Thunderbird Soccer Signs Eight New T-Birds On National Signing Day

The Southern Utah University women’s soccer team and head coach Fred Thompson are proud to announce the signing of eight new Thunderbirds to the team ahead of the 2018 season.

“We’re very excited about this new class. We have a lot of pieces that I think we need. Overall, all of these players are very athletic and are going to make a difference for us,” head coach Fred Thompson said about his incoming class. “I know that they are all excited to be here. They’ll all have an opportunity and they all have the skill set to be able to contribute right away.”

Elainya Hawkins

Hawkins comes to Southern Utah University from Cherokee Trail High School in Aurora, Colorado. She played forward for Cherokee Trail and the Colorado United club team.

“Up top we are going to need some goals and Elainya is going to be able to provide that for us. She can play out wide or down the middle up top and I think she might even have the ability to play underneath as an attacking midfielder,” Thompson said.

Kennedy Jex

Jex is a forward/defender from Highland, Utah. She played soccer for Highland High School and the Utah Celtic FC club team. Jex had four career goals as a Ram.

“We’ve got Kennedy coming in from up north and she is quick and she has a great first touch. She’ll be playing on the outside somewhere, whether that is up top or in the back, we’ll have to see how it plays out,” Thompson said.

Emma Leong

Leong joins the Thunderbirds from Dana Point, California where she was a defender for Santa Margarita Catholic High School. She also was a staple on the back line for the So Cal Blues club team.

Quincy Pfeffer

Pfeffer will make the trip north from Chandler, Arizona where she was a defender for Chandler High School and the AZ Arsenal Soccer Club team. As a defender, Pfeffer scored two goals and added four assists during her career at Chandler.

“Emma and Quincy are both bring a little bit bigger presence in the backfield than what we have currently and both are very athletic. We are hoping that both of them can come in and make an impact right away,” Thompson said.

Emily Lynch

Lynch, a midfielder from Chandler, Arizona, will be transferring to SUU in the fall from Mesa Community College in Arizona. Lynch was the leading scorer last season for the MCC Thunderbirds, scoring nine goals and dishing out five assists for 23 total points. Before joining the team at Mesa, Lynch played for Mountain Pointe High School and the Ahwatukee Foothills Soccer Club.

“Emily is coming to us from Mesa Community College. She has a nice first touch and she can play in traffic. Some people think she is better outside, but I like that she can play in between the lines,” Thompson said.

Lola Onsurez

Another product of the Golden State, Onsurez joins the Thunderbirds from Mira Loma, California. She played soccer for Norco High School and the Fullerton Rangers club team.

Neally Peters

Peters comes to Cedar City from Las Vegas, Nevada where she played defender for Arbor View High School and Albion SC Las Vegas. In her senior year at Arbor View, Peters scored one goal and dished out four assists.

Alex Roberto

Also joining Southern Utah from Las Vegas is Alex Roberto. Roberto attended West Career and Technical Academy and played soccer for Albion SC Las Vegas.

“The midfield is where things get interesting. We have a bunch of central midfield players coming in that might even be able to play center back when you need to. Alex, Neally, and Lola can all play the defensive midfield and give us the depth we need in that area,” Thompson said. Jahna did an awesome job for us in there last year and it is going to be tough having to replace that workload.”

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