University of Wisconsin women’s soccer to welcome nine new Badgers this fall

MADISON, Wis. – Nine new Badgers will join the University of Wisconsin women’s soccer team next fall, head coach Paula Wilkins announced on Wednesday.

Joining Wisconsin in 2021 are: Adelyn Boer (Ogden, Utah), Ally Cruz (Fitchburg, Wisconsin), Madison (Maddie) Ishaug (Eden Prairie, Minnesota), Mackenzie (Kenzie) Jacobson (Rosemount, Minnesota), Ashley Martinez (Wentzville, Missouri), Aidan McConnell (Dexter, Michigan), Riley Philbin (Northbrook, Illinois), Maia Richters (Farmington Hills, Michigan), and Joyelle Washington (Canton, Michigan).

Adelyn Boer, Midfielder, Ogden, Utah (Ogden High School/La Roca Fútbol Club)

Adelyn Boer joins the Badgers out of Ogden, Utah after playing for Ogden High School and La Roca Fútbol Club. In her senior season, Boer led the Ogden High School Tigers to an 11-0 regular season and a runner-up finish in the 4A state championship. She earned first team all-state honors after scoring 12 goals and tacking on seven assists in her final campaign as a Tiger. Boer served as team captain for La Roca from 2016-2018 and won a state championship with the team in 2020.

Outside of school she volunteered with the Junior League of Ogden and GOAL Foundation. She intends to study kinesiology in Madison. Her parents are Bryan and Andria Boer and she has two sisters, Olivia and Brielle, and a brother, Jack.

Wilkins on Adelyn: “Adelyn is an attacking center mid or forward. She has the ability to find spaces and combine with other players.  She has great vision and movement off the ball. Her ability to finish and flick balls to other players is very good. Adelyn’s attacking movement and vision adds another dimension for us and she will work well with the players we have.”

Why Boer chose Wisconsin: “Wisconsin stood out due to its gorgeous campus, solid soccer program, coaching staff, and strong academic programs. What sealed the deal was a visit to campus to attend an ID camp in Dec. 2018. It was easy for me to see myself growing and thriving as a soccer player within Wisconsin’s soccer program.”

Ally Cruz, Defender, Fitchburg, Wisconsin (Edgewood High School/Madison 56ers)

The sister of current Badger Maddie Cruz, Ally Cruz played on the back line for Edgewood and the Madison 56ers. In high school, she earned second team honors in the Badger South and won the championship in 2018. This season, she is the team captain for the Crusaders and will begin her senior campaign in May. For the 56ers, she was a team captain from 2018-2021 and a Wisconsin Fire all-star team selection from 2014-2017. In seven club seasons, she has won the state cup twice and earned runner-up finishes three times.

Cruz holds many high honors, including being the class president for three years, two years on La Sociedad Honoria Hispánica, and receiving high honor roll all four years of high school. Some of her many past community service projects include being a National Honor Society tutor, American Red Cross blood drive leader, Millennium Soccer youth coach, Eager Readers mentor, and Eight Miles to Clean Water volunteer. She plans on studying Business with concentrations in Marketing and Real Estate. Her parents are Annette and Lorenzo Cruz and she has a brother, Connor, and a sister, Maddie.

Wilkins on Cruz: “Ally is a local player who we have known and watched for many years. She is an athletic center back who has great vision. She can defend well, tackle, and can provide a physical presence for us. We are looking forward to developing her as a defender for us in the back.”

Why Cruz chose Wisconsin: “I chose The University of Wisconsin-Madison because I love my hometown. I am looking forward to furthering my soccer skills and knowledge of the game under one of the toughest and most competitive soccer programs in the country. I have always wanted to play soccer at a Big Ten school and could not be more excited to be a Badger.”

Madison (Maddie) Ishaug, Midfielder, Eden Prairie, Minnesota (Eden Prairie High School/Minnesota Thunder)

A native of Eden Prairie, Minnesota, Maddie Ishaug comes to the Badgers as the No. 62 rated recruit in the country and is a three-time all-state team selection. For MTA, Ishaug helped her team earn the MYSA league championship three times and is rated the No. 17 defender by Top Drawer Soccer.

She recently earned All-American honors for high school soccer and has earned academic all-state distinctions five times in two sports (soccer and track and field) and has earned a gold and red chord for maintaining a 3.9-4.0 GPA while taking AP courses. Ishaug is the president for the National Charity League and is a member of the National Honors Society. This fall, she plans on studying business with concentrations in marketing and finance. Her parents are Kurt and Kim Ishaug and she has two sisters, Sydney and Peyton.

Wilkins on Ishaug: “Maddie is an attacking center-midfielder who has much versatility. She has great experience coming from her MTA club team where she was responsible for creating many of the goals and opportunities for her team. She has very good pace, her work ethic is something that will work with our system right off the bat and we’re looking for her to develop into a wide, good attacking midfielder.”

Why Ishaug chose Wisconsin: “The positive but extremely competitive atmosphere of players and coaches with a winning mentality who push each other day in and day out, the high goals and expectations set to achieve, the athletic and academic opportunities and support provided, and the family environment.”

Mackenzie (Kenzie) Jacobson, Forward, Rosemount, Minnesota (Rosemount High School/Minnesota Thunder)

A forward from Rosemont, Minnesota, Kenzie Jacobson, joins club teammate Ishaug at Wisconsin. She is a four-year starter on the varsity soccer team at Rosemount, served as captain for the past two seasons, and holds school records for goals scored in a season (21), goals scored in a career (59), and total career points (78). As a junior, her school placed third in the state championship and won the conference her junior and senior season. This year she led the conference in scoring, was named a finalist for Ms. Soccer, and made all metro first team.

Off the pitch, Jacobson helps coach a community little league soccer camp and teaches a developmental psychology course to middle schoolers. She recently was recognized with the Athena award at her high school. Jacobson is undecided on a major. Her parents are Sam and Jennifer Jacobson and she has a brother, Zach, and a twin sister, Zoey.

Wilkins on Jacobson: “Kenzie is a speedy forward that played her club soccer with the Minnesota Thunder. She will bring us an ability to get behind defenses with her speed and open up other teams. She will also provide us some attacking off the flank, which we think will help us spread teams out. With her club team, she has been a scoring power. Kenzie’s experience in front of the goal and her ability to score will help her in the college game.

Why Jacobson chose Wisconsin: “I chose Wisconsin because it had everything I was looking for in a school that was close to home and would help me achieve my academic and athletic goals.”

Ashley Martinez, Midfielder, Wentzville, Missouri (Saint Dominic/St. Louis Scott Gallagher)

Ashley Martinez is a midfielder out of Missouri who played club soccer with St. Louis Scott Gallagher and played her sophomore high school season at Saint Dominic in O’Fallon, Missouri. She is the top-rated Top Drawer Soccer recruit out of Missouri and has helped her club team to two straight seasons ranked in the top ten nationally. In her only high school season thus far, Martinez earned AAA Newcomer of the Year, AAA first-team honors, Missouri All-State Offensive Player of the Year, and won a state championship at St. Dominic as a sophomore.

Outside of soccer, she is the St. Dominic Ambassador’s program president, Head of the House in St. Dominic’s house system, and is a member of the Female Leadership Initiative at St. Louis Scott Gallagher. Martinez also has more than 300 hours of community service with organizations like St. Vincent de Paul food pantry, Special Needs Soccer Organization (SPENCA), Disabled Athletes Sports Association (DASA), Crisis Nursery, and the St. Louis food bank.

She intends to pursue a degree in biology. Her parents are Ken and Jessica Martinez and she has a brother, Nicholas, and two sisters, Addie and Ava.

Wilkins on Martinez: “Ashley comes from a well-known program, Scott Gallagher and has played several different roles for them. She brings a defensive, physical presence in those roles. I think the defensive element for her, her ability to win tackles and 50-50 balls, is a dimension that will help us in the midfield and in the back.”

Why Martinez chose Wisconsin: “The soccer program, the people, the coaches, the quality of academics at the school, and the campus all excite me and fill me with great joy. These features have created an overall magical feeling of knowing this is the school for me. I know I will be pushed to be the best athlete, student, and person I can be and this knowledge is extremely comforting. I cannot explain how excited I am to be a Badger and spend the next four years of my life in Madison.

Aidan McConnell, Defender, Dexter, Michigan (Dexter High School/Michigan Hawks)

A center back from Dexter, Michigan, Aidan McConnell comes to Madison after playing for Dexter High School Dreadnoughts and club soccer for the Michigan Hawks of the Elite Clubs National League (ECNL). McConnell is in the top 150 of the Top Drawer Soccer rankings and has earned All-American distinctions from United Soccer Coaches and ECNL Midwest regional team honors. She has helped her teams win the Michigan State Cup in 2015 and 2016 and a runner up finish in the ECNL National Championship in 2019.

She plans of pursuing a degree in Biomedical Engineering at Wisconsin and was a member of the National Honors Society in high school. McConnell’s parents are Kerry and Jason McConnell and she has two brothers, Nate and Kellen.

Wilkins on McConnell: “Aidan is one of the best center backs in this recruiting class. She has great experience with youth national teams, being a captain with them for several national events. She has good experience in high pressure situations and has good vision, technical ability, and understanding of soccer IQ of the center back position. We are excited for her to join us and look forward to her joining the back four and being a part of our defensive core.”

Why McConnell chose Wisconsin: “I picked Wisconsin because it provided a great soccer and academic environment. It also gave an amazing college town feeling, with the whole city supporting the athletic teams. Overall, Madison just felt like home.”

Riley Philbin, Forward, Northbrook, Illinois (Glenbrook North High School/Eclipse)

Riley Philbin is a forward, from Northbrook, Illinois with great playing experience for the Eclipse Select based in the Chicago area. She has served as a captain for the club team for seven years and is a three-time Girls DA weekly standout. She made the ODP Illinois State Team in 2016 and played two seasons (2017-19) with FC United I where she totaled 31 goals in 48 starts.

A member of the National Honors Society, Philbin has earned honor roll every quarter in high school, while taking honors classes all four years. She is a Northbrook Women’s Junior Board leader and volunteers with Feed My Starving Children. Philbin is planning on studying business at Wisconsin. Her parents are Tom and Kristy Philbin and she has two sisters, Megan and Annie, and a brother, Jack.

Wilkins on Philbin: “A member of the Eclipse in Chicago, Riley is a wide attacking player or a central player, so that gives us some flexibility. She will be dangerous for us off the attack. She has good vision, she is confident on the ball, and her speed and dynamic movement will be an asset for our program.”

Why Philbin chose Wisconsin: “The first time I visited the University of Wisconsin-Madison, I felt at home. I am drawn to the exceptional academics, athletics, and sense of community. I knew that being surrounded by an incredible coaching staff and driven teammates would help my development and growth as a person and player.”

Maia Richters, Midfielder, Farmington Hills, Michigan (Stevenson High School/Michigan Hawks)

A midfielder from Farmington Hills, Michigan, Maia Richters will join the Badgers this fall after playing club soccer for the Michigan Hawks. She was named an ECNL Weekly Standout in September 2020 and was a part of the National ODP Pool in Phoenix, Arizona, in 2016. A three-star recruit according to Top Drawer Soccer, Richters was also named to the Michigan Hawks Super Cup roster for the 2021 campaign.

In school, she has earned an honor roll (2016-2021) and was recognized with an academic award and citizenship award in 2017. Richters has volunteered with Gleaners Community Food bank and the Michigan Wolves-Hawks. She is undecided on a major. Her parents are Amy and Lars Richters and she has a brother, Lukas.

Wilkins on Richters: “Maia will bring more versatility to our program. She has played on a team that has had great success, her ability to play up in an older age group has helped her development. Her versatility is key to fitting into our system and she can play different roles in our attacking system out wide. Her IQ and vision of the game is something that will set her apart.”

Why Richters chose Wisconsin: “The soccer fits my style of play and what I am comfortable with, the coaches are very welcoming, and have coached many successful teams. Also, many of my teammates and other players from the Hawks have enjoyed their time at Wisconsin and have said many great things about the school.”

Joyelle Washington, Forward, Canton, Michigan (Plymouth High School/Michigan Hawks)

A forward from Canton, Michigan, Joyelle Washington is one of the three incoming freshmen that played their club soccer for the Michigan Hawks. She holds a four-star rating from Top Drawer Soccer and is in the top 150 in the 2020 IMG Girls Academy rankings. She represented the United States as a member of the U-16 Girls National Team in 2017, scoring two goals in a match against Croatia.

Washington plans to study Health Science at Wisconsin. She is the daughter of David Washington and Errica Tolbert and has three sisters, Gabriella, Hannah, and Faith, and a brother, David.

Wilkins on Washington: “Joyelle is a powerful forward that will provide a different dimension than what we currently have here at Wisconsin with our attacking group. She was an integral part of creating and finishing off many chances for her club team. She will complement the current players we have here and add a new dimension that will make our attacking group more exciting.”

Why Washington chose Wisconsin: “Wisconsin is where I was meant to be. Away from home yet still close, a great soccer program, and great academics. Being a Badger sets you up to succeed in the now and the future.”