Women's Soccer | 7/19/2021 2:11:00 PM
MIAMI SHORES, Fla.—Head coach Tafadswa Ziyenge announced his first batch of recruits for the Barry University women's soccer team for the fall of 2021.
Six players, two transfers and four freshmen are set to join the team in the fall. Transfers Ashley Forbes and Cristina Blaya and freshmen Laura Cohn, Angelina Sieloff, Josie Wicks and Maddy Willinborg make up the 2021 class.
Forbes, a 5-4 midfielder from West Florida, is originally from Kitty Hawk, N.C., where she played for coach Juan Ramirez. She helped lead Joe Bartlinski's Argonauts to a 12-5-1 mark in 2019. She scored her lone goal, in nine appearances, in a 4-3 loss to West Alabama on Oct. 20. A sophomore, she will have three years remaining.
"Ashley is a very active midfielder with a ton of energy," Ziyenge said. "Her versatility will allow us to play in several different attacking schemes."
"I chose Barry because of the competitive conference, welcoming team, great coaching staff, and the beautiful location and campus," Forbes said.
Blaya, a 5-3 midfielder from Madrid, Spain by way of Massachusetts-Lowell, led the Riverhawks to a 9-13-3 record in her two years under coach Mira Novak. In 17 games, she had two assists. Blaya has three seasons remaining as well.
"Cristina is a very technical midfielder and forward with great vision and passing range, Ziyenge said. "She is equally dangerous in dead ball situations."
"I chose Barry because of the successful history of the soccer team as well as the warm weather," Blaya said.
Cohn, a 5-6 midfield/defender, played for coach Kenneth Belote at Kenmore West High in Buffalo, N.Y. She led the Blue Devils with eight goals and 19 points. For her career, she scored 32 goals and added 33 assists. She played for Niagara International FC as well.
"Laura, one of our early commits, adds toughness to both our defense and midfield," Ziyenge said. "Her size and versatility will add balance to our team."
"I chose Barry because of the positive reputation of Barry's program and conference," Cohn said. "I also love the area Barry is in along with the beautiful campus."
Angelina Sieloff, a 5-7 defender/midfielder from Seminole High in Lake Mary, Fla., led coach Tom Keiger's Seminoles to a 10-6-3 mark as a senior. She scored four goals and added a team-best 15 assists. She was also a standout for Florida Krush on the club circuit.
"Angelina is an attacking minded outside defender with great vision and passing range," Ziyenge said. "She is an athletic and strong 1v1 defender."
"I chose Barry because it felt like home when visiting the campus," Sieloff said. "The team's atmosphere was something I wanted to be a part of."
Wicks, a 5-8 defender from East Lake High in Palm Harbor, Fla., helped lead John Despota's Eagles to an 11-3-2 mark as a senior. She scored two goals and led the defense to four shutouts. Wicks played for Celtic FC at the club level.
"Josie's height makes us much more solid defensively in the air," Ziyenge said. "She is equally comfortable operating as both a central and outside defender."
"I chose Barry because I loved the location," Wicks said. "I also loved the daily competitive environment between all the players during every session."
Willenborg, a 5-1 center midfielder from Notre Dame Prep in Fork, Md., although the team was limited to just a handful of games over her last three years. She also played for Pipeline in the Elite Clubs National League, which went 3-6-4 last season.
"Madeline is a multi-talented player who can operate efficiently both as a midfielder as well as outside back," Ziyenge said. "She has a strong soccer IQ and will increase competition at multiple positions."
"I choose Barry because I wanted to play for a strong program with great tradition and high academic standards," Willenborg said.
The Bucs, who won the most recent Sunshine State Conference championship in 2019, open the fall season on Sept. 3 against Florida National. They take on Tampa on Sept. 18 in the SSC opener. Both games are at home.
