MARCY, N.Y. - Coach Renaud, Coach Elderbroom, Coach Streifert and Volunteer Coach Cornmire are pleased to announce the incoming recruiting class for the 2019 women's soccer season. 

Coach Renaud compares this class to the class of 2010, which went undefeated in the NEAC conference play as freshmen ultimately winning the regular season championship. Below is a statement from Coach Tyler Renaud about the state of the team.

Coach Renaud - "I see a lot of similarities between the 2010 class and this incoming class. Coach Elderbroom was part of the 2010 class and also sees many similarities in the level of talent and the mix of first year players and experienced transfers.  The most important similarity is the returning leadership that we have.  Our team captain, Shannon Harrison will be responsible for keeping the team together.  Adriana Marcolin will be this season's second captain. A third captain will be named after preseason concludes and the coaching staff has time to assess who deserves the last arm band. "

"The 2018 squad had to endure a trying rebuilding season; they deserved better.  It is my hope the 13 new faces coming into the mix will erase some of those tough memories, but not all of them, as we still need to work hard to achieve our goal of winning a NEAC Championship.  No one in the NEAC is going to simply give us wins" said Renaud.

Renaud continued, "The talent is now in place. We as the coaching staff have to make sure that the team comes together and that they are prepared for what we envision as a full 180 degree turnaround.  Having a roster of 22-24 players has a distinct advantage over our situation last season where we had 11-12 players, some games only 10."

"In no way would I ever want to minimize the effort of the 12 rostered girls in 2018, what those young ladies endured and were able to accomplish over the course of 13 weeks will not be forgotten. They helped to create a strong bond that will likely be responsible for making us even stronger in 2019."

The 16 new faces of this years recruiting class are featured below. The list, while accurate as of this time, may not be complete. The coaching staff is still working hard to get a handful of uncommitted recruits to join the Wildcats. 

2019 CLASS

Leia Abbott (Fulton HS):  Midfielder from Fulton High School. Leia will be counted on to provide support on the outside in the Wildcat's middle third.  She was the recipient of the Fulton High School Athletic Booster Scholarship in 2019. "Leia is the style of player who can play any position and work a full 90 minutes per match if necessary for our team."

(Abbott)

Emily Arnold (Edmeston HS):  Emily is a strong defender from Edmeston High School.  "Emily is a dominant player in the back, always quick to the ball, and solid with her distribution of the ball to the middle third.  She will have an immediate impact on our back four line. Her familiarity with Michayla (Cummings), will also bolster our work up the middle of the field."

 Arnold

Michayla Cummings (Edmeston HS):  Michayla will be looked too to provide the scoring punch for the Wildcats in the 2019 campaign.  An All-conference center midfielder, Michayla will be taking on an offensive role for the Wildcats. "Michayla had 8 goals and 5 assists in 18 games last year while playing in a more defensive support role from her center mid position. We are going to be turning her loose, giving her the freedom to move forward to support Harrison, George, and Wolf in the offensive half. " 

(Cummings)

Alana Cathcart (FD Roosevelt HS): One of two proven goalies joining the Wildcats this season. Cathcart also has the skillset to wear a field jersey. A product of the Nirvana FC she will be in the goalie rotation immediately.  "Alana brings proven club experience to the goalie position and has worked very hard to improve all facets of protecting the frame.  Just as with Abby (Hawes), her athleticism will only make the goalie position stronger for the Wildcat's 2019 campaign."

 Cathcart

Quinlan Gowett (Mechanicville HS):  Gowett is a central defender who will solidify the middle of the defensive back four for the Wildcats.  She has the ability to play in the air and shut down the opponent's strikers, freeing up her outside support to close in on opponents as they press forward.  "Quin is coming off some nagging injuries, but even when we watched her at less than 100%, she was still very effective in winning the ball and initiating counter attacks.  We are confident and excited to see her at full speed and strength, as she will be contributing to the majority of every match played in 2019."

(Gowett)

Abigail Hawes (Utica Notre Dame):  Abby is the second proven goalie in the 2019 recruiting class. Hawes had a stellar career at Notre Dame High School. Abigail was a standout athlete and will be looked too to round out our incoming goalie class. Hawes also has extensive field experience, which is something the coaching staff is excited about.  "Abby was a focus for us since July based on Coach Elderbroom's prior experience working with her.  Her character really showed this past fall when ND was faced with a rebuilding season. From the games we attended, she always played at a high level and encouraged her team to continue to work hard. Her versatility is unmatched and we are extremely excited about her deciding to join us at SUNY Poly."  

(Hawes)

Elizabeth Lawrence (Adirondack HS): Liz is a three-time all conference midfielder/forward. The coaching staff at SUNY Poly are looking forward to adding her to the midfield alongside returners Chloe Smith and Adrianna Marcolin to keep possession in the middle third of the field.  "Liz is very strong on the ball and sees opportunities across the field very well.  Her ability to dribble through the defense and maintain possession will give Adrianna and Chloe a number of opportunities to make the overlapping outside runs into the critical scoring area."   

(Lawrence #6)

Kaitlyn Hutchins (Adirondack HS):  Kaitlyn's injury last season is of no concern to the coaching staff at SUNY Poly. Kaitlyn has bounced back through rehab and maintains a very positive outlook and attitude coming into the 2019 campaign.  "Kaitlyn will be working mostly with our forwards in the pre-season and if we see an opportunity for her to utilize her skills at another position on the field we know she will take it head-on.  She is a great young lady with a huge upside and a great love for the game"

(Hutchins)

Montana Wolf (Cincinnatus HS): Montana is coming off a banner senior year. 2018 saw her Cincinnatus team make it all the way to the NY State Semifinals. Montana was the catalyst for a deep run through Sectionals and the State Championship Tournaments.  Simply stated, Montana is a game changer. She was an All-Conference CCV selection in 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018. "Run, score, defend, run, pass for the assist, defend…. and repeat. This is what Montana brings to the field for 80 minutes. We only need her to increase the minute ratio to 90.  We envision her primarily up front with Sarah (George) and Shannon (Harrison), but she can expect a lot of time at the midfield position helping to protect a late lead."

(Wolf #8) 

Braeylyn Riesel (SUNY Poly):  Braelyn was an original commit for the 2018 season, but took a year off to focus on her studies.  She brings speed, strength and rocket left footed shot to the mix.  "Braelyn came out for the spring and impressed right off the bat.  She is very strong and will be the focus on most of our restarts from outside the 18, as the ball just explodes off her left foot.  Even if the goalie sees it coming, she is going to have a hard time handling it and making the save."

Taylor Pierson (SUNY Poly): Another non-traditional season spring player, Taylor played a vital role in rounding out the spring season roster and brought a work-hard attitude to the field for every training session of our spring season.  "Taylor came out for the spring and consistently improved her skill sets each week leading into the final day and our play day versus MVCC and Cazenovia College.  She will be incorporated into the mix as a utility player, playing every position for us when needed, outside of goalie."

Baylee Garrison (SUNY Poly):  Baylee was a non-traditional spring player after being on campus for the fall semester. Baylee turned out to be an asset from the first moment she stepped into the training sessions.  "Baylee is without a doubt a blessing for the program.  She is always level headed, plays with her head up, and will physically outmatch anyone when it comes to getting to the ball, winning the ball, and looking back at the opponent who took the brunt of her challenge as she carries up the field.  A true marking back for us, if we are in the 4-4-2 formation, she will be pushing forward weak side when we are counter-attacking because she can score, too." 

(Garrison)

Sarah George (Herkimer CCC):  Just as with Wolf, Sarah is a game changer and proven goal scorer.  After leading HCCC to the NJCAA national championship game in 2017, she is joining fellow HCCC alums M'Kenzie Bradshaw and Jenna Rogers in the formidable Wildcat Roster.  "Having Sarah on the team brings familiarity into the fold with Jenna and Mac. Her composure on the ball and movement off the ball is going to create a lot of headaches for opponents on their defensive end of the field.  Plus, already having two years of intercollegiate soccer under her belt will only help us in tight game situations. "

(George)

Emily Somes, (Mercyhurst/SUNY Poly):  Emily will be joining the women's soccer team after a stellar spring with the SUNY Poly women's lacrosse team.  "Emily was a special surprise, coming to campus in the spring and ingratiating herself with not only the lacrosse program but by being present at our non-traditional spring season training sessions and spring play day.  We could not allow her to play, but you could see she was chomping at the bit and wanted to get on the field. Hopefully, the fire carries into the preseason and into the fall."  Probably the most athletic of the new faces coming into the program, her speed will be utilized up front. She may be looked at to be the lone striker if the squad needs to run a 4-5-1 or 3-4-2-1 formations.

(Somes)

Devin Baratto (SUNY Delhi): After leading Delhi this past season at the midfield position while tallying 13 goals and 6 assists, Devin will be using her final year of eligibility at SUNY Poly.  "Devin, similar to Sarah (George) brings intercollegiate post-season experience into the fold. She will be a great influence on our younger players helping us return to the NEAC Championship Tournament in 2019.  She is very strong on the ball and will be utilized in a number of positions." 

(Baratto #7)

Delaney Meagher (SUNY Delhi): Delaney is a latecomer to the roster, but brings her scoring ability to the mix.  "Delaney was an All-League player at Adirondack High School and tallied two goals for Delhi this past season.  We will be looking to utilize her skill set in many different positions based on game situations. Having a year of college experience already in hand, she can only make us stronger."

(Meagher)