BURLINGTON, Vt. – The University of Vermont women's soccer program will add nine newcomers for the upcoming 2018 season. Head coach Kristi Lefebvre introduced her eighth recruiting class on Monday.
 
"We are pleased to announce this group of student-athletes as our newest additions to Catamount Country," Lefebvre said. "Our program has proven to be one of the top programs in America East in recent years, and we look forward to the impact they will make to sustain that success, and help us to push the bar even higher. Each graduating class has left a lasting impact competitively and culturally within our program, and we fully expect that this class will do the same. They are quality people and athletes, and they excel academically and in their communities. We welcome them to UVM and we are excited to help them achieve their academic and soccer goals."
 
Vermont is coming off its first ever trip to the America East Championship Game. The 2017 Cats ended the season with a 9-9-2 overall record, their highest win total since the 2004 campaign. Lefebvre also moved into second place on the program's all-time wins list. UVM had three players earn All-America East honors as Sarah Martin landed on the All-Conference First Team, Brooke Jenkins made the All-Conference Second Team and All-Academic Team, and Ella Bankert was honored with an All-Rookie Team nod.
 
Eliza Green (Haverford, Pa.), Payton Humphrey (York, Maine), Lydia Kessel (Wading River, N.Y.), Alexa Mihale (Oceanside, N.Y.), Alyssa Oviedo (Clifton, N.J.), Dmi Petrusha (St. Charles, Illinois), Abby Pokrzywinksi (San Ramon, Calif.), Ali Price (Ottawa, Ontario), and Alex West (New York, New York) will continue their careers in Catamount Country.
 
Eliza Green
Defender | 5'7
Haverford, Pa. | LMSC Storm
 
Green was a four-year letterwinner at The Shipley School in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania where she was named to the All-Friends League First Team as a senior. As a junior, she earned First Team All-Main Line, All-Southeastern Pennsylvania, and Friends League honors. She also selected as the Gators' Most Valuable Player as a junior. She played club soccer for LMSC Storm and guided the team to state championships as a junior and senior. The team earned a first-place finish in the Region I League bracket during her junior season.

Payton Humphrey
Forward | 5'6
York, Maine | Seacoast United
 
Humphrey netted 20 goals and dished out 22 assists during her four-year career at York High School in York, Maine. She was a three-time All-Southern Maine First Team selection and guided the Wildcats to an appearance in the Western Maine Championship Game as a sophomore. Humphrey played club soccer with Seacoast United where she won four New Hampshire State Cup titles. As a senior, she scored the game-winning goal in the State Cup Championship Game.

Lydia Kessel
Goalkeeper | 5'9
Wading River, N.Y. | East Meadow
 
Kessel owned a career record of 62-7-6 with 48 shutouts at Shoreham-Wading River High School in Shoreham, New York. She only surrendered 28 goals over four years as the Wildcats went undefeated and captured Suffolk County Class A crowns during her sophomore and senior seasons. During the title runs, Kessel was honored as the Championship Most Valuable Player. She was a three-time All-State Selection and two-time Suffolk County Small School Goalkeeper of the Year honoree. Kessell was also named to the All-Metro Second Team as a senior. With her club team, East Meadow, she won a state title as a sophomore and was selected to the ECNL PDP program.  

Alexa Mihale
Midfield | 5'5
Oceanside, N.Y. | East Meadow
 
Mihale, the New York Conference AA 2 Player of the Year as a senior, comes to Burlington from Oceanside High School in Oceanside, New York. She helped the Sailors earn a spot in the state semifinals as a sophomore and senior. Mihale was a three-time All-Conference selection for Oceanside. As a senior, she scored eight goals and handed out 12 assists. She played club soccer for East Meadow and led the team in assists all four years. Mihale was also selected to the ECNL PDP program through her play with East Meadow.

Alyssa Oviedo
Midfield | 5'4
Clifton, N.J. | PSA and SDFC
 
Oviedo tallied 30 goals and 27 assists during her career at DePaul Catholic High School in Wayne, New Jersey. She set a career high with 26 points and 11 goals during her senior season. Oviedo was a four-time All-Big North Conference selection and led DePaul Catholic to its first conference title in school history as a junior. She was also voted as the Big North Conference's Best Offensive Player each of her final three seasons and awarded the league's Rookie of the Year honor as a freshman. Oviedo was also a starting forward on the Dominican Republic U20 National Team where the team played in the CONCACAF World Cup Qualifiers in July and had a chance to play in the 2018 U20 World Cup in France. She has also been called up to play for the D.R. Superior National Team in May to help them qualify for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. 
 
Dmi Petrusha
Defender | 5'6
St. Charles, Illinois | Team Chicago
 
Petrusha played high school at St. Charles North High School in St. Charles, Illinois where she guided the North Stars to regional and sectional championships as a junior and senior. As a senior, her team won the National PepsiCo Showdown – the largest high school soccer tournament in the country. In the classroom, Petrusha was a three-time Academic All-Conference recipient. She guided her club soccer teams, Campton United and Team Chicago, to three state title game appearances.
 
Abby Pokrzywinksi
Forward | 5'9
San Ramon, Calif. | Mustang SC
 
Pokrzywinksi recorded 36 points on 12 goals and 12 assists at California High School in San Ramon, California. Her club team, Mustang SC, made it to the U15 National Final Four during her junior year. As a senior, her U17 club team earned a fifth-place national ranking. In the classroom, she was a three-time California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) North Coast Section Scholar-Athlete.
 
Ali Price
Midfield | 5'7
Ottawa, Ontario | Ottawa South United
 
Price was a four-year starter for her club team Ottawa South United, a part of the Ottawa Youth Soccer League – Ontario's top club soccer league. She helped the team earn a second-place finish in the OYSL East Division during her junior and senior seasons. As a senior, she was the leading scorer and later received an invitation to the High Performance Program Combine, hosted by the MLS' Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Price also played in the 2017 Canada Games for Team Ontario.
 
Alex West
Defense • 5'7
New York, N.Y. |Albertson Fury
 
As a freshman, West guided her team to the Bronx/Manhattan Division II league title and led the city in scoring. She was a four-time Most Valuable Player at the High School of Math, Science & Engineering at the City College of New York and landed on the Academic Honor Roll every year. She played club soccer for Albertson Fury where she was a two-time Defender of the Year. 

Almartin Volvo is the presenting sponsor of the Vermont women's soccer program

University of Vermont Women's Soccer Class of 2022
 

	Eliza Green Defender | 5'7 Haverford, Pa. | LMSC Storm
	Payton Humphrey Forward | 5'6 York, Maine | Seacoast United
	Lydia Kessel Goalkeeper | 5'9 Wading River, N.Y. | East Meadow
	Alexa Mihale Midfield | 5'5 Oceanside, N.Y. | East Meadow
	Alyssa Oviedo Midfield | 5'4 Clifton, N.J. | PSA and SDFC
	Dmi Petrusha Defender | 5'6 St. Charles, Illinois | Team Chicago
	Abby Pokrzywinksi Forward | 5'9 San Ramon, Calif. | Mustang SC
	Ali Price Midfield | 5'7 Ottawa, Ontario | Ottawa South United
	Alex West Defense • 5'7 New York, N.Y. | Albertson Fury