Soccer Adds 16 New Players on National Signing Day

Fourteen of the 16 new players join the team as freshmen, and one will be a junior in her first year with the Trojans after transferring from a junior college. The remaining player is a graduate student who got her undergraduate degree in England.

“I'm extremely excited with our 2015 class joining us this year,” Blewitt said. “We are adding strength in areas where we need it and adding depth throughout our squad, something that was lacking in our 2014 squad. We will be able to sustain the physical demands of playing two games in three days on the weekends with our 2015 squad.

“As a part of the rebuilding process, increasing the quality of your starting team becomes the initial priority, but sometimes a team can still lack enough quality on the bench. This won't be the case in the fall.”

New members of the roster include one goalkeeper, six midfielders, four defenders and four players who see a variety of positions on the field.

As has been the norm since Blewitt took over the program in December 2012, this recruiting class has an international flair to it. Four of the signees will be coming from Europe including two from England, one from Spain and one from Germany. Of the remaining 12, five come from Texas, four hail from Missouri, one is from Utah, one is from Oregon and one is from South Carolina.

“We will have daily competition in every position with this squad which is important in our development as a program,” Blewitt said. “Our roster stays diverse with many countries and states represented which I feel is important in the growth of each of our student-athletes as they live in an ever-increasing global society.”

Blewitt's tenure as the UALR head coach has been very successful from the start. Blewitt's 2013 squad doubled the team's 2012 win total, and the Trojans began the 2014 season with an incredible nine consecutive wins. UALR set school records in multiple categories last season including wins in a season, team goals against average, goals scored and shutouts.

UALR reached the Sun Belt Conference Tournament for the second consecutive season in 2014 and nearly upset top-seeded South Alabama.

The Trojans' 2015 schedule will be announced in the spring.

Arola Aparicio Gili | M/D | Sant Antoni de Vilamajor, Spain | Taller Ginebro
Aparicio Gili becomes UALR's first player from Spain when she joins the team in 2015, and she will be one of five European players come to the Trojans next year. Aparicio Gili was a midfielder and defender while playing seven years of high school soccer at Taller Ginebro in Barcelona.

Kayla Bell | MF/F | Portland, Ore. | Peninsula College (Grover Cleveland HS)
Bell, the Trojans' only player from Oregon, was a four-year letterwinner in soccer during high school while also playing three years of point guard on her basketball team. On the pitch, Bell was named to the All-State Team in 2012 while also being a captain that year. More recently, Bell played junior college soccer for Peninsula College in Port Angeles, Wash. In 2014, she finished fourth among Pirates with five assists and also added a goal while helping the team to the conference championship game.

Elizabeth Berkeley | D | Croydon, England | St. Mary's University London (Shirley HS)
Berkeley brings a wealth of experience to the Trojans for the 2015 season, as she will be a graduate student for UALR. Berkeley helped guide her St. Mary's University London team to the Division 1A championship in the BUCS (British NCAA) last season, and she also helped them to the Division 2A title in 2012-13. Berkeley played her club soccer for Chelsea Academy U19 among other teams, and previously played five years of soccer at Shirley High School.

Jacqueline Borucki | MF | Elsdorf, Germany | Sportschule Potsdam Friedrich-Ludwig Jahn
Borucki comes to UALR from Germany as the team's third German player in as many years. Borucki was a part of a highly successful FFC Turbine Potsdam team, a group that won the German Women's Championship in 2013-14 and placed second in the Bundesliga in 2012-13. She has claimed numerous other championships and awards during her time overseas, and was a member of the Girls' National Team as a U17 player in 2011-12.

Caitlyn Eddy | MF | St. Charles, Mo. | Francis Howell Central High School
At Francis Howell Central, Eddy, earned team MVP honors in her freshman year and won All-Conference and Offensive MVP honors as a sophomore. She played her club soccer with Lou Fusz Meyer and the St. Louis Scott Gallagher Elite. Also an avid golfer, Eddy earned two letters in high school on the golf team.

Bailey Fithian | MF | Georgetown, Texas | Georgetown High School
Fithian joins UALR as one of two players to player her club soccer with Lonestar Soccer Club (Talia Graves). At the club level, Fithian helped her team to a state championship in the spring of 2014 while also winning numerous other tournaments and showcases throughout her club career. At Georgetown, she began playing on the varsity team as a freshman and was a letterman all four seasons. She served as a captain for her senior year. A two-sport athlete in high school, Fithian also played volleyball for a season as an outside hitter.

Talia Graves | MF/F | Pflugerville, Texas | Hendrickson High School
Graves, who will be the second player on UALR's roster from Pflugerville (Fali Garuba), comes to the Trojans from Hendrickson High School. She was a four-year letterwinner at Hendrickson. She was a left and right midfielder in high school as well as a forward. She played club soccer with the Lonestar Soccer Club alongside fellow UALR newcomer Bailey Fithian. She intends to become a pediatric oncologist after completing college.

Harrison Hayworth | MF | Kansas City, Mo. | Staley High School
Hayworth is an excellent player at Staley High school in the midfield, earning four letters and being recognized as an All-Conference player as a sophomore and junior. She was named the Conference Offensive Player of the year in her junior season while also earning All-State Honorable Mention recognition. Hayworth plays her club soccer for KC Select Reign where she serves as a team captain.

Nora Hellmers | D | Austin, Texas | Round Rock High School
Hellmers had a great soccer career at Round Rock, helping her team to the 2014 district championship and a berth in the regional quarterfinals that year. She also played her club soccer with Lonestar97G Red Premier, and that team was named the South Texas State Champions in 2014 as well. She was also a strong student, earning Academic All-District Honors from 2012-15 and earning awards for a 4.0 grade point average from 2012-15.

Naomi James | D | London, England | Dunraven School
James comes to UALR as the Trojans' fourth player from England since Blewitt arrived as the Trojans' coach. James played her club soccer for the Millwall Lionesses Development Team, the Millwall Lionesses U14-17 and Charlton Athletic U12-14 before that. She was named the Millwall Lionesses U17 Player of the Season during the 2013-14 campaign.

Brooke McCluskey | GK | Mapleton, Utah | Maple Mountain High School
McCluskey joins UALR as the Trojans' lone goalkeeper recruit for the 2015 season, and she will become one of three goalkeepers on UALR's roster. McCluskey played four years of goalie at Maple Mountain, starting all four years. She was named All-Region three times as well as All-Utah Valley one time while also earning All-State honors from the Deseret News. She holds her school record for career saves and as a senior had the most saves in the entire state. She impressed at the club level as well for the Utah Avalanche 97, a top-25 ranked club team.

Claire Palmer | MF | St. Charles, Mo. | Francis Howell High School
Palmer joins the Trojans as the second member of the team from St. Charles, Mo. Palmer played 11 years of soccer at every level at Francis Howell High School, seeing action as a midfielder for her entire career. She also played club soccer with Missouri Premier St. Louis and the Lou Fusz Soccer Club where she was a teammate of new fellow Trojan Josie Verslues.

Deyaris Perez | D | Houston, Texas | North Shore Senior High School
Perez was a frequent member of her All-District First Team in high school, earning recognition on that list all four of her years at North Shore. Perez played as a central defender before coming to UALR, and she played club soccer with five different teams since 2007.

Logan Strange | MF | Greenville, S.C. | Wade Hampton HS
Strange is the Trojans' lone player from the Eastern Time Zone in this class, as she comes to Little Rock from South Carolina. At Wade Hampton High School, Strange was named to the All-Region Team in 2014 and was a letterman every year. At the club level, Strange most recently played with Carolina Elite Soccer Academy ECNL where she made the national playoffs in 2013-14.

Sairra Tucker | D/F | Arlington, Texas | Advantage Academy Grand Prairie
Tucker comes to Little Rock from just one state away after attending high school at Advantage Academy Grand Prairie in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. She played club soccer with Solar Chelsea Soccer Club and was nominated for a spot in the ID2 development program. Tucker is a multi-sport athlete, as she also played outside hitter for her high school volleyball team.

Josie Verslues | D/M | Lake Ozark, Mo. | School of the Osage
Verslues was a star at the School of the Osage during her two years there, earning First Team All-State recognition while also getting named First Team All-District, First Team All-Region, District Player of the Year and All-Region Offensive Player of the Year. Her teams won the district championship both years she was there. On the club level, Verslues played for Lou Fusz Becher and won the 2014 State Cup championship as a teammate of fellow UALR newcomer Claire Palmer. Her teams also won the 2013 Disney Showcase, and they placed first in the Premier 1 division of the Midwest Regional League.