CHARLESTON, S.C. – While countless college students across the country are planning relaxing trips this summer, four Citadel women's soccer cadet-athletes are taking advantage of opportunities to gain valuable playing time this summer.

Rising juniors Kate Manzione and Maria Contreras, and rising sophomore Mel Mikoy will all be playing in the Women's Premier Soccer Leagues (WPSL), while graduate student Katherine Arroyo will have the opportunity to train with and try out for the Costa Rican Women's National Team.

"Summer playing opportunities are great preparation for the college season. I am glad we have several players involved in different teams across the country," said head coach Ciaran Traquair. "It is a very competitive league and includes players from the top programs in Division I. Kat has a chance to get more training time with the national pool and will try to make the squad for the next round of international games. We can't wait to have them back ready to go for us this fall."

Manzione, a defender from Newbury Park, California, will head back to the west coast to play with LA Premier in the Coastal Division of the West Region. Premier's schedule currently includes 12 dates and begins with two matches on the road. The season opener will be on Saturday, May 18 against Legends FC, while the home opener will take place on Saturday, May 25 against FC Golden State Villa.

Manzione started all 18 games she appeared in during the 2018 season, and has seen action in 36 games in her career. Last season, she averaged 80.4 minutes per contest, including every minute in 12 games. She recorded one assist on the year and has been a part of four shutouts with the Bulldogs' defense.

Contreras, a midfielder originally from Guatemala City, Guatemala, will be playing with Orlando Kicks FC in the Sunshine Division of the South Region. The Kicks open their seven-game season on Monday, May 27 with a home game against Florida Sol FC. Orlando will play their home games at Montverde Academy, where Contreras went to high school.

Last season, Contreras played in 18 games, including making 12 starts. She ended her sophomore campaign 12^th in program history with five career assists and tied for 11^th with two game-winning goals. Contreras averaged 61.4 minutes per contest and played every minute in five games. She scored two goals and recorded a pair of assists for six points.

Mikoy will return to her club team, Peachtree City MOBA, in the Southeast Division of the South Region. There are currently 10 games on the schedule, including starting the season with back-to-back games against Chattanooga Red Wolves FC. MOBA opens the season on Sunday, May 12 at Chattanooga before playing three homes games in a row.

Mikoy was one of just two players to start all 19 games for the Bulldogs last season. As a true freshman, Mikoy averaged over 90 minutes per contest. She was tied for first on the team with five assists and scored two goals for nine points. Her five assists are tied for fifth most in program history for assists by a freshman.

Arroyo, a forward from Guacima, Costa Rica, graduated from The Citadel on Saturday, May 4 and will head back home to Costa Rica to begin her summer with CODEA. She also has the chance to play for Deportivo Saprissa. Arroyo is also waiting on word about training and playing with the Costa Rica national team in a tournament this summer in Chile.

Arroyo has played in 52 games, including making 47 starts in her three seasons playing for The Citadel. She has scored 10 goals, tied for 10^th in program history, and boasts 24 points. She is currently tied for seventh all time in program history with three career game-winning goals. Last season, Arroyo played in all 19 games and made 15 starts, averaging 66.2 minutes per outing. She was third on the team with six goals scored and tied for third with 13 points.

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