Women's Soccer | July 26, 2024

USCA Inks Stellar Class

AIKEN, S.C. – USCA, in conjunction with head women's soccer coach Adam Kleman, is excited to announce his first signing class.

"In this inaugural class, it was extremely important to be intentional about each student-athlete we brought in to set a strong foundation for the future of USCA Women's Soccer," Kleman stated. "This class represents players with high level club pedigrees from across the Southeast and Midwest as well as a healthy mix of experienced transfers to join our freshman class. 

"I owe a ton of credit to Coach Mitchell in helping orchestrate this tremendous class of individuals. We believe this group coupled along with our returners will raise the standard of expectation within the program and we look for each of them to be elite in the campus, community, classroom and on the pitch."

Kleman's class includes Alisha Avila, Payton Bates, Lexi Blasberg, Jamie Bryson, Ellie Garces, Isabella Gesmondi, Mikiah Graves, Macaria Hemker, Haley Howell, Shy Iles, Samantha Koneval, Paige Marshall, Hannah Miles, Brooke Morrison, Ivana Pavlovic, Erin Regalia, Ellie Thompson, Cassidy Wines and Gillian Young.

Avila is a 5-7 goalkeeper from Plantation, Fla. The Archbishop McCarthy H.S., standout was tabbed the No. 1 goalkeeper in District 5-A. She led her team to the district finals as a sophomore and guided her squad to the district title as a junior with six shutouts. Avila also played club for FC Prime.  

Bates is a 5-3 defender from McDonough, Ga. The Ola H.S., standout was a two-time first-team all-region honoree. The three-time captain rattled off seven goals and six assists as a junior. Bates was tabbed the Defender of the Year her junior campaign. Bates played club for Atlanta FC. 

Blasberg is a 5-5 forward from Lexington, Ohio. A standout for Lexington Local H.S., she is a transfer from Wabash Valley College where she started 17 matches and scored 16 goals while picking up all-conference honors twice. Blasberg was named Co-Player of the Year in the region. 

Bryson attended Young Harris College before transferring. The North Oconee H.S., standout guided her team to a state championship as a sophomore and a state title match appearance as a senior. 

Garces is a 5-6 midfielder/defender from Jacksonville, Fla. The Christ's Church Academy standout was an all-state honoree and a four-year starter. A two-sport standout, she holds the school record in the 4x100, 4x200, 400 and 4x400 events. Garces played club for Florida Elita SA.

Gesmondi is a 5-6 defender from Land O' Lakes, Fla. The Land O' Lakes H.S., standout guided her team to three district championships. She helped her squad reach the state semifinals three times and was captain of the team her senior campaign. Gesmondi played club for Tampa Rangers.

Graves is a 5-6 defender from Buford, Ga. The Buford H.S., standout played club ball for United Futbol Academy. She was a three-year captain of her club team (UFA). 

Hemker is a 5-4 midfielder from Lansing, Kan. The Lansing H.S., standout was an all-conference honoree as a junior. She was a two-time captain and was named a High School Scholar All-American. Hemker played club for KC Athletics. 

Howell is a 5-3 midfielder/forward from West Palm Beach, Fla. The Seminole Ridge H.S., standout was named to the Florida ODP state team and regional pool selection. She played club ball for PSG Academy, FC Lions and FC Prime.

Iles is a 5-1 forward from Demossville, Ky. A standout at Southern Indiana, she appeared in 23 matches during her first two seasons. Iles attended Simon Kenton H.S. and was a three-sport letterwinner. She was a three-time all-region selection and an honorable mention all-state honoree.

Koneval is a 5-5 midfielder/defender from Beloit, Ohio. A standout at West Branch H.S., she was a two-time all-district honoree. Koneval picked up all-county honors as a sophomore and lifted her program to the district championship. She played club for Cleveland Force.  

Marshall is a 5-8 defender from Uniontown, Ohio. The Lake H.S., standout garnered all-district honors twice. She also picked up all-county accolades on two occasions while being a four-year letterwinner. Marshall played club for Cleveland Force.  

Miles is a 5-8 goalkeeper from Gilbert, S.C. The Gilbert H.S. standout earned all-state honors as a junior. An all-region honoree as a senior, she notched 200 career saves. Miles helped her squad to a pair of region championships. A member of the National Honors Society, Miles also picked up the Scholar-Athlete award. She also played club for Lexington SA.  

Morrison is a 5-5 forward from Madison, Ga. A standout at Young Harris, she played in 29 matches while accounting for three goals and two assists. She attended Morgan County H.S., where she rattled off 28 goals and 30 assists during her career. 

Pavlovic is a 5-6 midfielder/defender from Tarpon Springs, Fla. The Palm Harbor University H.S., standout was a two-time all-district selection. She led her team to the state semifinals and a No. 3 ranking as a junior. Pavlovic was selected to the Pinellas County all-star team. She also played club for Florida Premier. 

Regalia is a 5-4 defender from Oxford, Mich. The Lake Orion H.S., standout accounted for all-league honors as a junior. She led her team to a pair of district titles and was a three-time scholar-athlete. Regalia played club for Nationals SC. 

Thompson is a 5-4 forward from Jacksonville, Fla. The Oakleaf H.S., standout garnered first-team all-county accolades. The Offensive MVP tallied 12 goals and four assists her senior campaign. She played club for Jacksonville FC. 

Wines is a 5-3 midfielder from Purvis, Miss. The East Central C.C. standout posted two goals and two assists during her rookie year. A two-time all-star selection at Purvis H.S., Wines scored 88 goals and had 43 assists during her career.  

Young is a 5-8 midfielder from Oswego, Ill. The Oswego H.S., standout was an all-conference selection as a junior. That same season, she was the all-attacking MVP. During her career, she was also captain of the team and tallied the most assists on the squad. Young played club for Sockers FC.