University of Virginia women’s soccer welcomes 10 newcomers

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The University of Virginia women’s soccer team will welcome 10 new faces to the pitch, as head coach Steve Swanson has announced the 2020 recruiting class.

The class is ranked second nationally by Top Drawer Soccer and features eight players ranked in the top 170 players in the nation – including four players among the top 36 players and two in the top 10.

Sarah Brunner, Maggie Fralin, Lia Godfrey, Peyton Goldthwaite, Samar Guidry, Brianna Jablonowski, Elaine Rouse, Laughlin Ryan and Alexis Theoret will join transfer Sarah Clark from Purdue as part of the squad for the next season.

“First of all, we hope everyone is safe and healthy during this unprecedented time in our history,” said Virginia head coach Steve Swanson. “We also want to take the time to thank all the health care providers and first line responders for all they are doing and continue to do to keep our communities safe, especially here at Virginia. Despite the pandemic and in looking forward to better days ahead, we are extremely excited to announce our 2020 recruiting class. This class has tremendous potential to impact our program both in the short and long term as there is a great blend of motivated, competitive, driven, thoughtful and talented athletes. We are looking forward to the day they can officially join our program and cannot wait to introduce them to our great fans in and around our soccer community in earnest this fall.”

The incoming class of players joins 21 players who return from last year’s squad that posted a 17-2-3 record that included an undefeated conference record and a stretch of seven consecutive shutouts in ACC play. The squad advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the 26th straight season and 32nd time overall. The returning squad also features four players who received All-ACC honors and a pair of United Soccer Coaches All-Region honorees.

2020-21 VIRGINIA WOMEN’S SOCCER NEWCOMERS

Sarah Brunner – Forward/Defender – Jacksonville, Fla. (Mandarin HS)
Club: United Soccer Alliance DA
• Ranked No. 160 in the IMG Academy Rankings by Top Drawer Soccer

Sarah Clark – Defender – Brighton, Mich. (Mercy HS/Purdue)
Club: Michigan Hawks
• Started 36-of-37 games in two seasons of competition at Purdue
• 2017 Big Ten All-Freshman Team
• 3 goals, 6 assists for 13 total points in her Purdue career
• 2016 and 2017 ECNL National Champions with Michigan Hawks

Maggie Fralin – Defender – Richmond, Va. (Collegiate School)
Club:  Richmond United
• 2018 All-State Second Team
• 2018 All-LIS selection

Lia Godfrey – Forward – Fleming Island, Fla. (HS)
Club: United Soccer Alliance DA
• Ranked No. 10 in the IMG Academy Rankings by Top Drawer Soccer
• 2016 U17 Women’s World Cup – US Youth National Team (competed with U17’s as a 14-year-old)
• U19 US Youth National Team
• US Soccer Development Academy – East Region Player of the Year
• U20 US Youth National Team Player Pool

Peyton Goldthwaite – Midfielder – Durham, N.C. (Durham Academy)
Club: NC Courage DA
• Ranked No. 99 in the IMG Academy Rankings by Top Drawer Soccer
• U16 US Youth National Team Player Pool
• ODP Regional & State Team

Samar Guidry – Defender – McKinney, Texas (McKinney HS)
Club: FC Dallas DA
• Ranked No. 8 in the IMG Academy Rankings by Top Drawer Soccer
• 2018 U17 Women’s World Cup – US Youth National Team
• U19 US Youth National Team
• United Soccer Coaches All-America
• 2020 U20 US Youth National Team

Brianna Jablonowski – Forward – Centerport, N.Y. (St. Anthony’s)
Club: FC Fury NY DA
• Ranked No. 170 in the IMG Academy Rankings by Top Drawer Soccer
• ODP Regional & State Team

Elaine Rouse – Defender – Cary, N.C. (Cary Academy)
Club: NC Courage DA
• Ranked No. 26 in the IMG Academy Rankings by Top Drawer Soccer
• U14, U16, U19, U20 US Youth National Teams
• ODP Regional & State Team

Laughlin Ryan – Midfielder – Charlotte, N.C. (Myers Park HS)
Club: Charlotte Soccer Academy DA
• Ranked No. 116 in the IMG Academy Rankings by Top Drawer Soccer
• U19 US Youth National Team

Alexis Theoret – Midfielder – Ashburn, Va. (Oakton HS)
Club: FC Virginia DA
• Ranked No. 36 in the IMG Academy Rankings by Top Drawer Soccer
• U16, U18 US Youth National Team