Balogun inks 14 for 2022 UTEP soccer signing class

EL PASO, Texas - UTEP soccer officially unveiled the list of 14 student-athletes who have signed National Letters of Intent to play for the Miners this fall, head coach Kathryn Balogun announced on Wednesday.

In total, nine incoming freshmen join the program from the high school ranks, while five transfers have been added to the roster.

The new additions for the program include Eve Barry (New Plymouth Girls’ HS), Anna Chor (O’Fallon Township HS), Alaina Gilbert (UTSA), Clarissa Gutierrez (Eastlake HS), Leslie Gutierrez (Heartland CC), Kaila Hudson (Clear Brook HS), Lundyn Ladner (LSU Laboratory School), Sophia Lewis (Toledo), Stephenie Pereff (Union HS), Emely Reyes (Oak Ridge HS), Elena Reyna (Baylor), Mina Rodriguez (Eastlake HS), Justice Tillotson (Michigan State) and Daniele Tovar (El Dorado HS).

“We are excited about this recruiting class as it is an opportunity to introduce new Miners to the UTEP family,” Balogun said. “This is a large class with a few transfers, El Paso natives and quality talent. Within this class we have five players with ties to El Paso and the El Paso community. The other additions come from Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, California, Illinois, Michigan and New Zealand, making it truly an international roster when combined with our current players from Canada, Ireland and England. It will be a great pleasure to work with these young women who are committed to our style of play and improving our culture on and off the field.”

By adding seven Texas natives, the Miners now feature 11 players hailing from the Lonestar State.

Profiles on each signing follow below.

Eve Barry

New Plymouth Girls’ HS

New Plymouth, New Zealand

5-2, MF/F

Freshman

PRIOR TO UTEP: Played for New Plymouth Girls' High School in New Zealand ... participated in the New Zealand U-17 National Team Camp ... a representative of the New Zealand Secondary School U-17 Team ... Capital Women's Young Player of the Year in 2021 ... scored seven goals in the Futsal SuperLeague in 2020, finishing two goals away from the league lead ... member of the Dean's List in 2020 at Victoria University of Wellington ... played for the Waterside Karori club team.

Anna Chor

O’Fallon Township HS

Lebanon, Ill.

5-5, F

Freshman

PRIOR TO UTEP: Played for O'Fallon Township HS (O'Fallon, Ill.) ... three-time All-Conference selection ... Honorable Mention All-Sectional pick ... regional champion as a freshman, junior and senior ... conference champion as a junior and senior … set a school record for most assists in a season ... state champion as a junior ... scored eight goals with 16 assists as senior ... tallied a pair of game-winners with four assists as a junior before an injury ended her season ... had sophomore season altered due to COVID-19 ... netted 10 goals (three game-winners) as a freshman while also distributing five assists ... member of the Athletic Leadership Council, High Honor Roll, National Honor Society, Sports Psychology Club, Digital Media Club and FOR Club ... three-time All-Conference Academic selection ... a Scholar Athlete as a prep.

Alaina Gilbert

UTSA

San Antonio, Texas

5-10, GK

Freshman

PRIOR TO UTEP: Redshirted in 2021 at UTSA ... named to the 2021-22 C-USA Academic Honor Roll ... recipient of the 2021-22 C-USA Commissioner's Academic Medal ... prepped at Antonian College Prep (San Antonio, Texas) ... recorded 200 goalkeeper saves in her high school career ... three-time first team All-District pick ... twice named on the All-State team lists. Academic All-State during high school career ... named San Antonio Express News All-Area Player in 2020 ... played on the district championship team as a freshman, sophomore and junior ... member of team that advanced to state semifinals as a junior ... played for Classics Elite 02/03 ECNL ... saw action in the Champions League ECNL Playoffs in 2019.

Clarissa Gutierrez

Eastlake HS

El Paso, Texas

5-4, F/D

Freshman

PRIOR TO UTEP: Played for Eastlake High School in El Paso ... a member of the El Paso Cosmos FC club team … TASCO All-Region honorable mention as a senior ... three-time All-District selection ... honored three times as an All-City pick ... completed her vet tech endorsement ... ranked 80th in a class of 503.

Leslie Gutierrez

Heartland CC

El Paso, Texas

5-4, MF/F

Junior

PRIOR TO UTEP: Played two seasons at Heartland CC in Illinois ... team went 31-1 during her two seasons, including a 20-0 campaign as a sophomore on the way to winning the national championship for NJCAA Division II ... scored four goals with three assists as a sophomore ... ranked fifth in the conference with five goals while adding an assist as a freshman ... All-MWAC performer ... named to the All-Tournament team at nationals ... played at El Dorado High School in El Paso as a prep ... First Team All-District as a senior ... Honorable Mention All-District as a junior ... Academic All-State selection by TASCO ... AVID all four years ... member of the National Honor Society for two years ... played club soccer for Rush Galacticas.

Kaila Hudson

Clear Brook HS

Houston, Texas

5-5, D

Freshman

PRIOR TO UTEP: Played at Clear Brook High School (Friendswood, Texas) ... a member of the Houston Dash DA/GA first team for four years ... played in the Champions League Florida Showcase ... posted a 4.3 GPA.

Lundyn Ladner

LSU Laboratory School

Baton Rouge, La.

5-8, D

Freshman

PRIOR TO UTEP: Played at the LSU Laboratory School (Baton Rouge, La.) ... member of the Louisiana High School Composite All-State Team (2022) ... Division III First Team All-State (2021, 2022) ... Division III First Team All-Metro (2020, 2021, 2022) ... Division III First Team All-District (2020, 2021, 2022) ... Division III All-Metro MVP (2022) ... Division III All-District Defensive MVP (2022) ... helped lead team to state titles as a sophomore and junior ... club team won the Louisiana Club Soccer State Cup four times (2017, 2019, 2021, 2022) ... appeared in the Girls Academy playoffs in 2021 with the Houston Dash GA ... played for Baton Rouge United WPSL (2021, 2022) ... captain of her high school and club team for two years ... made the Louisiana High School Athletic Association All-Academic Team in 2022 ... member of National Honor Society ... member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes ... participated in the French Club and received the Superior French Performance Award in 2019 and 2021 ... on the honor roll with a GPA above 4.0 throughout high school.

Sophia Lewis

Toledo

Sacramento, Calif.

5-8, F/MF

Graduate Student

PRIOR TO UTEP: Spent five seasons at Toledo ... two-year starter for the Rockets as a sophomore and junior ... scored seven goals during her career at Toledo ... tallied 14 total assists ... led the team in assists during the 2018 and 2019 seasons ... tied a Toledo school record with three assists in a match vs. Eastern Michigan on Oct. 10, 2019 ... a member of the 2017 team that advanced to the NCAA Championships ... named Academic All-MAC twice ... a graduate of Christian Brothers HS where she earned three letters in soccer and one in water polo.

Stephenie Pereff

Union HS

Tulsa, Okla.

5-9, GK

Freshman

PRIOR TO UTEP: Played at Union High School (Tulsa, Okla.) ... won districts and made it to the state semifinals with Union as a junior ... earned the Golden Glove Award from Union for her efforts as a junior ... connected on the first field goal made by a female in Union football history as a senior ... won districts and placed second at state with the football team ... helped lead Solar SC to nationals in 2019.

Emely Reyes

Oak Ridge HS

Conroe, Texas

5-3, D

Freshman

PRIOR TO UTEP: Played at Oak Ridge High School (Conroe, Texas) ... scored nine goals with 21 assists during her high school career, including five goals and six assists as a senior ... tallied three goals and 10 assists as a junior while helping lead team to the playoffs ... netted a goal with five assists as a sophomore before COVID-19 ended the season early ... played for the U-20 El Salvador national team ... scored a goal in a 5-2 win over host nation Dominican Republic ... a member of the Challenge SC club team ... also played for the Houston Dash Academy.

Elena Reyna

Baylor

Flower Mound, Texas

5-5, F

Graduate Student

PRIOR TO UTEP: Spent four years at Baylor ... played in 22 games with seven starts ... scored four goals with the Bears for her career, including a pair of game-winners in 2018 ... netted the game-winner in the 72nd minute vs. Kansas (10-21-18) and vs. Iowa State in the Big 12 Tournament (10-28-18) ... 2021-22 Baylor Student Athlete Advisory Committee Secretary ... two-time member of the Big 12 Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll ... on the Dean's List at Baylor from 2018-22 ... 2019 Academic All-Big 12 First Team selection ... named to the Academic All-Big 12 Rookie Team in 2018 ... a 2018 graduate of Flower Mound High School in Texas ... played club ball for the D'Feeters (Farmers Branch) organization under Randy Shaw ... a two-sport standout as a prep in soccer and volleyball ... won the 2016 6A UIL Texas State Championship and was MVP of the title match ... member of the National Honor Society, the Science National Honor Society and the English Honor Society.

Mina Rodriguez

Eastlake HS

San Diego, Calf.

5-2, F

Freshman

PRIOR TO UTEP: Played for Eastlake High School (San Diego, Calif.) ... helped lead the Titans to a 13-3-1 record as a junior on the way to becoming co-champions of the Mesa League ... made the final roster for the 2018 and 2019 US Youth Soccer Far West ODP team ... sister Maia is also on the UTEP roster for this upcoming season ... club team was Rebels FC.

Justice Tillotson

Michigan State

Rochester, Mich.

5-4, F

RS Sophomore

PRIOR TO UTEP: Spent two seasons at Michigan State, appearing in two matches during the Fall of 2021 ... attended Rochester Adams HS ... named to the District Finalist Team as a freshman in 2017, scoring 10 goals with five assists ... named to the Regional Finalist Team as a sophomore and junior ... had nine goals and 12 assists during her junior season ... two-year varsity captain and four-year captain of the Vardar ECNL team.

Daniele Tovar

El Dorado HS

El Paso, Texas

5-8, MF/F

Freshman

PRIOR TO UTEP: Played for El Dorado High School (El Paso, Texas) ... four-year letterwinner ... scored 45 goals with 26 assists as a senior ... served as a captain during her prep career ... District 2-5A Midfield MVP as a senior ... District 2-5A Offensive MVP as a junior ... three-time All-District performer ... two-time All-City player ... All-District Academic Team all four years of high school ... TASCO Honorable Mention All-Region as a senior ... earned MaxPreps Player of the Week during her junior campaign ... a member of the El Paso Cosmos FC club team.