FARMVILLE, Va. – Extending the program's winningest three-year run since joining the Big South in 2012, Longwood women's soccer head coach
Todd Dyer and associate head coach
Rich Stoneman have added 11 newcomers to the team for the 2019 season.
The new Lancers include players from five different states and the program's first-ever international player, all of whom will bolster a Longwood program coming off back-to-back top-three finishes in the Big South and a 17-6-5 conference record over the past three seasons.
The class includes midfielder/forward
Kyleigh Cox (Ridge, Md./St. Mary's Ryken), midfielder/forward
Kaia Deane (Edmonton, Alberta/St. Thomas More), midfielder
Catharine Forst (Bristow, Va./Brentsville), defender
Tori Gagliardi (Fuquay Varina, N.C./Fuquay Varina), defender
Sophia Guagliano (Great Falls, Va./Langley), midfielder/forward
Kate Ignudo (Fredericksburg, Va./Courtland), goalkeeper
Mary Kate Levush (Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge), goalkeeper
Lexi Ramonetti (Northport, N.Y./Northport), midfielder
Isa Villarreal (Newport News, Va./Menchville), forward
Gabby Young (Red Lion, Pa./Red Lion) and forward
Kiersten Yuhas (Fredericks, Md./Oakdale).
The crop of newcomers gives Longwood multiple additions at all four levels of the field and makes the freshman class the largest on Longwood's 30-woman roster. They will join a lineup that includes seven returning starters and 19 letterwinners from last year's squad, including United Soccer Coaches All-Region forward
Emilie Kupsov and a backfield anchored by former Big South Freshman of the Year
Carrie Reaver, returning senior starting defenders
Taylor Alvey and
Erica Sieben, and junior goalkeeper
Madison Van Dyke.
The 2019 version of Longwood women's soccer will be the 26th Lancer team under the leadership of Dyer, the 2017 Big South Coach of the Year who founded the program in 1993 and has amassed a career record of 261-172-37. The Lancers have enjoyed their best stretch in Big South play over the past three years with a .696 (17-6-5) winning percentage in that span, which is the program's best three-year mark since joining the conference seven years ago.
Kyleigh Cox is a 5-8 midfielder and forward from Ridge, Md., who starred at St. Mary's Ryken High School and lettered in soccer, swimming and track. As a senior, she dished a team-high 16 assists and scored nine goals en route to earning All-WCAC second-team and all-county first team honors. She was a four-time President's List selection and boasts extensive volunteer experience with her church and other school organizations.
Cox intends to major in nursing at Longwood and pursue a career as a neonatal nurse after graduation.
"From her family and her club, Kyleigh brings in an established soccer pedigree and culture," Dyer said. "Primarily a wide player, she can also find time on the ball in central positions with her ability to strike and spray the ball all over the field."
Kaia Deane will become the first international student-athlete to play in the Lancer women's soccer program, coming to Longwood from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada where she starred in the Alberta Women's Premier Soccer League and with the U19 Northern Ireland Women's Soccer Team. A 5-8 midfielder and forward, She won multiple championships with several clubs and organizations, including the Women's Premier League Provincial Championship with Northwest United SC, the U16 Provincial Gold Medal with the Victoria Soccer Club, gold medals with the Scottish United U14 SC and at the Saskatoon 8V8 Tournament, and a Soccer Team City Championship at St. Thomas More High School.
In addition to her soccer accolades, Deane boasts an extensive volunteer resume with time spent at the Boys and Girls Club of Edmonton, Hurricane Katrina relief, the Alberta Heart and Stroke Foundation, the Madden DeLuca Foundation for childhood heart disease and many others. She has taken part in book drives, clothing drives, a bike-a-thon and fundraising runs and was the recipient of the Caritas Christi Religion Award in 2017. She plans to major in business with an emphasis in marketing at Longwood continue her soccer career after graduation and become an entrepreneur like her mother, Janet.
"Kaia is our first international player, coming from Canada and also representing the Northern Ireland national team for her age group," Dyer said. "Her size, strength and ability on the ball make her a real threat from a variety of attacking positions, especially through the middle."
Catharine Forst is a 5-5 center midfielder from Bristow, Va., where she was a standout two-sport athlete in soccer and basketball at Brentsville District High School. The daughter of two former collegiate athletes at Big South rival High Point – her father, Chris, played tennis, and her mother, Sarah, soccer – Forst led Brentsville to three consecutive district titles and her club team, NVSC, to a pair of Virginia State Championships in 2016 and 2018. She split time between center back, center mid and forward with those programs and enjoyed a breakout junior season, scoring 32 goals for Brentsville. She scored one of those in just 12 seconds, the fastest goal in Brentsville history.
Forst was a two-year team captain and three-year team MVP in both basketball and soccer. She was all-state first-team in soccer and the Virginia State Player of the Year in 2018 while also earning all-district and all-region honors in both sports. She plans to major in psychology at Longwood and is exploring careers in pediatric psychology or physical therapist, as well as coaching.
"Cat is a strong holding midfielder who is capable of getting forward and scoring goals as well," Dyer said. "She's a well-rounded multi-sport athlete coming out of high school who is a winner and true leader."
Tori Gagliardi comes to Longwood after a state championship season at Fuquay Varina High School in Fuquay Varina, N.C. A 5-8 defender, she helped lead Fuquay Varina to the NCHSAA 4A State Championship in 2018, capping a senior season in which she captained the team and scored six goals with eight assists. That season saw her earn all-conference first team and all-region honors for the third consecutive season.
"Tori is a very athletic and versatile defender who plays with a mean streak," Dyer said. "She caught our attention as a central defender, but she has the pace and ability to get up and down the flanks as well, so it will be fun to see where she settles in."
Sophia Guagliano is a 5-10 defender from Great Falls, Va., where she played at Langley High School and with several championship club programs. She was a two-time Disney Champion and a 2017 Virginia State Champion with Loudoun 01 Red and has also played overseas in Germany and Czech Republic with VA State ODP. Also a three-year letterwinner in basketball at Langley, she was a four-year starter with the soccer program.
The daughter of a two-time All-American rugby player at Ohio State, Guagliano has volunteered at local elementary schools, a horse shelter for disabled children and adults and with various soccer camps and clinics. She plans to major in kinesiology and become a physical therapist after graduation.
"Due to an injury late in her high school season, we'll have to redshirt Sophia this fall," Dyer said. "However, her character and strength ensure that she will come back stronger than ever. When that happens she'll be a real physical force at any position on our back line."
Kate Ignudo hails from Fredericksburg, Va., where she was a four-year letterwinner and all-state performer at Courtland High School. A 5-6 midfielder and forward, she captained Courtland's squad and helped power them to a berth in the Virginia 4A State Championship game as a junior. She went on to earn all-district, all-region and all-state honors, as well as team MVP recognition.
A four-year member of the honor roll at Courtland, she has volunteered at TOTS Soccer and with various initiatives with her church. She plans to major in elementary education and pursue a career as an elementary school teacher and soccer coach after graduation.
"Kate can play all over the field, but we see her as a winger or outside mid for us," Dyer said. "She's got good pace and mobility in wide positions, along with a desire and ability to cut in and threaten goal."
Mary Kate Levush is a 5-7 goalkeeper from Pennridge High School in Perkasie, Pa., where she amassed a school-record 42 shutouts during her career. Eleven of those came during her senior year, while a school-record 15 came during a junior season in which she led Pennridge to the 2018 PIAA 4A State Championship game. Also a three-year letterwinner in softball, Levush was selected as a member of the South Eastern Pennsylvania Soccer Team in 2017 and to the Suburban One League Continental Conference Teams as a junior and senior.
A distinguished honor roll recipient during all four years of high school, Levush also puts her soccer knowledge to use as a volunteer at local youth soccer clinics. She plans to major in political science with a pre-law focus at Longwood and move on to law school after graduation.
"MK is a goalkeeper with all of the physical and mental tools to hit the ground running," Dyer said. "Even more impressive are those intangibles that really shape her work rate, leadership and contributions to team chemistry."
Lexi Ramonetti is a 5-7 goalkeeper from Northport, N.Y., who played both midfield and in goal at Northport High School. She spent her final two seasons as a center mid, scoring five goals and dishing three assists as a senior following a junior campaign in which she scored four goals and added six assists. She helped Northport to back-to-back Suffolk County AA Championships in 2016 and 2017 as well as a pair of trips to the quarterfinals of the New York State Championship tournament. Young was an all-county selection at Northport and captained the team as a senior while also participating with the Northport track team.
A member of the National Honor Society and World Language Honor Society, Ramonetti earned NYPHSAA Scholar-Athlete recognition during all four years of high school. She has volunteered at numerous initiatives with the National Honor Society and her youth group, as well as in the junior fire department. She intends to major in health and physical education at Longwood.
"Lexi is a very versatile goalkeeper who comes in having played a ton of minutes at the forward position as well," Dyer said. "This wires her mentally and equips her to deal with a lot of the attacking scenarios that she may face."
Isa Villarreal is a 5-4 midfielder who hails from Newport News, Va., where she lettered in both soccer and field hockey at Menchville High School. She earned regional recognition on both teams, being named to the All-Pen South Conference soccer team and to the all-state field hockey squad. The daughter of two former collegiate athletes – her father, Cary, played soccer at Christopher Newport, and her mother, Mandy, played rugby at Ashland University – she captained the Menchville soccer team as a senior and also received the Menchville field hockey team's Most Deserving Award.
An incoming member of the Longwood Cormier Honors College, Villarreal was also a member of the National Honor Society, National French Honor Society and National Art Honor Society. She served as president of the latter of those and was recognized with the Seal of Biliteracy in French. Also a volunteer with TOPSoccer, a community-based training and team placement program for young athletes with disabilities, she plans to major in biology. After graduation, she aspires to attend medical school with the long-term goal of becoming a medical examiner.
"As a central midfielder, Isa has strong technical ability, a high soccer IQ, and she competes with a chip on her shoulder," Dyer said. "With all of that in her tool box, she definitely has the potential to influence the game from the middle third of the field."
Gabby Young was a three-sport standout at Red Lion Area Senior High School in Red Lion, Pa., where she lettered in soccer, track and lacrosse. A 5-3 forward, she broke out as a senior with 17 goals and nine assists to lead Red Lion to the YAIAA Division I Championship. She was voted YAIAA Division 1 Player of the Year, all-state and all-county first team for that performance.
A four-year soccer letterwinner, Young amassed 35 goals and 14 assists in her four-year career and also captained Red Lion during that span. She was a Distinguished Honor Roll honoree and aims to major in nursing at Longwood. After graduation, she aspires to become a nurse anesthetist.
"Gabby is all about pace, power and finishing in the final third of the field," Dyer said. "If she turns the corner on her defender with the ball at her feet, she's going to be very tough to catch."
Kiersten Yuhas is a 5-3 forward and four-year letterwinner at Good Counsel and Oakdale High School in Frederick, Md., where she made a mark on both programs. As a freshman at Good Counsel, she helped the program capture the WCAC Championship and went on to enjoy similar success as an all-state first-team selection at Oakdale. She was the first player in Oakdale history – in both men's and women's soccer history – to earn that award, doing so on the strength of a senior campaign that saw her score 17 goals and dish 10 assists. She was also named to the All-Southern Region team that year, along with all-conference and all-county first-team honors.
For her high school career, Yuhas scored 39 goals and dished 25 assists and finished second in Oakdale history in total points. She also lettered in tennis at Oakdale and earned honor roll recognition at both schools. Her volunteer experience includes service at the Special Olympics Habitat for Humanity and various soccer camps. She plans to major in kinesiology or psychology at Longwood and pursue a professional soccer career overseas with a long-term goal of working in an athletic department at the high school or collegiate level.
"Kiersten's skillset and versatility gives us so many options in the middle and front thirds of the field. She's comfortable, capable and dangerous on the ball, while also showing a steady desire to get forward and threaten goal."
Those new Lancers will join their veteran counterparts for the first time in early August when the team returns to kick off its preseason camp. Fans can get their first look at the team in a series of three straight home exhibitions, beginning on August 17 against VCu and followed by an August 21 matchup against Mary Washington and an August 24 showdown against Chowan.
The Lancers will officially open the 2019 season against Howard on August 30 at 7 p.m., which will be the culmination of the annual Longwood Greatest Athletics March Ever.
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