Texas Tech adds eight newcomers on National Signing Day for class of 2023
LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech soccer and head coach Tom Stone announced the signing of eight newcomers as a part of the 2022 National Signing Day.
“National Signing Day always give an idea of the what the future is going to look like, and the future looks very bright for Red Raider soccer,” head coach Tom Stone said. “This group has really good athleticism, but also, the level of ‘student’ in this class is amazing. They are so talented on the field and in the classroom. They’re going to make Red Raider Nation proud.”
The class consists of four midfielders, two defenders, a forward and a goalie.
Sam Courtwright
Position: Midfielder
Hometown: Dallas, Texas
High School: Fusion Academy
Club: DKSC
Courtwright brings a stellar club track record to the Red Raider soccer program. The midfielder helped lead DKSC to an ECNL Final Four appearance. She was named an ECNL All-American and was invited to the ECNL National Training Camp. Courtwright was also a three-time all-conference selection.
“She is a maestro with the ball. There is nothing that she can’t make the ball do, and she loves the game. She watches the game and is an incredible student of the game. I feel like we had to fight off half the country for her, and she was worth it.”
Skylar Haase
Position: Midfielder
Hometown: Fort Collins, Colo.
High School: Rocky Mountain High School
Club: Broomfield Soccer Club
Haase comes to Lubbock out of Fort Collins, Colo., where she has earned has been an all-conference selection in all four years on the varsity squad. The attacking midfielder is a three-time Soccer City champion and has made appearances in second round and quarterfinals of the state’s playoffs. Haase was ranked inside Colorado’s top-7 best soccer players from the class of 2024 by prepsoccer.com.
“We’ve had a lot of success with Colorado kids here. Nick Hallam spotted her first, and we all watched her and agreed with him. She is great on the dribble, she can play as an attacking mid or up front. She is going to be a great addition to our offense!”
Madeline Mueller
Position: Goalkeeper
Hometown: Heath, Texas
High School: Rockwall-Heath High School
Club: Sting Black
Mueller checks into the 806 out of Rockwall-Heath High School, where she led the squad to a District 10-6A championship. She is a three-time academic all-district selection and was named MVP her junior season. In her time with Sting Black U19 ECNL, she led the club two a pair of conference titles (2018 and 2019).
“She is an awesome keeper out of the Sting organization that has been well-coached and well-trained. She is feisty and a big-time competitor. She gets to train with Madison White for a year and wanted to be a part of this program.”
Berkley Patterson
Position: Midfielder
Hometown: Austin, Texas
High School: Lake Travis High School
Club: Sting Austin
Patterson will trek to Lubbock after a successful career at Lake Travis High School, where she helped lead the Cavaliers to a 61-9-4 record and three straight district championships. She is a three-time all-district selection and an all-state selection. Patterson was named a three-star recruit by TopDrawer and an IMG Top-150 recruit.
“It seems like she has always wanted to be a Red Raider, which is always great to hear. When we first saw her, we immediately knew she would be a great holding mid for us. She is talented and is not afraid to mix it up. She has great feet and soccer IQ.”
Storie Sexton
Position: Forward
Hometown: Lewisville, Texas
High School: Prestonwood Christian Academy
Club: DKSC
Sexton heads to Lubbock by way of Prestonwood Christian Academy and the DKSC club. She led her club squad in goals for three season and helped lead the squad U18/19 team to the final four of the ECNL Nationals.
“She is 6-foot tall and fast as the wind. She can smash a soccer ball and is particularly good in the air. She is not afraid to head it and really gets after it. She will pair well with the service we are getting from our outside backs.”
Chloe Soto
Position: Midfield
Hometown: Norman, Okla.
High School: Norman High School
Club: Oklahoma Energy
Soto will head to the 806 out of Norman High School, where she was named the 2022 Most Valuable Player. The midfielder led Oklahoma Energy to a fourth-place finish in the Texas Conference, earning her an ECNL all-conference team selection.
“She is the steal of the class. We got on to recruiting her late, but we watched her a ton. She came in with our committed class over the summer and was a standout. It was obvious that she was going to be a great addition.”
Clara Whitten
Position: Defender
Hometown: Heath, Texas
High School: Rockwall-Heath High School
Club: Solar
Whitten heads to Lubbock out of Rockwall-Heath High School, where she was named the 2022 Utility Player of the Year and was the squad’s leading scorer. Her club squad was the ECNL Texas Conference Champions in both 2021 and 2022. In 2021, Whitten was named to the ECNL first-team all-conference, followed by a second-team selection in 2022.
“She is an absolute beast of a defender! She has never met a forward she was intimidated by. She is really fast and extremely competitive. She was one of the first to commit to this class, and we know she will make an immediate impact.”
Lauren Woodruff
Position: Defender
Hometown: Allen, Texas
High School: Allen High School
Club: DKSC
Woodruff heads to Lubbock out of Allen High School, where current Red Raiders Ashleigh Williams and Cassie Taylor attended. The defender helped lead Allen to a 2022 State Quarterfinals appearance and a second-place district finish. Woodruff is a two-time all-district selection and was named the 2019 District Newcomer of the Year and 2022 District Utility Player of the Year. She was also a part of the US Youth National Team player pool.
“Lauren is an incredible student and a great defender. She has spent time with the U17 national team, and she brings a level of physicality that you want when you are recruiting top defenders. She has feet like an attacking mid but plays in the back. We are thrilled to have her with us this spring!”
