2023-11-09 19:07:19
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas soccer announced Thursday that five student-athletes signed National Letters of Intent. Mikayla Coore-Pascal (Ajax, Ontario), Karina Da Silva (Yorba Linda, California), Graci Jones (Bella Vista, Arkansas), Sophia Nickel (Golden, Colorado), Lauren Wood (Kansas City, Missouri) will all join the Jayhawks next season.
Mikayla Coore-Pascal
Forward • Ajax, Ontario • NDC Ontario (Bill Crothers Secondary School)
• Ontario League 1 Champion
• MVP Woodbridge Showcase
• Named a provincial team captain
• Committed in February 2023
• Picked Kansas over Illinois and Brown
• Chose Kansas because, “I believe that Kansas aligns with my future goals of playing professional soccer. Not to mention that when I visited the school, I truly felt like I would fit in and it felt like home!”
Karina Da Silva
Forward/Midfielder • Yorba Linda, Calif. • Legends FC ECNL (Yorba Linda High School)
• Two-time Mojave Southwest ECNL Conference Champion
• Qualified for the ECNL playoffs the past three years
• Her sister, Valeria, plays soccer at the University of Illinois at Chicago
• Committed in July 2023
• Chose Kansas because, “It is a home away from home. I love what they had to offer me as a student-athlete. I love the campus, the town, and the people.”
Grace Jones
Forward • Bella Vista, Ark. • Tulsa Soccer Club (Bentonville High School)
• 6A Arkansas State Champion in 2022-23
• Two-time conference champion at Bentonville High Scjool (2021-22 and 2022-23)
• Earned all-conference second team 6A west honors in 2021-22
• Committed in October 2022
• Picked Kansas over Central Missouri
• Chose Kansas because, “Aside from being a lifelong fan, there is truly nowhere like Lawrence. I value family and I was looking for somewhere that would be a sisterhood, and those are both key qualities that Kansas values and preaches.”
Sophia Nickel
Defender • Golden, Colo. • Colorado Rush 06 Girls Academy (Golden High School)
• Her team won the GA Champions Cup in 2022
• Colorado Rush Defensive Player of the Year in 2023
• Colorado Rush Team of the Year in 2022
• All-conference first team selection in 2021 and 2022
• All-state honorable mention in 2021
• All-conference second team selection in 2023
• Scored 25 goals and recorded 12 assists in her first three years at Golden High School
• Picked Kansas over Grand Canyon, Richmond, Georgia State, Colorado State and Colorado College
• Chose Kansas because, “I loved the people the campus and overall environment. I could truly see myself there.”
Lauren Wood
Midfielder • Kansas City, Mo. • Kansas CIty Athletics Elite 2005/06 (Liberty North High School)
• Named all-state first team in 2023 and all-state second team in 2022
• Selected to the all-conference, all-district and all-western region teams in both 2022 and 2023
• Scored 10 goals and had 15 assists her junior year at Liberty North High School
• Her 28 career assists at Liberty North rank fourth in school history and her 15 assists in 2023 were tied for fourth most in a single season
• Liberty North was state champions in 2023; third place in the state in 2022; won the conference championship in 2021, 2022 and 2023 and the district championship in 2022 and 2023
• ECNL Midwest Conference Champions
• Committed in September 2022
• Chose Kansas because, “This place felt like home the second I stepped on campus. It also just gave me an amazing vibe. No matter what happened the girls always focused on the positive. I also love the set up that women’s soccer gets at KU, the field and locker room is amazing. I learned that going on the visit made me want to stay closer to home and KU gave me that opportunity.
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