Soccer Finalizes Impressive Signing Class
3/23/2020 2:00:00 PM | Women's Soccer
DENTON — The eight-time Conference USA champion North Texas soccer team, which has won six straight titles, has finalized its 2020 signing class after the addition of two standout midfielders.
The Mean Green's 10-woman signing class was capped earlier this week when Southlake native and 2019 first team all-American Taylor Tufts, a Oklahoma transfer, and 16-year old Amelie Faa of Frisco signed their names to join UNT this coming season.
"We're very excited to have Taylor and Amelie part of our championship program," said head coach John Hedlund." Taylor was one of the top players coming out of Texas a year ago and will be a tremendous weapon in our offense for the next four years. Amelie is a special talent that will only continue to develop and get better within our program. Both will be impact players in our midfield with Taylor playing more of an offensive role setting up our forwards and attacking the goal. Amelie is more comfortable as a true defensive midfielder with the ability to chase down any opposing attacking player coming through and someone our back line can use to play through and set up our offense."
North Texas' 2020 Signing Class
The Mean Green finished their 2019 season, the 25th in program history, with a 15-6-1 record and its third straight trip to the NCAA Tournament and seventh overall. The program still has never had a losing season and has not lost a home conference game since 2008, the longest streak in NCAA women's soccer history.
UNT will lose NCAA all-American Dominique James as well as fellow captains and all-conference honorees Natalie Newell and Logan Bruffett to graduation but bring back a bunch of starters such as goalie Kelsey Brann who was voted the league's goalie of the year this past season.
Along with the returners, North Texas' 10 newcomers are expected to keep them atop the league favorites as they go for its seventh straight C-USA crown.
"My staff and I are excited for this entire class and building on the future of this program," Hedlund said. "With the players we have returning and what we're adding, I feel very confident of continuing our winning tradition and championship success."
TAYLOR TUFTS
Oklahoma midfield transfer Taylor Tufts will join UNT as a redshirt freshman after she missed all of last season due to injury. Tufts was a four-year letterwinner at Southlake Carroll High School, a two-time captain and TopDrawerSoccer first team all-American as a senior. She led her team to a 6A Texas state championship as a senior after scoring 31 goals and had 24 assists that year. The left-footed center mid was twice named district MVP. She was a UIL All-State honoree at Carroll and was the Dallas Morning News' Offensive Player of the Year. She tallied 72 career goals and 60 career assists — Both rank in the top five in Carroll High School history. She's the only player in Carroll High School history to reach the 70-60 club. As a senior, she was named the Fort Worth Star Telegram Player of the Year. She was also named academic all-state. She played club soccer with Solar and the Dallas Kicks. She won three USYS state and regional championships. This led to her Youth National Team invite in Florida. She will be eligible to play this coming fall.
AMELIE FAA
Amelie Faa will begin her freshman campaign in the fall of 2020 as the youngest student-athlete at North Texas — 16 years old. Faa was born and raised in the Metroplex and played her club soccer for FC Dallas U.S. Soccer Development Academy where this past year played for their U-16 squad and started. Faa, who will pursue a degree of bio medical engineering at UNT. She held scholarship offers from SEC and Ivy League schools along with UNT. She was ranked by TopDrawerSoccer.com as one of the top 11 players of the 2019 Development Academy playoffs. The right-footed midfielder speaks both English and French.
ALLIE LYONS
Denton Guyer High School grad Allie Lyons stays close to home after leading Guyer as a second-team all-region and second team all-district honoree last year. Lyons will graduate from Guyer in the top 10 percent of her class. Though their senior season was cut short, Lyons and her senior class posted a combined 49-22-13 record and made the playoffs all three seasons. Lyons has been named academic all-state. Lyons finished in the top eight for VYPE DFW girls Soccer Midseason Player of the Year. Before the season was cut short, Guyer was ranked No. 4 in its region by TASCO. Lyons played for Sting Soccer Club and was teammates with Maddie Starrett and Haley Roberson. She was high school teammates with current UNT player Taylor Hunter.
HALEY ROBERSON
A soon-to-be Coppell High School graduate, Haley Roberson was named TASCO 6A First Team All-Region last year and led her Cowgirls to round three of the playoffs. The two-time captain and a district defensive MVP at Coppell, Roberson led the Cowgirls to a district championship last year after going undefeated in district play and a 24-1-1 overall record. Roberson, a defender, and her Cowgirls were 14-3-2 this year before the season was cut short. She was a member of a Coppell defense that in 2017 shutout its first 13 opponents and 16 of its first 17. She played club for Sting Soccer Club.
MADI STARRETT
Madi Starrett will join the Mean Green in the fall to help sure up the defense that has lost some key players to graduation over the years. She ranked in the top 25 in the Dallas Fort Worth area for assists at any division this season before the year was cut short. Starrett was high school teammates with fellow 2020 signee Devyn Flannery at Frisco's Lebanon Trails High School. She played her club soccer for Sting Soccer Club.
DEVYN FLANNERY
Before the season was cut short, Frisco Lebanon Trails High School 2020 graduate Devyn Flannery led her Blazers to a top 10 TASCO Preseason Region 2 5A girls soccer ranking and a top 10 ranking by the Dallas Morning News. The right-footed forward was one of the top goal scorers in the Dallas Fort Worth this year and Lebanon Trail as a team ranked in the top 15 in the metroplex in offense. Last year she was named First Team all-District. Flannery played her club soccer for the Dallas Texans. She was high school teammates with fellow UNT signee Maddie Starrett.
ASHLYN ZINGELMANN
Ashlyn Zingelmann entered her senior season as one of the top players coming out of the San Antonio metro area after she led Brandeis High School to a 16-4-3 record last season. Brandies was projected to be one of the top teams in San Antonio this year again. A 4.0 student-athlete, Zingelmann was a team captain and selected ODP all-state. She also earned a U.S. Soccer Training Invite. A midfielder, Zingelmann played for Classics Elite.
SYDNIE MYERS
Round Rock, Texas, native Sydnie Myers joins North Texas after earning a TASCO first team all-region honor last year as a junior for Round Rock High School where she was teammates with current UNT player Hannah Ager. Round Rock was picked by the Austin American-Statesman as the No. 1 ranked team in the 2020 Preseason Poll and Myers was named to the Preseason Starting 11. The forward led her distract as a junior with 21 goals. She played her club soccer for Sting Soccer Club.
HADLEY WILLIAMS
Prosper native and 2020 Prosper High School graduate Hadley Williams was named first team all-district last year while playing for one of the top teams in the region. She played her club soccer for Solar. Williams was one of five girls on her Prosper squad to sign National Letters of Intent during the early signing period. Williams is a defender.
MIRIAM ESPINOSA
A soon to be Granbury High School graduate, Miriam Espinosa was a four-year starter with the Lady Pirates and is the school's all-time leading goal scorer. She's been named first team all-district every year and was the district's offensive mvp as a junior. After her freshman season she was named offensive newcomer of the year. Espinosa was captain for both her NPL and D1 Classic club teams. She was part of the North Texas Girls ODP State Pool from 2013-15. She will be the first person in her family to attend college and plans to study construction engineering.
The Mean Green's 10-woman signing class was capped earlier this week when Southlake native and 2019 first team all-American Taylor Tufts, a Oklahoma transfer, and 16-year old Amelie Faa of Frisco signed their names to join UNT this coming season.
"We're very excited to have Taylor and Amelie part of our championship program," said head coach John Hedlund." Taylor was one of the top players coming out of Texas a year ago and will be a tremendous weapon in our offense for the next four years. Amelie is a special talent that will only continue to develop and get better within our program. Both will be impact players in our midfield with Taylor playing more of an offensive role setting up our forwards and attacking the goal. Amelie is more comfortable as a true defensive midfielder with the ability to chase down any opposing attacking player coming through and someone our back line can use to play through and set up our offense."
North Texas' 2020 Signing Class
- Taylor Tufts (Southlake, Texas)
- Amelie Faa (Frisco, Texas)
- Allie Lyons (Denton, Texas)
- Haley Roberson (Irving, Texas)
- Madi Starrett (Plano, Texas)
- Devyn Flannery (Plano, Texas)
- Ashlyn Zingelmann (Helotes, Texas)
- Sydnie Myers (Round Rock, Texas)
- Hadley Williams (Prosper, Texas)
- Miriam Espinosa (Granbury, Texas)
The Mean Green finished their 2019 season, the 25th in program history, with a 15-6-1 record and its third straight trip to the NCAA Tournament and seventh overall. The program still has never had a losing season and has not lost a home conference game since 2008, the longest streak in NCAA women's soccer history.
UNT will lose NCAA all-American Dominique James as well as fellow captains and all-conference honorees Natalie Newell and Logan Bruffett to graduation but bring back a bunch of starters such as goalie Kelsey Brann who was voted the league's goalie of the year this past season.
Along with the returners, North Texas' 10 newcomers are expected to keep them atop the league favorites as they go for its seventh straight C-USA crown.
"My staff and I are excited for this entire class and building on the future of this program," Hedlund said. "With the players we have returning and what we're adding, I feel very confident of continuing our winning tradition and championship success."
TAYLOR TUFTS
Oklahoma midfield transfer Taylor Tufts will join UNT as a redshirt freshman after she missed all of last season due to injury. Tufts was a four-year letterwinner at Southlake Carroll High School, a two-time captain and TopDrawerSoccer first team all-American as a senior. She led her team to a 6A Texas state championship as a senior after scoring 31 goals and had 24 assists that year. The left-footed center mid was twice named district MVP. She was a UIL All-State honoree at Carroll and was the Dallas Morning News' Offensive Player of the Year. She tallied 72 career goals and 60 career assists — Both rank in the top five in Carroll High School history. She's the only player in Carroll High School history to reach the 70-60 club. As a senior, she was named the Fort Worth Star Telegram Player of the Year. She was also named academic all-state. She played club soccer with Solar and the Dallas Kicks. She won three USYS state and regional championships. This led to her Youth National Team invite in Florida. She will be eligible to play this coming fall.
AMELIE FAA
Amelie Faa will begin her freshman campaign in the fall of 2020 as the youngest student-athlete at North Texas — 16 years old. Faa was born and raised in the Metroplex and played her club soccer for FC Dallas U.S. Soccer Development Academy where this past year played for their U-16 squad and started. Faa, who will pursue a degree of bio medical engineering at UNT. She held scholarship offers from SEC and Ivy League schools along with UNT. She was ranked by TopDrawerSoccer.com as one of the top 11 players of the 2019 Development Academy playoffs. The right-footed midfielder speaks both English and French.
ALLIE LYONS
Denton Guyer High School grad Allie Lyons stays close to home after leading Guyer as a second-team all-region and second team all-district honoree last year. Lyons will graduate from Guyer in the top 10 percent of her class. Though their senior season was cut short, Lyons and her senior class posted a combined 49-22-13 record and made the playoffs all three seasons. Lyons has been named academic all-state. Lyons finished in the top eight for VYPE DFW girls Soccer Midseason Player of the Year. Before the season was cut short, Guyer was ranked No. 4 in its region by TASCO. Lyons played for Sting Soccer Club and was teammates with Maddie Starrett and Haley Roberson. She was high school teammates with current UNT player Taylor Hunter.
HALEY ROBERSON
A soon-to-be Coppell High School graduate, Haley Roberson was named TASCO 6A First Team All-Region last year and led her Cowgirls to round three of the playoffs. The two-time captain and a district defensive MVP at Coppell, Roberson led the Cowgirls to a district championship last year after going undefeated in district play and a 24-1-1 overall record. Roberson, a defender, and her Cowgirls were 14-3-2 this year before the season was cut short. She was a member of a Coppell defense that in 2017 shutout its first 13 opponents and 16 of its first 17. She played club for Sting Soccer Club.
MADI STARRETT
Madi Starrett will join the Mean Green in the fall to help sure up the defense that has lost some key players to graduation over the years. She ranked in the top 25 in the Dallas Fort Worth area for assists at any division this season before the year was cut short. Starrett was high school teammates with fellow 2020 signee Devyn Flannery at Frisco's Lebanon Trails High School. She played her club soccer for Sting Soccer Club.
DEVYN FLANNERY
Before the season was cut short, Frisco Lebanon Trails High School 2020 graduate Devyn Flannery led her Blazers to a top 10 TASCO Preseason Region 2 5A girls soccer ranking and a top 10 ranking by the Dallas Morning News. The right-footed forward was one of the top goal scorers in the Dallas Fort Worth this year and Lebanon Trail as a team ranked in the top 15 in the metroplex in offense. Last year she was named First Team all-District. Flannery played her club soccer for the Dallas Texans. She was high school teammates with fellow UNT signee Maddie Starrett.
ASHLYN ZINGELMANN
Ashlyn Zingelmann entered her senior season as one of the top players coming out of the San Antonio metro area after she led Brandeis High School to a 16-4-3 record last season. Brandies was projected to be one of the top teams in San Antonio this year again. A 4.0 student-athlete, Zingelmann was a team captain and selected ODP all-state. She also earned a U.S. Soccer Training Invite. A midfielder, Zingelmann played for Classics Elite.
SYDNIE MYERS
Round Rock, Texas, native Sydnie Myers joins North Texas after earning a TASCO first team all-region honor last year as a junior for Round Rock High School where she was teammates with current UNT player Hannah Ager. Round Rock was picked by the Austin American-Statesman as the No. 1 ranked team in the 2020 Preseason Poll and Myers was named to the Preseason Starting 11. The forward led her distract as a junior with 21 goals. She played her club soccer for Sting Soccer Club.
HADLEY WILLIAMS
Prosper native and 2020 Prosper High School graduate Hadley Williams was named first team all-district last year while playing for one of the top teams in the region. She played her club soccer for Solar. Williams was one of five girls on her Prosper squad to sign National Letters of Intent during the early signing period. Williams is a defender.
MIRIAM ESPINOSA
A soon to be Granbury High School graduate, Miriam Espinosa was a four-year starter with the Lady Pirates and is the school's all-time leading goal scorer. She's been named first team all-district every year and was the district's offensive mvp as a junior. After her freshman season she was named offensive newcomer of the year. Espinosa was captain for both her NPL and D1 Classic club teams. She was part of the North Texas Girls ODP State Pool from 2013-15. She will be the first person in her family to attend college and plans to study construction engineering.
Players Mentioned
Goalkeeper
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Defense
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Defense
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Defense
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Defense
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