalkeeper Sierra Giorgio, midfielder Kylen Grant, midfielder/forward Emma Klein, forward Kendyl Lauher, midfielder Ashley Rauch and midfielder Mags Thornton. Thornton, like Deveze, is planning to enroll in January 2021.
The class includes three Canadian signees and players from six different states (California, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Virginia).
Koby Commandant | Midfielder | Rockwood, Ontario (John F. Ross CVI)
Club Team: Burlington Bayhawks Youth Soccer, coaches Case Downey and Dino Colarossi
Commandant joins the Orange from Rockwood, Ontario, where she attended John F. Ross Collegiate Vocational Institute. Commandant was a four-sport athlete and competed in soccer, basketball, field hockey and dodgeball. The two-time team captain was named her high school’s junior athlete of the year and basketball MVP. Commandant is a two-time district soccer champion and a member of the Athletic Council. The Royals did not play in the fall due to CoVID-19.
Coach Adams on Commandant: “Koby is a versatile player who can play many positions for us here at Syracuse. She understands the game very well, she’s disciplined with her decision making and she will provide composure and efficiency to our midfield.”
Chloe Deveze | M/F | San Clemente, Calif. (San Clemente/Penn Foster (Pa.)/Saddleback College)
Deveze contributed three goals and four assists as a freshman at Saddleback and the Gauchos finished 13-6-4. The team did not compete this past fall because of the pandemic. She spent three high school seasons at San Clemente High School and a year at Penn Foster High School (Pa.). She was a Triton team captain in 2018.
Coach Adams on Deveze: “Chloe is a very creative attacking-minded midfielder who will provide a lot for our attack next year. Technically, she is very efficient and very clean and will cause a lot of problems for teams on the dribble. We are very excited Chloe decided to transfer to Syracuse.”
Erin Flurey | Forward | Manchester, N.H. (Central HS)
Club Team: Seacoast United, Coach Ian Scott
Flurey played on back-to-back state championship teams at Central H.S. in 2017 and 2018. A first-team all-state honoree as a freshman and as a sophomore, Flurey was also a team captain for her senior season. She established the Little Green record for single-season goals (27) and tallied 58 during her scholastic tenure. In her three seasons of play, Central was 46-4 on the pitch. Flurey was president of the school’s National Honor Society.
Coach Adams on Flurey: “Erin is a relentless forward who will add an immediate toughness to our front line. She definitely takes her game very personal. Erin is powerful, she is strong and she has great speed. Her work ethic on both sides of the ball is tremendous and she has a knack for scoring goals.”
Sierra Giorgio | Goalkeeper | Vaughan, Ontario (Bill Crothers Secondary School)
Club Team: Ontario REX, Goalkeeper Coach Tania Singfield
A native of Vaughan, Ontario, Giorgio has excelled since 2018 in the Canada Soccer Regional Excel Program. A standout keeper, Giorgio was selected to attend the Under-17 Canadian Women’s National Camp in May 2019 and September 2019. She represented her country in the Under-15 Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) Championship in 2018. She produced a clean sheet in her first international match, a 1-0 victory against the Dominican Republic.
Coach Adams on Giorgio: “Sierra is one of the great, young, powerful goalkeepers coming up who has had plenty of experience playing with the Canadian Youth National Team Program. Sierra is a left-footed goalkeeper with great range and great hands. She is disciplined, has great communication and definitely has a winning mentality. She is brave and fearless, and we are so excited she is part of our Orange Family.”
Kylen Grant | Midfielder | Ottawa, Ontario (Sir Wilfred Laurier Secondary School)
Club Team: Ottawa TFC, Coach Pavel Cancura
Kylen played soccer, basketball and track and field at Sir Wilfred Laurier. Her club soccer team finished fourth at the 2018 Under-15 Toyota National Championship and won the event in 2019.
Coach Adams on Grant: “Kylen will add immediate depth to our back line. She is versatile and comfortable with both feet and so she will be able to play on either side of the field. She has the athleticism to make a great attacking back for our team. She is someone who brings great enthusiasm and great attitude.”
Emma Klein | Midfielder/Forward | Amherst, N.Y. (Amherst HS)
Club Team: WNY Flash, coaches Eric Dade and Aaran Lines
Klein was a member of Section VI, Class A-2 championship teams at Amherst High School in 2016, 2018 and 2019. In those three campaigns, the Tigers were a combined 38-16-4. She accumulated 25 goals and 12 assists in her varsity career and was named Amherst’s MVP in 2017, 2018 and 2019. She earned first-team All-Erie County Interscholastic Conference (ECIC) recognition three times and in 2019 was named Class A Fourth-Team All-State. Klein was also a 1,000-point scorer in basketball and a three-time team MVP at Amherst.
Coach Adams on Klein: “Emma is a tough central defender who is very strong in her tackles, wins balls out of the air and has great speed. She understands the game very well and will be able to start her attack out of our back because of her composure and decision-making. We are so excited she chose Syracuse.”
Kendyl Lauher | Forward | Davidson, N.C. (Cannon School)
Club Team: Charlotte Independence Soccer Club, Coach Neil Roberts
A two-sport standout at Cannon School, Lauher competed in soccer and track and field for the Cougars. She was named the program’s soccer offensive MVP in 2018 and 2019 and earned all-conference honors in 2018 (second team) and 2019 (first team). Lauher has three seasons of service as the Cougars’ team captain heading into her final scholastic campaign. In 2020 she tallied nine goals and 15 assists.
Coach Adams on Lauher: “Kendyl is a tough, speedy filling player with an engine to perform at this next level. Kendyl’s athleticism will make her a force to reckon with and she will be dangerous on both sides of the ball. Her club and ODP experiences will have her well-prepared for this next step.”
Ashley Rauch | Midfielder | Reston, Va. (South Lakes HS)
Club Team: The St. James (TSJ) FC Virginia. Coaches Christian Cziommer and Bobby Puppione
Rauch has competed for TSJ FC Virginia since she was eight years old. She most recently competed in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy. Rauch led her FC Virginia team in assists and was a five-time Development Academy weekly standout. In the spring of 2018, Rauch won “Goal of the Week,” a weekly national social-media competition led by the Development Academy.
Coach Adams on Rauch: “Ashley will add a lot to our attacking unit next year. She is one of those players who can attack off the dribble, she can set-up teammates with her distribution or she can finish goal-scoring opportunities herself. She is dynamic and quick and will be a handful for our opponents next year. We have no doubt she will be able to hit the ground running and make an impact next fall.”
Mags Thornton | Midfielder | West Chester, Pa. (West Chester East HS)
Club Team: Penn Fusion, coaches Shane Coyne and Craig Scangarella
A product of West Chester East, Thornton has been part of the Developmental Academy program. She competed at the U.S. Training Center for four years and participated in the 2017 U.S. Club Soccer’s id2 Program Training Camp held in Indiana.
Coach Adams on Thornton: “Mags is an extremely competitive midfielder who has very good speed of play. She is great at reading the game and will create many opportunities for her teammates around her. She comes from one of the best clubs in our region in Penn Fusion where current player Kailee Coonan played. We know the environment she is in on a daily basis, and that will definitely prepare her well for the next stage of her soccer career here at Syracuse.”
