Islanders Sign A Baker's Dozen On NSD 2018

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - Texas A&M-Corpus Christi adds a baker's dozen of commits this signing day, with Head Coach Craig Shaw bringing in five forwards, five defenders and a trio of midfielders to the Island in 2018. Of the Blue and Green's 13 signings, eight will come to the Island from in-state, including a three-pack of hometown heroes hailing from Veterans Memorial and Calallen High School.

In his first year at the helm of the Islanders program, Coach Shaw led the Blue and Green to its most successful season in its five year history, picking up a school record six wins and tying an all-time high with 16 goals in 2017. With their second appearance in the Southland Conference Tournament under their belt, the Islanders are one of the quickest rising teams in the SLC to date, returning 15 of their top-18 minute-eaters from the previous campaign.

"This is a very exciting class full of young talented and hungry players who want to succeed at the DI level." commented Coach Shaw, when asked about his 2018 signing day class "They are all aware it is going to be a big step up and are willing to do the work this spring and summer so they are ready to compete for game time this fall. Adding this class to our returners who now know what the coaching staff expects as a DI athlete I feel we have the depth and competition for places we need to help take this young program to the next level. If we can create competition at our practices for playing time that is only going to make the team better and success will follow. With five forwards in this class we have added goals to the team that we need to win those close games. I am looking forward to the battles for game time in each position this fall."

Ashley Tuccio | F | 5'6" | Thornton, Colo. (Broomfield HS)

• Led Broomfield Blast Soccer Club to runner up finish in the 2017 Colorado State Cup along with a 2014 President Cup Championship
• Member of the 2017 Academic All-State Team, scoring eight goals and four assists in her junior year
• Former teammates with current Islander player Abby Deakin
• "I chose TAMUCC to not only take part in the girls increasingly successful and competitive soccer program, but by being part of a competitive business program, I will challenge myself to new limits as a growing and curious student

Head Coach Craig Shaw on Tuccio: "Ashley is a player I have watched play for nearly 2 years now. She keeps on getting better and better. She can play on the left or right and can beat you with her top level speed or through her 1 v 1 skills. She will cause problems for outside defenders. She has had top level coaching under Dave Castro and Heather Solar so I am excited at how prepared she is going to be first day on campus."

Alex Shipp | D | 5'10" | Spring, Texas (Oak Ridge HS)

• First Team All-District as a junior and All-District Honorable Mention as a sophomore 
• Came to the Island fir the school's nursing program, location and soccer program

Head Coach Shaw on Shipp: "'Alex is a player that went under the radar and we were lucky enough to have her attend one of our ID Clinics. She is someone who has gotten better and better each time we see her play or train. She has great size and speed who likes to get forward as an outside back and put in great balls with her left foot."

Dana Curtis | F | 5'4" | Robstown, Texas (Calallen HS)

• Played at IMG Academy, competing in the Disney Cup for two years. Scored the game-winning PK to win the title in 2016 
• Won a state title twice with the Great Western Warcats in 2012 & 2014
• Led her club in goals and assists for six consecutive years
• Chose to come to the Island over Louisiana Tech and Incarnate Word

Coach Shaw on Curtis: "We are very excited that this local standout was willing to stay home and play for her hometown university. She is such a dynamic player and can beat a defender with speed or skill. She knows where the goal is at and she plays with a swagger that we need from a forward. She has had great coaching here in town with GEF and also with the IMG academy. As long as she does the work over the summer we could see a local product making an impact here in 2018."

Hanleigh Allen | F | 5'7" | Wichita, Kan. (Bishop Caroll Catholic HS)

• Led her team to third (2014) and fourth (2016) place finishes in the Kansas state tournament
• Named to the High School All Star Game in 2015
• First Team All-City, All-Metro Forward, First Team All-State, 5A Offensive Player of the Year and Preseason Athlete of the Year in 2017
• First Team All-City and All-State in 2016

Shaw on Allen: "Hanleigh is one of the top 5 players to come out of Kansas in this recruiting class. She was player of the year in Kansas at the 5A level which is a huge achievement. Her work ethic and drive to be a better player everyday is going to help her make an impact as a freshman. She will give us good options as she can play as a target forward with great finishing or as an outside forward with her 1 v 1 dribbling skills."

Jackie Paveglio | D | 5'7" | San Antonio, Texas (Winston Churchill HS)

• Her side ranked second in the nation at the 2017 US Club Soccer National Cup last July and first in the state 
• Captain of that Lonestar Club team, scoring five goals with the team
• Scored another five goals at the high school level over the past three years, and was named Third Team All-District
• Will join cousin Lauren Branger on the Island, choosing to come to Corpus Christi for the education and athletic opportunities

Shaw on Paveglio: "Jackie is a strong commanding center back. We identified her at one of our ID Clinics and under the direction of Coach Hunter I am excited to see how she develops. She is very physical but also likes to play out from the back which are two things I look for in a center back."

Jaedyn Johnson | D | 5'7" | Elkhorn, Neb. (Marion HS)

• Helped lead her high school to a Conference and State Championship in 2017, along with a state semifinals appearance in 2016 
• Captain of her club team, Gretna Prima Green, for the last three years, leading the side to state final appearances in both 2015 and 2016
• Chose to come to the Island over IUPUI, Chicago State and Longwood

Shaw on Johnson: "JJ is someone that both [Assistant Coach] Chris [Jones] and I were competing against to recruit at our previous institutions. She could not decide between the both of us until the best scenario happened and we were working together. She is an outside back with great athleticism and she really enjoys getting forward which is what we want."

Logan Shaw | D | 5'8" | Corpus Christi, Texas (Veterans Memorial HS)

• First Team All-District and All-Region in both 2016-2017, earning Second Team All-State an Academic All-District honors in both of those years as well
• Helped lead her club team, South Texas FC, to State Championships in 2015 and 2016
• "I chose TAMUCC to stay close to home while being able to join and contribute to an up and coming program. I liked the style of play the new coaches are trying to develop for the team."

Coach Shaw on Logan Shaw: "It is very exciting that we were able to find 3 Corpus Christi student athletes in this class that we are bringing in with the sole purpose of them having a future with this program and being apart of its success. Logan has good size, speed and understanding of playing out from the back from her time with the GEF and Veterans HS coaches who promote playing the game the right way."

Marina Davidson | D | 5'6" | Broomfield, Colo. (Broomfield HS)

• Received MVP honors after leading her club team to the Colorado State Cup Championship Game in 2017
• Reached semifinals of Colorado 5A State Championship Tournament in both 2016 and 2017
• Played alongside current Islander Abby Deakin in high school, teammates with fellow Islander commit Ashley Tuccio at both the high school and club team level
• "The [Texas A&M-Corpus Christi] campus was amazing, including the dorms and classes. It also is a great opportunity for me to play soccer in a great program. The coaches, staff and people all seemed very nice and welcoming"

Shaw on Davidson: "We are very lucky and excited about getting Marina into our program. She initially decided she did not want to play college soccer and I am glad that her high quality club coaches helped us identify her once she changed her mind. We are initially looking at her to compete for one of the center back spots but she can play anywhere across the backline and can compete for starting time as a freshman."

Noora T. Aldossary | M | 5'11" | Conroe, Texas (Oak Ridge HS)

• Has played with the Kingdom of Bahrain Senior National Team since 2014, earning four caps in her first year
• Earned 10 caps with the Bahrain National team in 2017, scoring a total of six goals in her games played internationally
• First Team All-District in 2015-16 season, and Second Team All-District during the 2016-17 campaign
• Chose to come to the Island over multiple Division I programs, including Stetson and SEC opponents LSU and Mississippi State

Shaw on Aldossary: "Noora is a very talented midfielder who has a great range of passing. She connects her passes at a very high percentage. Once she adjusts to the speed and physicalness of DI soccer she will develop into a top midfielder for this conference. Her experience of playing with her national team and in world cup qualifying games will help the transition to college happen easier and quicker than most."

Reaghan Lang | F | 5'7" | Fort Collins, Colo. (Fossil Ridge HS)

• Reached ECNL Champions League Playoffs in 2015, 2016 and 2017 with the Real Colorado
• State Cup Champion in 2012, 2013 and 2014, reaching Far West Regional Finals in both 2013 and 2014
• A varsity player for all four years, helped lead her team to the 5A Colorado State Playoffs in 2015, 2016 and 2017
• Academic All-Conference in 2017 leading her team in assists

Shaw on Lang: "Reaghan is a great target forward who can hold the ball up and is an expert in link up play. She is one of the best high school players in the air that I have seen for a long time, and her finishing ability is up there with the best. She has experience playing on one of the best ECNL teams in the country and we are definitely excited about what level of player we can turn her into."

Samantha Palomino | M/F | 5'7" | Helotes, Texas (Brandeis HS)

• Led her club team to a runner up finish in the 2017 US Club Soccer National Cup Championship
• Three-time First Team All-District, two-time All-Area Super Team, two-time First Team All-Region and offensive MVP for her high school in 2016
• 50 goals and 47 assists in three years of varsity, holding her high school's career record in assists
• Chose Corpus Christi over UTSA and Southland Conference foes Houston Baptist and Incarnate Word

Shaw on Palomino: "Sam is a forward that can play anywhere across a front three or in a two person system. She has the strength, size and speed with such a great eagerness to take defenders on. She will definitely battle it out with our other talented forwards for significant minutes as a freshman. She is having an outstanding high school season so far so we are excited about the goal scoring form she is going to bring into preseason camp."

Sierra Posada | M | 5'2" | Corpus Christi, Texas (Veterans Memorial HS)

• First Team All-District, Second Team All-Region and First Team All-Academic her sophomore and junior years, earning First Team South Texas Region honors at midfield as a sophomore
• Captain of her 2016 South Texas FC club team, earning back-to-back Austin Premier Labor Day Cup Championships (2015 & 2016), along with President's Cup South Texas Championships and Western District Championships
• Reached the regional semifinals with Veterans Memorial as a junior and regional quarterfinals as a sophomore, earning Area and Bi-District Championships in both seasons
• Reached the regional semifinals as a freshman at Carroll High School, grabbing Area and Bi-District Championships 

Shaw on Posada: "Another local product that we are excited about working with. She has a set of skills that will work very well with our style of play. She likes to keep the ball, she has a great eye for a pass and can carry the ball through midfield and draw people out of position. We really like her creativity and think we can continue her development into being a top class midfielder."

Shenta Knox | M/F | | Katy, Texas (Morton Ranch)

• Katy ISD Player of the Year, earning First Team All-District in three straight years along with an Offensive MVP Designation
• The No. 2 ranked player in her district and second ranked scorer in the Katy school system
• Trained with ODP Region III, participating in friendlies and the State Semifinals in 2017
• Plans on pursuing a major in pre-med, and came to the Island for its amazing soccer program

Shaw on Posada: "Shenta is an amazing last minute addition to todays signing day. She is a player that can play as an attacking mid or anywhere across a forward line. She brings an attacking flair and creativity that in unlike anything else in our squad. She is unbelievably technical and can get out of tight spaces very well. Once she adapts to the speed of play of DI soccer she is going to be an extremely dangerous player."

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