Herlihy and Women's Soccer Announce Talented 2018 NLI Signing Class

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AKRON, Ohio – Under the guidance of head coach Noreen Herlihy, the University of Akron women's soccer team announced the signing of eight talented players to National Letters of Intent to join the class of 2022.

"We are excited about this group of young women joining our program. Their arrival, coupled with the current crop of young players and the senior class adding their experience, allows for a nice blend. The incoming players will certainly add to the squad, and it's nice to know that the majority of this team will be together for the next three seasons as it will, primarily, be made up of sophomores and freshmen That should provide some stability for the program moving forward over the next few years," said Herlihy "Everyone is excited about the upcoming season to see how it all unfolds. I want to thank Rob, Ben and Nicole for all their respective efforts in the recruitment process; and also Anne Jorgensen and Greg Landis for their assistance too."

The Zips 2018 signing class welcomes three Ohio Natives, Hailey Clere, Kayleigh Penton, and Sydney Worthy, as well as five from out of state in Kat Costa (Pa.), Isabelle Henderson (Mo.), Erin McKinney (Ill.), Carly Pcholinsky (Pa.), and Sydney Ward (Pa.).

Name	Pos.	Hometown \| High School \| Club
Hailey Clere	MF	Oregon, Ohio \| Clay High School \| Pacesetters
Kat Costa	D	Meadville, Pa. \| Villa Maria Academy \| Beadling Soccer Club
Isabelle Henderson	GK	St. Peters, Mo. \| Fort Zumwalt East High School \| Missouri Rush Soccer Club
Erin McKinney	GK	Belvidere, Ill. \| Belvidere North High School \| Campton United
Carly Pcholinsky	MF	South Park, Pa. \| South Park High School \| Pittsburgh Riverhounds
Kayleigh Penton	MF/D	Vermillion, Ohio \| Vermillion High School \| Cleveland United
Sydney Ward	MF	Connellsville, Pa. \| Greensburg Central Catholic \| Pittsburgh Riverhounds
Sydney Worthy	F/MF	Groveport, Ohio \| Madison Christian School \| Ohio Premier

Signee Biographies

Hailey Clere
Position: Midfielder
Hometown: Oregon, Ohio
High School: Clay High School
Club: Pacesetters

High School: Four-time varsity letterwinner at Clay High School … two-time First-Team All-Three Rivers Athletic Conference honoree (2016-17) and earned Second-Team All-League honors as a sophomore (2015) … from her sophomore to senior season, earned honorable mention All-District, Second-Team All-District, and First-Team All-District honors … as a senior named to the All-State (Ohio) Second-Team … Clere led all mid-fielders in points her last three seasons, was third on the squad in points overall as junior (2016), and was the team leader in goals and points as a senior (2017) … as a team, district runner-up as a sophomore and junior, as well as TRAC champions and a district qualifier in her senior season.

Kat Costa
Position: Defender
Hometown: Meadville, Pa.
High School: Villa Maria Academy
Club: Beadling Soccer Club

High School: Four-year varsity letterwinner and starter at Villa Maria Academy … four-time District 10 champion (2014-17), Pennsylvania State champion (2015) and State runner-up (2014) … named Defensive Player of the Year as a senior (2017).

Isabelle Henderson
Position: Goalkeeper
Hometown: St. Peters, Mo.
High School: Fort Zumwalt East Lions High School
Club: Missouri Rush Soccer Club

High School: A three-year starter and varsity letterwinner in goal for Fort Zumwalt East High School … started every game in her career en route to a pair of first-team All-Gateway Athletic Conference honors (2015-16) and was named to the Second-Team All-GAC unit as a freshman (2014) … compiled a 37-36-2 record in the net … as a sophomore, posted eight solo shutouts and won districts for the first time in school history.

Erin McKinney
Position: Goalkeeper
Hometown: Belvidere, Ill.
High School: Belvidere North High School
Club: Campton United

High School: Three-time varsity letterwinner with the Belvidere North women's soccer team … in her sophomore and junior seasons, was named to the All-Northern Illinois Conference team and the All-District team … earned team MVP honors as a sophomore and the Rock River Valley Player of the Year following her junior season.

Carly Pcholinsky
Position: Midfielder
Hometown: South Park, Pa.
High School: South Park High School
Club: Pittsburgh Riverhounds

High School: Four-year starter and varsity letterwinner at South Park High School … four-time Sectional Champion (2014-17) … in her final three seasons, was named to the All-Section team and All-Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League unit … as a senior, tallied 24 goals, 13 assists and 61 total points.

Kayleigh Penton
Position: Midfielder/Defender
Hometown: Vermillion, Ohio
High School: Vermillion High School
Club: Cleveland United

High School: Earned four varsity letters at Vermillion High School (2014-17) … two-time Sandusky Bay Conference Player of the Year (2016-17) and was named Lorain County Player of the Year as a junior (2016) … named to the First-Team All-West Shore Conference as a freshman and to the All-SBC First-Team in her final three seasons … totaled 34 career assists and set a Vermillion High School record for most assists in a career … in her career, scored 49 goals, which included setting a team record for most goals in a season by a unit in 2015 … totaled 132 points in her career.

Sydney Ward
Position: Midfielder
Hometown: Connellsville, Pa.
High School: Greensburg Central Catholic
Club: Pittsburgh Riverhounds

High School: Earned four varsity letters as a full-time starter for Greensburg Central Catholic … three-time Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League champion (2014-15, 2017) and WPIAL finalist (2016) … in her high school career, tallied 65 goals, 51 assists, and 181 total points, including a career-best 20 goals, 15 assists, and 55 points in her senior season … after her senior season, was named an All-Section and All-WPIAL All-Star.

Sydney Worthy
Position: Forward/Midfield
Hometown: Groveport, Ohio
High School: Madison Christian School
Club: Ohio Premier

High School: As a freshman, earned Central District Third-Team honors in division three and earned a varsity letter … in her sophomore and junior seasons, earned two varsity letters with the Madison Christian boys' varsity squad that finished in first place in the Mid-Ohio Christian Athletic League.

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Herlihy and Women's Soccer Announce Talented 2018 NLI Signing Class

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