CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Citadel women's soccer team announced Wednesday the signing of 12 players to their National Letters of Intent for the 2018 season.

The incoming class of freshmen is comprised of four defenders, four midfielders, three forwards and a goalkeeper. The future Bulldogs include three players from Charleston as well as another from South Carolina, three from the state of North Carolina, two from Georgia, a pair from New Jersey and one from Florida. The members of the 2018 signing class are Kevyn Banda, Kessy Bradshaw, Taylor Diggs, Hannah Dion, Isabel Flores, Katelyn "Katie" Mangini, Emily Mason, Hannah Meyers, Melanie "Mel" Mikoy, Devyn Nyhart, Madison "Maddie" Somogyi and Isabel Zarzuela.

"We have worked very hard as a staff to bring this class together. The ultimate goal was to find the best potential cadet-athletes who can also make us more competitive as a program," said head coach Ciaran Traquair. "This group has personality, character and plenty of talent. We are always talking about building something unique and special – this group of players are a great addition to an already solid group of returning Citadel soccer players. I expect all of these new players to make a significant impact in all aspects of our program. We continue to grow as a program by adding depth and quality across the board, and with that quality, my expectations continue to change too."

Traquair and staff will continue to add to the 2018 roster in hopes of adding quality depth across the board.
 
Kevyn Banda
MF | Charleston, S.C. (Bishop England HS)
Kevyn Banda is a local product out of Bishop England High School where she helped guide her team to three straight Trinity League Championship crowns her first three seasons. She also played for the No. 1 ranked club team in the nation, Slammers FC ECNL, and helped guide the team to the Davis Legacy Cup title. In the classroom, she earned the Principal First Honors three times (2015-17) as well as the Eagle Leadership Award, Christian Service Award and Academic Achievement Award. She also lettered in softball.

Coach Traquair on Banda – "Kevyn sets great standards in all aspects of her life. She will add versatility to our squad and a toughness to our midfield. She likes the competitive parts of the game and thrives when under pressure. Good on the ball and tactically switched on."

 
Kessy Bradshaw
F | Mt. Pleasant, S.C. (Bishop England HS)
Another of the local products included in this year's signing class, Kessy Bradshaw joins high school teammate Banda in signing with the Bulldogs out of Bishop England. As a sophomore, she was named the 2-AA Player of the Year after guiding the team to the state championship. The next year as a junior, she scored 13 goals and had 18 assists for 44 points. She has also been a member of the girl's basketball team.

Coach Traquair on Bradshaw – "A local product with bags of ability. Kessy is very good in front of goal and adds real quality to our attack. She works hard to get into goal scoring situations but can also create them for herself. She adds pace and power an already solid front line."

 
Taylor Diggs
MF | Scotch Plains, N.J. (Scotch Plains-Fanwood HS)
Taylor Diggs comes to Charleston from Scotch Plains, New Jersey where she played for perennial power Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School, earning four varsity letters for a team that has been ranked top-15 in the state her entire career and has claimed eight straight Union County titles. She ended her prep career with seven goals and 18 assists.

This past fall as a senior, she scored two goals and had nine assists to guide the team to its eighth straight county title. For her efforts, she was named to the Union County Girls Soccer Coaches Association (UCGSCA) Watchung Conference All-Star first team as well as the UCGSCA All-Union County team. She also earned recognition on the New Jersey Girls Soccer Coaches Association (NJGSCA) Section squad while being named a Top-20 North Group Region II selection by the NJGSCA.

As a junior in 2016, Diggs scored two goals and had five assists, earning her first UCGSCA Watchung Conference All-Star first-team honor while leading the team to the sectional finals. She also earned NJGSCA Section recognition. The year before, she scored one goal and had four assists while leading the team to county and conference crowns and despite missing most of the season due to an injury, she was named to the All-Union County team as an honorable mention. Diggs scored two goals as a freshman, appearing in every game, and was named her school's Fall Sports Diaper Dandy, an award that goes to the best freshman for that season. That season, she also helped guide her team to county, conference and sectional titles.

In the classroom, Diggs has served on her school's student council as her class president all four years, is a member of the National Honor Society and DECA and has earned multiple High Honor Roll honors. She was nominated and attended the NSLC Medicine & Health Care Program at American University in 2016 where she was selected by her peers and professors as the MVP. She co-founded SuiteGirl, an organization aimed to empower young women in the eSTEAM fields through mentorship, networking and leadership opportunities.

Coach Traquair on Diggs – "An exciting attacking prospect for us, Taylor will bring a creative spark to our team. She can play anywhere in midfield making her adaptable and will allow to naturally adjust our shape . Taylor is part of a Citadel dynasty, with her father being a graduate."

 
Hannah Dion
MF | Raleigh, N.C. (Wake Forest HS)
Hannah Dion is one of three players from the state of North Carolina to sign with the Bulldogs. A four-year letterwinner at Wake Forest High School, Dion enters her senior campaign as a three-time all-conference, all-region and academic all-conference player. She helped guide her club team, NCFC '00 Classic Elite to the Region III crown. She is also a four-time letterwinner for the swimming team.

Extremely strong in the classroom, Dion has already been admitted into The Citadel's Honors Program. At Wake Forest HS, she is a member of the Beta Club, National Honor Society, A-Honor Roll, Science Honor Society and French Honor Society.

Dion comes from a very athletic family as her father, Paul Dion played hockey at Darmouth College and her mother, Kathy Dion was a track athlete as well as a cheerleader at the University of Florida.

Coach Traquair on Dion – "A quick winger with an eye for a goal. Hannah will help us be a threat from wide areas. I like her crossing ability and the consistency in her delivery. She has had a great education in the game and I expect her to adapt quickly to our style."

 
Isabel Flores
D | Aberdeen, N.C. (Pinecrest HS)
Originally from Rosie Roads, Puerto Rico, Isabel Flores has played four years for Pinecrest High School in Aberdeen, North Carolina. Already a four-time letterwinner heading into her senior season, Flores has led her team to three straight conference crowns as well as a ranking in the top 15 in the state. In each of the last two seasons, she has helped lead the team to the third round of the state playoffs after advancing to the first round during her freshman campaign.

Flores is also a three-time letterwinner in cross country as well as track & field. She was a member of the 2015 4x800 team that claimed conference and region crowns and went to the Emerging Elite New Balance Nationals competition. In 2014, she helped the team claim the conference and region titles en route to an appearance in the state meet.

In the classroom, she is ranked in the top 5% of her graduating class. She is also the president of the school's Interact Club, which is sponsored by the local Rotary Club. The group does community service projects, including Meals on Wheels, helping with highway cleanup and working with the Special Olympics. She is also a member of the National Honor Society.

Coach Traquair on Flores – "Isabel offers us versatility along the back line. She is solid and defends well in 1v1 situations. A committed defender and a great fit for our group. Will add a lot of personality to our team."

 
Katie Mangini
D | Charlotte, N.C. (Providence HS)
A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Katie Mangini has been a four-year letterwinner at Providence High School in Charlotte, North Carolina. Through her first three years, Mangini helped guide her team to three straight South Mecklenburg 7 AAAA Conference championship crowns. During her sophomore and freshman campaigns, the team claimed the AAAA West Region crown as well as the AAAA state title when she was a sophomore after being runners up her freshman year.

She played three years for the Charlotte Soccer Academy ECNL team and moved over to the Development Academy her senior year.

Coach Traquair on Mangini – "Another athlete who brings a strong physical presence to our team. Katie reads the game extremely well and is quick to identify potential threats from the opposition. She comes from a very strong club environment and fits our style in possession."

 
Emily Mason
F | Suwanee, Ga. (North Gwinnett HS)
A three-year letterwinner at North Gwinnett High School, Emily Mason will come to Charleston from Suwanee, Georgia. She was named her team's Forward of the Year as both a junior and a sophomore. During her sophomore campaign, she had the highest number of assists and was named the Gwinnett Female Player of the Week while leading her team to the elite eight of the state playoffs. She was a member of the Concorde Fire U15 ECNL Southeastern Region championship team.

Coach Traquair on Mason – "A robust center forward who can make an instant impact at this level. Strikes the ball cleanly and is excellent with her back to goal. Can cause problems from distance and links up well in the final third. Has a good understanding of her role without the ball."

 
Hannah Meyers
MF | Charleston, S.C. (Fort Dorchester HS)
Hannah Meyers is a local product out of Fort Dorchester High School where she has earned four varsity letters. She was named her team's Defensive MVP as a junior and was the team captain as a freshman, earning all-conference honors. She has also played for the Freedom 99 SSC club, helping guide the team to two state championship crowns as well as the ESPN Disney Tournament title.

She has also earned three varsity letters as a member of the volleyball team and one letter in basketball. In volleyball, she was a team captain as a junior and was named the team's Student-Athlete of the Year as well as the Defensive MVP. She also earned all-region honors in volleyball and was named a Rotary MVP in the sport.

Away from athletics, she was named her school's Law Student of the Year.

Coach Traquair on Meyers – "I am looking to forward to seeing Hannah here in the fall. Hannah is a very competent and confident defender who fits our style of play. She is technically sound with a good tactical understanding of the game. She is a very driven individual, and will add a lot to our team environment."

 
Mel Mikoy
D | Fayetteville, Ga. (Fayette County HS)
A native of Fayetteville, Georgia, Mel Mikoy has earned one varsity letter for Fayette County High School. On her club team, she has helped guide the team to nationals every year except for this season. Her U-15 team won the Southeast Conference championship.

In the classroom, Mikoy was a junior marshal, earned A-Honor Roll plaudits and earned the Georgia Merit Award.

Coach Traquair on Mikoy – "Mel has great presence and adds strength and physicality to our squad. She is an astute defender and is another who is comfortable playing out from the back. She also gives the option to mix up our attacking approach. Mel will be big for us on set pieces.

 
Devyn Nyhart
F | St. Petersburg, Fla. (Boca Ciega HS)
Devyn Nyhart is the lone incoming Bulldog from the state of Florida, having played for Boca Ciega High School in St. Petersburg. A four-year letterwinner, Nyhart is a three-time MVP for her team, earning Senior All-Star Team honors this past season. She earned PCAC South County first team honors and was an honorable mention All-Tampa Bay selection her first three years on the squad and was named team captain as a sophomore. She has also played for Florida Celtic Soccer Club, a program that was ranked in the top 20 in the state in 2017, and has scored 23 goals to go along with 18 assists. She has also earned two varsity letters in cross country.

Coach Traquair on Nyhart – "Devyn is a very explosive player who can be a serious threat anywhere in the final third. She strikes the ball with real pace and hits the target at a consistent rate. Most importantly, Devyn is a winner and that will translate very well to the college game."

 
Maddie Somogyi
GK | Denville, N.J. (Morris Knolls HS)
Another product out of the state of New Jersey, Maddie Somogyi is a goalkeeper who has earned two varsity letters at Morris Knolls High School. During her senior campaign, the team went 21-3-1, claiming the county and state sectional championship crowns while setting a program record for most shutouts in a single season with 15.

As a senior in 2017, she was named All-Morris County Top 20 as well as All-State Top 20 with a save percentage of .920 and a goals against average of 1.3. She earned all-conference first team honors and helped guide the team to the Morris County championship where she was named the Tournament MVP. She also helped guide the team to the North 1 Group State Sectional championship.

During her junior campaign, she recorded 173 saves with four shutouts to her credit, ending the season with a .850 save percentage and a goals against average of 1.9. Despite missing half the season as a sophomore due to an injury, she still tallied five shutouts and 81 saves. Somogyi was named the team's MVP her freshman year and was credited with nine shutouts, a save percentage of .890 and a goals against average of 2.2.

On the club side, she has played for the Jersey United Spartans, leading the team to the state cup finals in 2015 and a state ranking of No. 2. The team was invited to the Jefferson Cup three years in a row and the Disney Showcase two years. In 2017, her Jersey United Spartans made it to the semifinals of the national championship series and finished the year ranked 12^th. She was invited to train with the Swansea City women's professional soccer team in the summer of 2015 and again in 2016.

In the classroom, Somogyi is a four-time High Honor Roll honoree and has earned the SUMA award all four years for maintaining a grade-point average in the top-10 percent of her class. She is also a member of the National Honor Society as well as well as the National Business Honor Society.

Her father, Michael Somogyi played hockey and soccer at Montclair University.

Coach Traquair on Somogyi – "A solid addition to the goalkeeping union. Madison brings high energy, enthusiasm and a willingness to learn and get better. She is a well-rounded goalkeeper and she trains at a high intensity. I expect her to come in and compete from Day 1."

 
Isabel Zarzuela
D | Chapin, S.C. (Chapin HS)
A native of Chapin, South Carolina, Isabel Zarzuela has earned four varsity letters on the girl's soccer team at Chapin High School. She helped guide Chapin to the 2017 AAAA Lower State title as a junior after leading the team to the 2016 AAA Upper State title as well as the AAA State crown. As a freshman, Chapin was a AAA Upper State finalist.

On the club side, Zarzuela has been a member of SCUFC 99 Elite, leading the team to the 2015 Disney College Showcase championship, the 2015 Jefferson Cup crown and the 2014 S.C. State championship. SCUFC 99/00 has also finished as an S.C. State finalist.

Away from the soccer pitch, Zarzuela has been named a Furman University Scholar and was tabbed the 2015 New Face of Engineering of the Year. She also earned Stellar Student-Athlete plaudits and is a 2017 recipient of the James Otis Scholar award. She is a Grade 8 USSF Referee, a member of her school's National Honor Society, a member of Rho Kappa, an active member of the FIRST Robotics Club and is a member of her school's International Club. She also is a Cyber Patriot member, an active member of the Glee Club and is a Junior Civitans member.

Coach Trauqair on Zarzuela – "Isabel comes from a very successful high school team in South Carolina. She has good awareness in and out of possession, and is comfortable playing out of the back. She adds much needed depth to our central areas."


For more information and score updates on The Citadel soccer team, follow @CitadelWSoccer on Twitter or visit CitadelSports.com.