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Western New York's Premier Division II Team
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wsoc hanes recruit sign 2017
Flanked by her parents and coaches, North Tonawanda native Sam Hanes inks her letter of intent to attend Daemen College

Women's Soccer Mike Miranto, Associate A.D. For Communications

Dolan Announces First Signees In Class Of 2017

Veteran Wiomen's Soccer Coach Delivers Eight Recruits

AMHERST, N.Y. - Eight student-athletes have signed letters of intent to join the Daemen College women's soccer program during the NCAA Early Signing Period which began on February 1, head coach Dan Dolan announced today.  The signees, which include seven freshmen and one transfer student, will enroll in classes and join the program beginning in the Fall 2017 semester.  They include New York State products Aryana Dreyer (Orchard Park, N.Y./Orchard Park), Sam Hanes (North Tonawanda, N.Y./North Tonawanda), Katja Meyer (Verona, N.Y./Vernon-Verona-Sherrill), Kayla Neumann (Wilson, N.Y./Wilson) and Serena Uhl (Victor, N.Y./Victor, Pacific Northwest native Madison Flores (West Seattle, Wash./West Seattle) as well as foreign-born players Celia de Pablo Esteban (Burgos, Spain/Cardinal Lopez Mendoza) and Sarah Kenny (Perth, Australia/California Baptist University).

"We're really excited about our 2017 recruiting class," said Dolan who has led the Wildcats to a 71-71-6 record since taking the reins of the program in 2009.  "We made it a point to bring in a big class just in terms of sheer numbers, and I would expect that each of these players will compete for playing time right away.  Being able to sign talented players from within Western New York, as well as those from out of the state and even out of the country, will help raise the profile of our program and Daemen College in general.  I'm really looking forward to getting everyone on campus and starting preseason workouts in August."

Hanes, Meyer and Neumann figure to aide the Wildcats up front.  Hanes was a five-year letter-winner and three-time team captain for the North Tonawanda Lady Lumberjacks.  A three-time first-team All-Niagara Frontier League selection, Hanes ended her career with 33 goals and 31 assists.  She earned second-team All-Western New York honors as a senior.

Meyer was a four-year varsity team member at Vernon-Verona-Sherrill High School in central N.Y.  While there, she earned several team awards, was a National Honor Society member and N.Y. State Scholar-Athlete honoree.  Last fall, she set a new school record with six goals in a game against Adirondack High School.

Neumann comes to Daemen after posting 21 goals and 11 assists during her senior season for the Wilson Lakewomen.  That came on the heels of her leading the Lakewomen to the Section VI Class B championship as a junior when she was a first-team All-State selection.

The newcomers to Daemen's midfield are Kenny, de Pablo Esteban and Dreyer.  Kenny comes to Daemen after playing this past fall for California Baptist University, an NCAA Division II member of the Pac-West Conference.  Kenny appeared in five games for the Lancers, helping them to a 10-5-3 record and a second-place finish in the Pac-West standings.  As a scholastic player in her native Australia, Kenny captained and was the top goal scorer for Santa Maria College, earning team MVP honors in 2014 and 2015.  She'll have three seasons of eligibility left for the Wildcats.

Celia de Pablo Esteban will make the nearly 6,000-mile journey from her native Spain across the Atlantic Ocean to Daemen's doorstep.  She picked up numerous awards and accolades as a high school player, and led her team to a league championship in 2012 and 2013.

Dreyer's trip to Daemen is considerably shorter at just 17 miles, but she brings a pedigree that includes the four varsity letters she earned for the Orchard Park Quakers.  Dreyer earned second-team All-Erie County Interscholastic Conference honors this past fall.

The Daemen defense will be bolstered by the addition of Uhl who helped the Victor Blue Devils capture back-to-back Section V Class AA championships during her junior and senior seasons.  This past season, she earned All-Monroe County Division I honors as well as being an honorable mention All-Greater Rochester selection.

Rounding out the new additions is Flores, a goalkeeper.  She earned three varsity letters for the West Seattle Eagles, and will join returning goalkeepers Meaghan O'Leary (Grand Island, N.Y./Grand Island) and Jackie Wescott (Glen Ellyn, Ill./Glenbard South) on the Daemen roster.

The eight signees will join a Daemen team that went 4-10-2 overall and 1-6-1 in East Coast Conference play last fall.

For breaking news and continuing coverage of the Daemen women's soccer team, follow @DaemenAthletics and @DaemenWSOC on Twitter.





 
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Players Mentioned

Meaghan O

#1 Meaghan O'Leary

GK
5' 6"
Sophomore
Jackie Wescott

#11 Jackie Wescott

GK
5' 9"
Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Meaghan O

#1 Meaghan O'Leary

5' 6"
Sophomore
GK
Jackie Wescott

#11 Jackie Wescott

5' 9"
Sophomore
GK