University of Florida announces 2016 women’s soccer recruits

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (Via University of Florida) – Head Coach Becky Burleigh announced the 12 joining the Gator women’s soccer team for the fall of 2016.

Two have already enrolled at the University of Florida for the spring 2016 semester. Hope Hyde of University Park, Texas, and Jocelyn Nelson of Barnsdall, Oklahoma, are on campus and also participating in the Gators’ spring practices.

“We have a big class coming in. It is a really exciting class. There is just a variety of different holes that we felt we filled in our roster.

+POLL: Which NCAA women’s team had the best recruiting class?

“We are excited about the class,” Burleigh continued. “It joins a great group of returners coming back.”

The 2015 Gators swept the Southeastern Conference regular-season and tournament titles and advanced to the NCAA Round of 16. The team ranked No. 8 on the final National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll. The three-member senior class turned in a four-year record of 73-18-5 (78.6 percent), which ranked No. 6 among the 2015 senior classes.

Meet the Gator Signees:

Sammie Betters

Member of Tampa Bay United 97 Premier team which won 2015 US Youth Soccer (USYS) Under-17 national championship…2014 USYS national championship runner-up…Tampa Bay United also won 2015 Region 3, Florida State Cup, Disney Showcase, ACDC and Southern Region Premier League championships…Team won 2014 Florida Cup, Florida State Cup, Vegas Players Showcase and Disney Showcase…Five-year member of the Tampa Bay United club team and coached by Adrian Bush…Four-year member of Frank W. Springstead High School’s team…2015 Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) 3A District champions and advanced to regional semifinal round…2013 and 2015 Hernando County Player of the Year…One of two freshmen on 2013 Tampa Bay Times All-North Suncoast first team…Turned in 115 points as a freshman (46 goals, 23 assists), 126 points as a junior (50g, 26a) and 67 points as a senior (26g, 15a) – missed sophomore season due to injury…Coached by Richard Gomez at Springstead H.S…2015 Sunshine State Scholar…Class Valedictorian…International Baccalaureate (IB) Program graduate…Bausch and Lomb Honorary Science Award…Member of National Honor Society and Student Government…Will graduate in the spring of 2016.

Kylie Borislow

Member of Palm Beach Soccer Academy (PBSA) MagicJacks 96/97 team, winners of 2014 Under 18 Gator Soccer Showcase, 2012 and 2011 Disney Soccer Showcase and 2012 and 2011 Florida State Cup titles…2013 Disney Showcase and 2014 Florida State Cup runner-up…Coached by Jayson Chung at MagicJacks…Four-year member of The Benjamin School’s team and captain as senior…2014 Sun Sentinel Class 3A-2A-1A first team after leading The Benjamin School with 23 goals and 14 assists…2015 Palm Beach Post Girls Soccer Small Schools All-Area second team…Florida Athletic Coaches Association 2A All-State selection and Sun Sentinel All-County first team in 2013…Coached by Bobby Chaplin at The Benjamin School…Advanced to the 2013 Florida High School Athletic Association Class 2A semifinal, 2014 Class 2A regional semifinal, 2015 Class 2A regional quarterfinal and 2016 Class 2A district semifinal…Named Athlete of the Week for CBS Sports Channel 12 in January of 2016…Will graduate from The Benjamin H.S. in the spring of 2016.

Susi Espinoza

Part of Boca United Soccer Club which won Disney Showcase Under-18 championships in 2015 and 2016…Two-year member of Magic Jack, winners of 2014 U18 Gator Soccer Showcase…Three-year member of FC Florida, winners of 2012 U14 Girls State Cup and runner-up for 2013 State Cup…Member of U.S. U14 Girls National Team in 2012 and part of 2013 U.S. U15 player pool…Two-year member of Boca United Soccer Club and coached by Jason Sardis…Played for American Heritage School of Boca/Delray which won 2014 Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) 2A title and runner-up in 2015….Advanced to the 2013 FHSAA Regional Finals and 2016 Regional Quarterfinal…2015 Palm Beach Post Girls Soccer Small Schools All-Area honorable mention…Coached by Paul Gregory at American Heritage…Will graduate in the spring of 2016.

Lindsay Gallagher

Three-year member of FC Virginia…FC Virginia was 2014 and 2015 Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) Mid Atlantic Conference champions…Coached by Terry Foley at FC Virginia…Previously a member of Ashburn Freedom…Ashburn Freedom was US Region 1 Champion and two-time Virginia state champion…Three-time member of Virginia Olympic Development Program (ODP)…Two-year member of Stone Bridge High School’s team (2013, 2014), where coached by Joan Windows…Did not play as junior due to club team conflicts…Stone Bridge H.S. was 2013 Conference 14 champions and state finalist…2014 All-Conference 14 first team…2014 5A North All-Region second team…2014 Spring All-MET…Sat out 2013 with an injury…Member of the National Honor Society and Student Council…Will graduate from Stone Bridge H.S. in spring 2016.

Hope Hyde

Six-year member of Dallas Texans ’98 serving as captain three years….three year member of Dallas Sting ’97 … 2014 ECNL national runner-up as part of Dallas Texans ’98 leading team in assists and second in goals scored  … 2013 and 2012 ECNL national semifinalist and national runner-up with Dallas Sting ’97 …Named to 2012 ECNL ’97 National All-Tournament team … Five year member of North Texas ’97 Olympic Development Program (ODP) and also part of ODP Region III Player Pool…Played in 2013 ’97 ODP National Championship matches … Played as a freshman and sophomore for Highland Park High School, scoring 40 goals and 27 assists … Highland Park was runner-up in 2013 Texas 4A Championship and reached 2014 4A regional final…2013 and 2014 Texas Association of Soccer Coaches (TASCO) 4A All-State selection… 2014 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Winter All-Region team…Highland Park Academic Honor Roll …Four year member of Ronald McDonald Teen Board…Graduated a semester early from Highland Park High School to enroll at the University of Florida for the spring 2016 semester.

Lauren Kelly

Member of FC Virginia for five years…Four-time Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) Mid-Atlantic champions (2015, 2014, 2013, 2012)…Ranked top 10 in ECNL (2015, 2014, 2013)…Coached by Terry Foley at FC Virginia…Team captain of FC Virginia 2013-2016…Invited to Mid-Atlantic ECNL Player Development Program in 2013 and 2014…Named to Best Defense in ECNL in 2013 and Top Performer in 2012…Competed in U23 ECNL National Championship in 2013…Three-year member of Briar Woods High School’s team…2014 Virginia High School League (VHSL) 5A State champions and state finalist in 2013…2013 Dulles District and Regional Champions…2014 Potomac District and Regional Champions…2014 Conference 14 Champions…Coached by Ann Vierkorn at Briar Wood H.S.…2014 First-Team All-Conference and All-Loudoun…2014 First-Team All-Region and All-State…Member of the National Honor Society…Will graduate in top six percent of Briar Woods H.S. class of 2016.

Julia Lester

Member of Tampa Bay United 97 Premier team which won 2015 US Youth Soccer (USYS) Under-17 national championship…Joined current Gator Kaylan Marckese on the U17 USYS Best 11 list for 2015 national tournament…2014 USYS national championship runner-up…Tampa Bay United also won 2015 Region 3, Florida State Cup, Disney Showcase, ACDC and Southern Region Premier League championships…Team won 2014 Florida Cup, Florida State Cup, Vegas Players Showcase and Disney Showcase…Five-year member of Tampa Bay United, where coached by Adrian Bush…Tampa Bay United captain in 2015-16…Four-year member of Florida Olympic Development Program (ODP) State team and three-year regional team member…Traveled with ODP team to Costa Rica in 2014 and Italy in 2015…Four-year member of the Academy of the Holy Names’ team, which advanced to the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) Class 2A state semifinal for the first time in 2016…AHN is ranked 17^th nationally by MaxPreps…Coached by Kareem Escayg…AHN’s Most Valuable Player as a freshman and captain as a senior…Scored 75 goals and turned in 181 points during prep career…Member of the Respect for Life Club and Best Buddies…Member of the National Society of High School Scholars…Will graduate from Academy of the Holy Names in the spring of 2016.

Kit Loferski

Member of JFC Storm ECNL Under 18 team…Florida State Cup champions in 2014…2015 Florida State Cup finalist…Coached by Daniel Villareal at JFC Storm…Member of 2013 Ponte Vedra Storm which won Florida State Under 15 Cup…2011-14 Florida Youth Soccer Association (FYSA) State Olympic Development Program…2013 ODP Region III pool…Defender on Region IV team at 2013 ODP Girls Interregional…Four-year member of Bartram Trail High School team, scoring 46 goals during prep career…Bartram Trail advanced to 2016 FHSAA District 4-4A semifinal; 2014 and 2013 FHSAA 3A Regional semifinal…Coached by Jennifer West at Bartram Trail H.S.2014 Florida Athletic Coaches Association (FACA) Class 3A All-State…AP Scholar and International Baccalaureate student…Will graduate from Bartram Trail High School this spring.

Haillie Lower

Member of Orlando City club team, where coached by Alan Hough…Two-time Southwest Florida selection for US Club Soccer Player Development Program (PDP)…Participated in U.S. Youth Soccer Association (USYS) Region III Olympic Development Program (ODP) for one year…Five-year selection to Florida ODP…Ranked No. 6 regionally…Four-year member of Tampa Preparatory School’s team…Tampa Prep won 2013 and 2014 District Champions…also 2014 regional runner-up…2013 Tampa Tribune All-Hillsborough County Team honorable mention…Coached by Santiago Carreño at Tampa Prep…Member of the National Honor Society…Headmaster’s High Honor Roll…Will graduate Tampa Prep in the spring of 2016.

Jocelyn Nelson

Enrolled at University of Florida for spring 2016 semester…Participated in Oklahoma Olympic Development Team (ODP) for five years, Region III ODP Camp for four years and Region III ODP Player Pool for two years…Region III ODP International Team in 2014 where she competed in Italy and was coached by Gator assistant Alan Kirkup…Competed in Holland in 2015 with Region III ODP International Team…Region III ODP Thanksgiving Interregional Team (2013, 2014)…Five-year member of Tulsa Soccer Club (TSC) Hurricane and coached by Donivan Bradshaw…Three-year member of Bartlesville High School’s team…2014 and 2015 Class 6A-3 All-District team…2015 All-Metro second team selection…All-VYPE Team, two years…Bartlesville H.S. advanced to Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association (OSSAA) state championships in 2015 and 2013…Did not play 2016 season due to early graduation…Member of National Honor Society and Student Council for three years…Member of Leadership club for one year…Graduated in the top 10 percent of class in the fall of 2015.

Tess Sapone

Member of McLean 97 ECNL since 2015…Ranked #15 in Elite Clubs National Leagues…First place in the U18 Mid-Atlantic Conference Champions…Coached by Brent Lieber at McLean 97…Played with Maryland United FC, which won the 2015 U.S. Youth Soccer Association National League G18 Red championship…Member of FC Virginia from 2010-14…FC Virginia won U17 ECNL Champions League in 2015 and U16 in 2014…U17 Mid-Atlantic Conference champions in 2012, 2014 and 2015…2013 Ultimate Cup and Disney Showcase Champions…Named to Mid-Atlantic ECNL Player Development Program Team in 2014…Four-year member of Oakton High School’s team, where coached by Kasey Davenport…2015 Varsity Soccer Washington Post All-MET second team and honorable mention in 2014…Class 6A first-team region, district and state in 2015…Class 6A first-team district and regional honorable mention in 2014…2013 Varsity Soccer second team district…Also lettered in indoor track in 2013, 2014 and 2016, earning 2013 all-conference honors in 500-meter run…Member of National Honor Society and Athletic Honor Roll…Member of Distributive Education Clubs of America…Participated in volunteer athletic training program…will graduate in the spring of 2016.

Danielle Van Liere

Six-year member of JFC Storm…Florida State Cup champions in 2013 and 2014…2015 Florida State Cup finalist…Club team captain for three years…Coached by Daniel Villareal at JFC Storm…Florida State Olympic Development Program (ODP) in 2014…Played in the 2014 ODP National Championship in Phoenix, Arizona…Four-year member of Fletcher High School’s team…District 3 champions (2012, 2015, 2014)…Fletcher H.S. reached Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) 4A regional final in 2012, regional semifinal (2016) and regional quarterfinal (2015)…Coached by Mike Levine at FHS…Team Captain for 2015-2016 season…Scored 13 goals and had 9 assists as a senior season…2015 All Gateway Conference Award for Soccer…2014 Fletcher High School Soccer MVP Midfielder…Academic Award for High School Soccer Team (2013, 2014, 2015)…Channel 4 WJXT VyStar All Star Athlete of the Week Award…2015 All-First Coast Soccer third-team by Florida Times Union…Earned All-Gateway Conference cross country honors in 2014 and 2015…2013 All-Gateway Conference in cross country and track & field…Top runner for Providence School’s 2011 FHSAA 1A championship cross country team…Eighth in 2012 FHSAA 4A 3200-meter run and fourth in 2013 FHSAA 4A cross country championships…National Honor Society member…AP Scholar with Honor Award by the College Board…Highest GPA Award…Enrolled in the Cambridge AICE program…Will graduate in the spring of 2016.