Wayne State women’s soccer coach Joe Cleary announced the signing Thursday of five high school standouts to national letters of intent along with the addition of one transfer as part of the 2017 Wildcat recruiting class.
The 2017 class includes Shelby Bullard, Madison Craig and Bailey Lagasse of Omaha, Rachel Schuster from Arvada, Colo., and Rylie Wehner of Golden, Colo., along with transfer Rachel Fraser from Brisbane, Australia.
“I am really excited about our 2017 class,” Cleary said. “In this class we have addressed our depth issues in the midfield and defense. We have also added some talented and competitive attacking players that will push our returning forwards for time right away. On top of this class’ on-field talent, they are also great individuals who are driven academically. I expect them to fit in well with our group right away – both on the field and in the classroom.”
Bullard is a 5-foot-7 forward/midfielder from Omaha. She is a three-year starter entering her senior season at Burke High School and is a two-time All-Nebraska and Super State honorable mention selection. In three seasons, Bullard has produced 82 points with 31 goals and 20 assists. She is a member of the Gretna Soccer Club and is a four-time Nebraska State Cup Finalist and selected to the Nebraska ODP team and Region II ODP pool.
“We have been following Shelby’s progress since I became an assistant at Wayne State,” remarked Cleary. “She is a fierce competitor and a talented soccer play and has the potential to play a couple different positions for us as a Wildcat.”
Craig is a 5-foot-6 defender from Omaha. She is a three-sport standout in cross country, swimming and soccer at Central High School, earning 12 varsity letters in four years of school. Craig has competed in four Class A state cross country and swim meets and has received Academic All-State honors in all three sports. She serves as team captain for the soccer team this spring and plays club soccer for Infinite Sports World.
“Madison is a talented athlete that we added late in the 2017 class,” stated Cleary. “She spread her focus across three sports in high school and was successful in all three. She will turn her focus completely to soccer in college and we are excited to see her reach her true potential as a Wildcat soccer player.”
Lagasse is a 5-foot-5 midfielder from Platteview High School. Last season as a junior, she led Platteview to an 11-4 record scoring 13 goals with four assists for 30 points. Lagasse plays club ball for the Gretna Soccer Club and was a member of the 2015 team that won the Nebraska State Cup.
“Bailey is a dynamic attacking midfielder that has great vision,” said Coach Cleary. “She will be a good addition to our midfield as she brings different qualities to our current midfield. Depth was certainly a question in our midfield last season and Bailey is a talented answer to that question.”
Schuster is a 5-foot-9 defender from Ralston Valley High School in Arvada, Colo. She was an All-Jeffco Conference honorable mention selection last season (2016) and named Defensive MVP while also earning Academic All-State honors with a 4.0 grade point average. Schuster plays club for the Real Colorado Edge.
“Megan’s technical ability, soccer IQ, leadership and competitiveness will be assets to our defensive line,” boasted Cleary. “As a program, we take pride in our ability on set pieces. Megan is a strong attacking and defensive presence on set pieces so I expect that to be a specific impact of hers on our program.”
Wehner is a 5-foot-6 forward from Golden High School in Colorado. She is a four-year letterwinner and was named first-team All-Conference as a junior after leading the conference in goals with 17 to go with eight assists. In club soccer playing for the Real Colorado Edge, she helped her team to a second-place finish in the 2015 Colorado State Cup. Wehner was also an All-Conference honorable mention point guard on the basketball team as a junior.
“Rylie has all the tools to be an impact forward in the NSIC,” said Cleary. “She is a very talented and hard-working player and we are very much looking forward to her four years as a Wildcat soccer player.”
Fraser is a 5-foot-8 defender/midfielder joining the Wildcat roster from Trinidad State Junior College in Colorado. She was a two-year starter for the Trojans appearing in 30 games, earning second-team All-Region honors this season as a sophomore while helping her team to one of their best seasons in recent history. Fraser is a native of Brisbane, Australia.
“We are excited for Rachel to bring her experience at the junior college level,” added Cleary. “She is a strong, versatile player who will push for playing time both in the midfield and in the defense.”
