Soccer adds six on National Signing Day

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas -- Wednesday morning, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi head soccer coach Craig Shaw announced the addition of six young women to his program via National Signing Day, bringing in three athletes from across the state of Texas, two from Colorado and one from Minnesota. The Islanders created depth across the roster, grabbing two defenders, two midfielders, one forward and one goalkeeper.

"I am very excited about this class," head coach Craig Shaw said of the six signees. "The coaching staff worked very hard to ensure this was a small class of very high quality recruits who want to win. They will help us take this program to the next level. With their slew of experience from all from multiple top clubs, these six have shown they are DI ready and are excited to be a part of history by propelling this program towards a championship."

Under Shaw's leadership, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi managed a 5-9-3 record last season, placing 10th in the Southland Conference with a 2-7-2 mark. The Islanders return 22 letter winners for the 2019 season, including Southland All-Conference honorable mention defender Marina Davidson. 

Name: Emma Gibbs
High School: Silver Creek HS
Hometown: Longmont, Colo.
Club: Colorado Rush DA
Position: Midfielder
HC Craig Shaw: "We are very excited to get the chance to work with Emma during her four years of college. She has been an instrumental component of one of the best teams in the US Soccer Development Academy. Emma has shown herself as a true soccer player who lives and breathes the game, and her vision and passing range will fit in perfectly with the possession-style attacking soccer we are trying to bring to the Island."


Name: Ana Recarte-Pacheco
High School: Shattuck-St. Mary's HS
Hometown: Woodbury, Minn.
Club: Shattuck-St. Mary's DA
Position: Midfielder
HC Craig Shaw: "Ana will add a flair to our program that will immensely help with our creativity and scoring opportunities. She has great 1 v 1 ability and thinks one step ahead of most players, and we think she is going to enjoy playing in our system. Ana is a soccer junkie and has been preparing at one of the most prestigious soccer boarding schools in the nation, a good measure of her passion for the game."


Name: Madeleine Schlichter
High School: Marcus HS
Hometown: Highland Village, Texas
Club: Dallas ECNL
Position: Forward
HC Craig Shaw: "Madi is one of those amazing players who can be the nicest person off the field but, when it comes to on the pitch, she takes no prisoners. She uses her great size and a never-say-die attitude to torment defenders. Further, Madi has the skill and speed that we are going to enjoying developing with on our forward line. On top of all of that, we have the opportunity to get her on campus this spring, and that is going to be huge for her transition."


Name: Alana Mangan
High School: Trinity HS
Hometown: Bedford, Texas
Club: Dallas Kicks
Position: Defender
HC Craig Shaw: "Alana has is a very mature defender for her age, as she can compete physically and play out from the backline when necessary. Further, we get to work with her this earlier than expected due to her December graduation, displaying an amazing commitment to being an Islander."


Name: Hannah Hooks
High School: Sachse HS
Hometown: Sachse, Texas
Club: FC Dallas ECNL
Position: Defender
HC Craig Shaw: "The greatest thing about Hannah is that she has the desire to be the best defender she can, and all the tools to be one of the best in Division I. We are very excited about the opportunity to work with Hannah, as her athleticism will assist in the transition to competing at collegiate level."


Name: Kassie Rembisz
High School: Legend HS
Hometown: Parker, Colo.
Club: Colorado Storm
Position: Goalkeeper
HC Craig Shaw: "With her six-foot frame, Kassie owns a huge advantage between the posts. And while her size is an attractive quality, it wasn't that attribute that got us so interested in recruiting her. Primarily, Kassie is very fast side to side and has exceptionally good hands, not to mention her confidence and ability to put her body on the line. She has all the right components that will allow assistant coach Chris Jones to mold her into a top DI goalkeeper."


The Islanders entered offseason preparation following their final match in late October. For more information on Islanders women's soccer, follow the team on Twitter (@IslandersSoccer), Instagram (@IslandersSoccer) and like their Facebook page (Islanders Soccer).