With one Missouri Valley Conference regular season title and one MVC Tournament title under its belt over the last two years, the Valpo soccer program looks to the next class of incoming freshmen to continue the championship tradition, as the Beacons will welcome nine newcomers to the program next fall.

Ashlyn Cohen – D – Cooper City, Fla. – Cooper City H.S. – Florida United

Cohen is an outside back who helped her club team finish third in the Southeast and earn a semifinal berth at the GA Championship Showcase. She was selected to participate in the 2022 Girls Academy Southeast Talent ID Showcase.

Why she chose Valpo: “I chose Valpo because of its small tight-knit community — it felt like a second home. After meeting the team, coaching staff, guidance team and professors, I knew Valpo was the right fit. The location of Valpo was perfect, the close proximity to Chicago allows for the option to go visit the Windy City and I can also choose to experience the beautiful sand dunes on Lake Michigan. I’m excited to experience winter for the first time and enjoy the next four years with the amazing team.”

Marovich on Cohen: “Ashlyn is an outside back who is really athletic and really fast. She comes to us from Florida United and their club does an unbelievable job of fitness and competing hard and getting to the flank. Their style of play matches ours, so we’re just looking forward to what Ashlyn is going to bring to our attack from the outside back position.”

Kate Jeffery – M/D – Southampton, Hampshire, England – Barton Peveril Sixth Form College – Southampton u21

Jeffery will become the second player in program history to come from across the pond, joining Daisy Boardman. She has been a part of teams which have won the SDFA Cup and the reserve league, as well as a squad which was a finalist for the Hampshire FA Cup. Jeffery was also named to the Southampton senior team bench for their third-round match in the Women’s FA Cup in December 2022.

Why she chose Valpo: “I loved the university and was impressed with the squad and coaching staff when I visited the campus. Valpo is an excellent environment for me to progress both my sporting and academic aspirations.”

Marovich on Jeffery: “Kate is a defensive midfielder and she’s just a ball winner. She’s a very cerebral player from England that plays with the Southhampton U21 team in the same league that Daisy played in. She’s a ball-winning midfielder who we’re excited about.”

Lily Printz – M – Fishers, Ind. – Mt. Vernon H.S. – FC Pride

Printz helped Mt. Vernon to conference championships each of the last two years, earning All-Conference accolades in the process and being named to the Indiana Super Team. She also was part of the ECNL-RL Ohio Valley Conference champions in 2021-22 and was named All-Regional League that same season.

Why she chose Valpo: “I chose Valpo because it felt like where I belonged. The coaching staff and players were very welcoming and it had the perfect environment. Valpo’s soccer and education will lead me to many opportunities in the future.”

Marovich on Printz: “Lily is an Indy kid that comes from FC Pride, the same club as Kelsie James and Cassidy Eckstein. She’s a very similar type midfielder, athletic, covers a lot of ground, really good tackler and a one vs. one defender. She’s an athlete. When I think of this class, I think of really good athletes that are really fierce competitors.”

Kaleigh Shafer – M – Woodbury, Minn. – Eisenhower [Mich.] H.S. – Nationals Soccer

Shafer has been a key part of the Nationals 06 Blue club side which has enjoyed tremendous success over the last few years, advancing to the GA U17 national semifinals this year after reaching the GA U16 national quarterfinals in 2022 and the GA U15 national quarterfinals in 2021. Her squad has also won the Mid-America Conference championship each of the last three years. Individually, she has participated in numerous GA Mid-American Talent ID events over the last few years and was named a Top Drawer Soccer Weekly Standout in December 2021.

Why she chose Valpo: “The team at Valpo, as well as the coaching staff, was a huge factor in committing. The team was so welcoming, and I got such a homey feeling while touring the campus and soccer facilities. I was convinced it was the perfect fit for me. I felt confident in the academics and that I would be achieving just as much in that area as in my soccer career. In witnessing their unwavering passion and dedication to building a great team, I knew I wanted to be a Beacon.”

Marovich on Shafer: “Kaleigh is a wonderful personality and is such a competitor. She’s played in a national semifinal and she’s played in some really big moments. Kaleigh brings what we’re looking for in someone that really has a winning pedigree.”

Alexis Suptela – M – Palatine, Ill. – Fremd H.S. –Sockers FC

Suptela was an integral piece in the Sockers FC side which won the 2023 GA U19 national championship. She has served as a team captain and represents Sockers FC on the GA Advisory Panel.

Why she chose Valpo: “The moment I stepped on campus, I knew this was my home. The team environment and culture were second to none. Every girl on the team had a beaming smile on their face whenever I saw them, and that was something I wanted to be a part of.”

Marovich on Suptela: “Alexis has some versatility in that she can be a central midfield player or she can go up front. She is a real good personality-type player who brings different things to the table. If you score the game-winner in the national championship game at the club level, that means she’s been in some big moments.”

Ashley Trippeer – D – Mokena, Ill. – Lincoln-Way Central H.S. – Chicago Inter Soccer

Trippeer has been an ECNL All-Regional League selection in helping her side to the ECNLRL Regional Championship. She has been named to the National League Top XI players three times and has been a part of six State Cup champion squads.

Why she chose Valpo: “Visiting Valpo felt comfortable and very welcoming, and the people made me feel very included and wanted. I was also impressed by the nursing program as Valpo is one of the top nursing schools.”

Marovich on Trippeer: “Ashley is an outside back that plays with Chicago Inter. We’ve had unbelievable success with kids from her club. That’s where Sam Gountounas and Lindsey DuSatko are from, and Addy Joiner spent some time there. She’s a really good one v. one defender, really good at getting forward and she’s just a fierce competitor. She plays really hard and she’s just that quiet player that goes about and does her job and does it in a very professional way.”

Maya Tyburowski – D – Palatine, Ill. – Fremd H.S. – Sockers FC

Tyburowski plays center back and is a team captain for the Sockers FC 2006 GA team. She was one of 18 U19 players chosen last summer for the Capelli Sports Girls All Star roster, which traveled to England for a week-long tour, taking on high-level competition.

Why she chose Valpo: “I chose Valpo not only for its amazing academic and athletic programs, but for the people who made it feel like this is the right place for me.”

Marovich on Tyburowski: “Maya is a center back and a really good athlete. She’s very much in the mold of Nicole and Anna, just a similar kind of player. She’s good with the ball at her feet and has really good decision making under pressure. She’s very composed on the ball. I think she fits our game model with how she plays the game. Another really fierce competitor who played for Sockers, a club we’ve had some really good players from.”

Hailey Wade – GK – Fishers, Ind. – Hamilton Southeastern H.S. – Indiana Fire Juniors

Wade comes to Valpo after being named Indiana Player of the Year following her senior season. A two-time First Team All-State and All-District honoree, Wade is on the watch list for the 2023 High School All-American Game. She surrendered just 10 goals in the last two seasons for Hamilton Southeastern while recording 19 clean sheets in that span.

Why she chose Valpo: “When deciding which school I wanted to attend and play soccer at, I looked for good academics and a well-developed soccer program. While Valpo met both requirements, what drew me the most to this university was the team’s obvious chemistry. It was really easy to see on the game field, but more importantly off the field. In addition, I could see how much the coaches genuinely care about the individual players and not just how many goals they could score or save. Overall, I chose Valpo because of the energetic team environment.”

Marovich on Wade: “Hailey is a good goalkeeper. Obviously if you’re recruited here and you’re a goalkeeper, you have pretty big shoes to fill with what Nikki has done, but Nikki had to fill the shoes of other people. Hailey does a really good job, is a super technical goalkeeper, can get to the corners and manages her backline. I would say her biggest strength is probably her voice. She does an unbelievable job of organizing and directing from behind. If you’re the Indiana High School Player of the Year as a goalkeeper, you’ve impressed a few people along the way.”

Landyn Wessels – D/F – Maple Hill, N.C. – Jacksonsville H.S. – Wilmington Hammerheads

Wessels was an All-State honoree in 2022 as a sophomore and has been named All-Region and All-Area each of the last two years while helping Jacksonville to conference titles. She was selected to the ODP South Region First Team for the national select pool as well.

Why she chose Valpo: “Valpo’s athletics, academics and abundance of things to do around campus drew me in immediately. I felt a strong connection with the coaching staff and players. I wanted to be a part of where the soccer team is going. I’m looking to major in exercise science, and Valpo offers a strong program.”

Marovich on Wessels: “Landyn is a great athlete and I’ve enjoyed getting to know her and her family. She came to Valpo and she wasn’t sure what to expect, but she came in here and just fell in love with it. Her family really fits our family. She’s got an attacking mindset and she’s really fast. She does a lot of similar work to what Lindsey has done for us.”