CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi soccer team made several additions to the program during Wednesday's National Signing Day, securing the commitments of seven student-athletes to join the team for the 2026 season.
The incoming recruiting class consists entirely of freshmen in Jessiny Aguillon, Addison Brown, Carlee Deegan, Kiyana Ellis, Zahria Fuller, Averi Scruggs and Natalie Taylor. Six of the seven athletes will remain in Texas, while only one comes to the Islanders from across state lines. Positionally, the team brings in three midfielders, three defenders and one goalie.
"We are excited about the 2026 class and have been for some time," Islanders head coach
Daniel Clitnovici said. "They will bring with them an attitude to compete and offer their all to Islanders Soccer, and we are very excited about that. On the field, this group comes from very reputable youth soccer clubs, so we know they will have a strong foundation already built in their habits and abilities."
Aguillon is a 5'5" midfielder/winger that comes to the Island from San Antonio. She most recently played for Taft High School under coach Scott Davis, where she earned both First Team All-District and All-Academic First Team honors. She also played club soccer for Classics Elite ECNL.
Brown is a 5'6 goalkeeper who also hails from San Antonio. While playing for Johnson High School under coach Scott Stone, she earned All-District and All-League honors in both 2024 and 2025, an All-State Honorable Mention nod in 2025, and three straight District Championships from 2023-2025. She was also named to the All-Area Team by the San Antonio Express News in both 2024 and 2025 and won District 27-6A Goalkeeper of the Year during this past season.
Deegan is a 5'5" midfielder that joins the program from Austin. She played for Round Rock High School during her prep career under coach Chad Aldrich, earning two First Team All-District and three Academic All-District nods during her time with the team. She also helped the team to three district championships while going undefeated in each season from 2023-2025.
Ellis, a 5'9" defender, is the only member of the class to come from outside of Texas, as she originates from Beaverton, Oregon. She most recently featured for Century High School under coach Alec Ingraham, earning two First Team All-League nods, one Second Team, and one Honorable Mention. She also played club for Oregon Surf ECNL, who she helped lead to the ECNL Champions League Playoffs in 2024-25.
Fuller is a 5'10" defender that comes from Pflugerville, Texas. She played for Hendrickson High School under coach Kevin McKinley, where she was named First Team All-District in each of her four years with the varsity team. In addition to this, she was named First Team All-State in 2024, First Team All-Region in 2025, and a Defensive MVP from 2022-2024.
Scruggs is a 5'4" defender from Celina, Texas. She played for Walnut Grove High School under coach Nikki Marshall, earning First Team All-District honors in both 2023-24 and 2024-25 and Second Team honors in 2022-23. She also helped the team win Bi-District and Area championships in both 2023-24 and 2024-25.
Taylor is a 5'4" midfielder from Farmersville, Texas. She most recently played for Farmersville High School, where she took home both All-District and All-State honors in 2024 and 2025. In addition, she played club soccer for the Dallas Texans for nine years.
The new players join an Islanders program that just recently qualified for the Southland Conference Soccer Championship for the seventh season in a row. Since Clitnovici took over at the helm, the Islanders have won 15 games over the last two years, including a 2024 campaign in which they set the school record for wins in a season and made a run to the semifinals of the conference tournament for just the second time ever.
"This group will all bring their own value both on and off the field, but one thing they will have in common is that they chose the Island to come home to because they want to leave a legacy and be part of the ambitious direction our program is moving in," Clitnovici said.
2026 Islanders Soccer Recruiting Class
Jessiny Aguillon – Midfielder | 5'5" | San Antonio, Texas
Addison Brown – Goalkeeper | 5'6" | San Antonio, Texas
Carlee Deegan – Midfielder | 5'5" | Austin, Texas
Kiyana Ellis – Defender | 5'9" | Beaverton, Oregon
Zahria Fuller – Defender | 5'10" | Pflugerville, Texas
Averi Scruggs– Defender | 5'5" | Celina, Texas
Natalie Taylor – Midfielder | 5'4" | Farmersville, Texas
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