Two-time reigning Big Ten champion Michigan State unveils 2024 recruiting class

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State women’s soccer head coach Jeff Hosler has announced the signing of nine incoming student-athletes to the Spartans’ 2024 roster on National Signing Day.

The Spartans welcome one of the top recruiting classes in the nation, earning recognition from Prep Soccer as the 12th-ranked class while landing at No. 17 in the TopDrawerSoccer recruiting class rankings.

See below for a look at each member of Michigan State’s signing class.

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Julia Belli | Defender | Dublin, Ohio | Ohio Premier ECNL

Prior to MSU: Plays club soccer for Ohio Premier ECNL under coaches Becky Broering, Kevin Dougherty, Chris King and William Gage … Ranked No. 63 in the TopDrawerSoccer IMG 150 (four-star prospect) and No. 72 in the Prep Soccer rankings for the class of 2024 … Three-time ECNL Ohio Valley First Team All-Conference selection (2021-23) … Named an ECNL U-16 All-American in 2022 … 2022 ECNL Arizona National Selection Game participant … Selected for ECNL National Training Camp in 2022 … 2019 id2 Selection Camp participant … Four-year honor roll student and National Honor Society member at Dublin Jerome High School.

Personal: Daughter of Brandon and Jackie Belli … Has two older siblings, Lindsay and Trent … Plans on studying kinesiology at Michigan State.

Cassidy Corcione | Defender | Howell, N.J. | PDA ECNL

Prior to MSU: Plays club soccer for coaches Nick Heinemann and Mike O’Neil with Players Development Academy (PDA) ECNL … Ranked No. 12 in the Prep Soccer rankings and No. 68 in the TopDrawerSoccer IMG Top 150 (four-star prospect) for the class of 2024 … Named an ECNL Northeast Player to Watch … ECNL National Champion in 2019 with PDA, while also a finalist in 2021 … 2018, 2019 and 2021 ECNL Northeast Conference champion … 2019 International Champions Cup finalist … Has experience with the U.S. Youth National Team as a member of the player pool, while also participating in ID camps since 2016 … Named to U.S. National Team U-16 and U-17 rosters … Four-year varsity soccer starter at Freehold Township High School … Selected to play in the High School Senior All-American game in December 2023 … USA Today Girls Soccer Player of the Year nominee … Three-time Division and Central Jersey Group 4 Champion (2020-22), two-time Shore Conference Champion and state finalist (2021-22) and 2022 New Jersey High School State Champion with Freehold Township … Individually, collected All-American and NJ Player of the Year honors and was named First Team All-State, All-Group 4, All-Conference and All-Division in 2021, while earning First Team All-Shore and All-Division honors in 2020 for Freehold Township … Also ran varsity winter and spring track & field at Freehold Township in the 2020 and 2021 seasons … Named to the Principals Honor Roll all four years in high school.

Personal: Daughter of Anthony and Kelly Corcione … Mother played soccer at Rutgers … Has two older brothers, Cristian and Connor … Cristian played baseball at Kean University … Uncle, Jeff Mussleman, played baseball at Harvard and spent time with the New York Mets and Toronto Blue Jays in the MLB … Cousins Maddie and Alex Musselman played water polo at UCLA, while Maddie plays for Team USA … Intends to major in kinesiology at Michigan State and plans to become a physical therapist or orthopedic surgeon.

Lexi Grundler | Goalkeeper | Brentwood, Tenn. | Tennessee Soccer Club ECNL

Prior to MSU: Plays club soccer for Tennessee Soccer Club ECNL under Greg Warden … Ranked No. 196 by Prep Soccer for the class of 2024 … 3-star prospect by TopDrawerSoccer…  Named to the 2023 United Soccer Coaches All-American Watch List … Named to 2022 ECNL Tennessee National Selection Game roster … Two-time United Soccer Coaches All-American (2021-22) … Two-time ECNL Ohio Valley All-Conference selection … 2020 ECNL Ohio Valley Conference Selection Program participant … Three-year (2019-21) Olympic Development Program Tennessee State Team member … Part of the 2021 Olympic Development Program South Region Team … Four-year varsity soccer player at Ravenwood High School… 2023 Girls High School All-American … Two-time Tennessee District 11 Goalkeeper MVP of the Year (2022-23) … Selected to play in the High School Senior All-American game in December 2023 … Three-time Tennessee All-District 11 Team (2021-23) … Named 2020 TSSAA All-Mid State … TSSAA D1 AAA State Champion in 2020 and State Runner-Up in 2023.

Personal: Daughter of George and Lea Grundler … Has one sister, Addison … Intends to double major in business and biology at Michigan State and plans to become a dentist.

Grace Jackson | Midfielder | Hudson, Ohio | Internationals Soccer Club ECNL 

Prior to MSU: Plays for coaches Zdravko Popović and Keri Sarver with Internationals Soccer Club ECNL … Ranked No. 50 in the TopDrawerSoccer IMG 150 and No. 57 in the Prep Soccer rankings in the class of 2024 … 2022 ECNL Florida Selection Game participant … Two-time ECNL National Training Camp participant (2022-23) … Three-time ECNL Ohio Valley First Team Selection (2020-22) … 2019 and 2022 ECNL Ohio Valley champion … Four-time Ohio State Cup champion (2014-18) … 2018 USL Super Y League champion … Three-time ECNL Champions League (2018, 2022-23) … Member of the US Youth National Team player pool from 2019 to 2023 … Two-time US Youth National Team National Camp participant (2019-20) … Seven-time Regional US Youth National Team ID Camp participant (2017-22) … Played varsity basketball at Walsh Jesuit High School, where she was an All-Conference honorable mention in 2021 … Also earned an AAU Basketball national championship in 2020 … Two-year National Honor Society and National Spanish Honor Society member at Walsh Jesuit.

Personal: Daughter of Scott and Noreen Jackson … Has two older brothers, Ryan and Will … Father played football at Adrian College from 1989-91, while brother Will played soccer at Akron … Intends on majoring in finance and sports business management at Michigan State and plans on building her own business at the conclusion of her soccer career.

Samantha Maroni | Defender | Centennial, Colo. | Colorado Rapids Soccer Club ECNL

Prior to MSU: Plays for coach Sebastian Giraldo with Colorado Rapids Soccer Club ECNL … Ranked No. 164 in the TopDrawerSoccer IMG Top 150 (3-star prospect) and No. 192 in the Prep Soccer rankings in the class of 2024 … ECNL national semifinalist in 2023 and national runner-up in 2022 … Invited to multiple US Youth National Team camps, including the 2022 and 2023 USYNT Tryout Camps … Also invited to the USYNT Regional ID Camp in 2021 and USYNT U-14 ID Camp in 2020 … 2018 Olympic Development Program Regional Camp participant in 2018 … Four-year varsity soccer player at Grandview High School … 2022 CHSAA 5A State Champion and two-time First Team All-State Honorable Mention … Two-year varsity soccer captain at Grandview … Three-year honor roll student at Grandview.

Personal: Daughter of Paul and Nikki Maroni … Has a brother, Anthony … Intends to major in interior design at Michigan State and plans to be an architect or interior designer.

Kaleigh McPherson | Midfielder | St. Charles, Mo. | St. Louis Scott Gallagher ECNL 

Prior to MSU: Plays club soccer for St. Louis Scott Gallagher ECNL under the direction of Scott McDoniel … Two-time ECNL First Team All-Conference (2021-22) … Earned top-50 rankings from TopDrawerSoccer (3-star prospect) during her U-15 and U-16 seasons … Missouri State Cup Champion in 2019 … id2 Training Camp and National Camp participant in 2019 … Named to ICC Futures Tournament and Midwest All-Star Team in 2019 … 2018 US Club Soccer PDP Event participant … Attended Youth National Team ID Sessions in 2019, 2020 and 2022 … Three-time Missouri State Olympic Development participant (2018-20) … Four-time Olympic Development Regional ID Camp participant (2018-21) … 2019 Olympic Development Program Midwest Sub-Regional All-Star and Midwest Regional Team … 2020 Olympic Development Inter-Regional Event participant … Played one season of varsity soccer at Saint Dominic High School, where she was a state and district champion in 2021 and named First Team All-Conference and Newcomer of the Year … National Honor Society Member at Saint Dominic.

Personal: Daughter of Jim and Michelle McPherson … Has one brother, Kade … Cousin, Grace, attends Michigan State … Father played soccer at Missouri State, while her cousin, Brooke Scheurmann currently plays lacrosse at Elon … Plans to major in nursing at Michigan State.

Ava Panduren | Forward | Almont, Mich. | Nationals Girls Academy 

Prior to MSU: Plays club soccer for Nationals Girls Academy under coach David Robertson … Ranked No. 212 in the class of 2024 by Prep Soccer … 3-star prospect by TopDrawerSoccer… 2023 Girls Academy U-17 National semifinalist and Mid-America Conference champion … Three-time Girls Academy Mid-America ID Camp participant (2021-23) … 2022 Girls Academy U-16 National quarterfinalist and Mid-America Conference champion … 2022 Girls Academy Champions League club champion … 2021 Girls Academy U-15 National quarterfinalist and Mid-America Conference champion … USYS Midwest Regional Championship finalist, MSYSA State Cup Champion and Las Vegas Mayor’s Cup Invitational Finalist in 2019 … Super Y North American Finalist, MSYSA Junior State Cup finalist, CUP Elite Invitational champion and Jefferson Cup Champion in 2018 … Three-year varsity basketball player and captain at Almont High School … Also runs varsity track & field at Almont, where she broke the school record and was named All-State in the 4x100m relay … LINKS Program participant at Almont.

Personal: Daughter of Chad and Angela Panduren … Has two older siblings, Alayna and Nolan … Great aunt, Valerie Sulfaro (Heldt) graduated from MSU in 1983, while great uncle, David Irwin, graduated in 1977 … Plans to major in either special education or communications at Michigan State and career plans include becoming a professional sports team manager.

Gabriella Paonessa | Midfielder | Rochester Hills, Mich. | Nationals Girls Academy

Prior to MSU: Plays club soccer for Nationals Girls Academy under coaches Gronthik Chatterjee and David Robertson … Named to Girls Academy Mid-America Talent ID rosters … Attends Stoney Creek High School.

Personal: Daughter of Paul and Eva Paonessa … Has two brothers, Luca and Cristiano, and a sister, Alessia … Both parents attended Michigan State and were graduates of the Class of 1995 … Plans to major in human biology at Michigan State.

Shelby Vaughn | Forward | Creston, Ohio | North FC

Prior to MSU: Plays club soccer for North FC … US Club Soccer and NPL National Champion … Named to the Olympic Development Program National Team … Four-year varsity soccer player at Norwayne High School … Two-time high school district champion (2022-23) … Three-time WCAL Conference champion (2020-22) … Two-time WCAL Player of the Year (2022-23) … Four-time All-Daily Record Team (2020-23) … Daily Record Player of the Year in 2022 and Norwayne Offensive Player of the Year in 2022 and 2023 … Also played three years of varsity basketball and ran two years of varsity track & field at Norwayne.

Personal: Daughter of David and Lynn Vaughn … Has two siblings, Savannah and Austin … Intends to major in business at Michigan State and plans to own her own business.