Willamette Women's Soccer Announces Recruiting Class for 2021 Season

By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

SALEM, Ore. -- The Willamette University women's soccer team is glad to announce its nine new recruits for the 2021-22 academic year. There are two recruits each from Oregon, California, and Washington, plus one recruit each from Arizona, Idaho, and Kentucky. Head Coach Hillary Arthur will be leading the Bearcats in her 14th season at Willamette this fall.

"I'm really glad to be back on the pitch with our team," Arthur said. "We have welcomed an outstanding group of nine new student-athletes, with seven first-years and two transfers. They are dynamic players who will raise our standard of play, and we look forward to getting them to contribute right away. They are talented both on the field and in the classroom. Their high academic and athletic performances will play vital roles in our success as a program. This group of talented student-athletes will help bring us to new heights."

This past year, the Willamette women's soccer season was shortened and moved to the spring due to COVID-19. Willamette earned a 3-5 overall record, with all eight games against Northwest Conference opponents. The Bearcats have achieved a .500 or better record in five of the last six seasons, including 13-4-3 in 2017, 12-4-4 in 2018, and 11-7-2 in 2019.

Here is Willamette's recruiting class for 2021-22:

Ella Abraham (Fy., F, Lexington, KY/Lafayette HS)

At Lafayette High School in Kentucky, Abraham competed as a winger and a forward in soccer. She also played for Lexington FC in club soccer. At Lafayette, she was named Honorable Mention All-State twice and was chosen First Team All-Region twice. She earned her team's Offensive MVP award three times and was selected First Team All-City in 2019. Her club team won the Kentucky State Cup Championship in 2018 and was the Kentucky State Cup runner-up in 2021.

Abraham earned First Team Academic All-State honors four times. She received the President's Award for Educational Excellence while attending Lafayette.

She decided to attend Willamette because "It has strong academics and the athletic environment I was looking for," Abraham said. "I loved the campus when I visited and wanted to be close to family in Portland.

Jaime Haysman Boaler (Fy., D, Stanford, CA/Notre Dame High School)

Haysman Boaler played soccer for Notre Dame High School in San Jose, California. She also was a member of the Palo Alto Soccer Club. In high school, she was named All-League and was the League MVP as a forward in 2020. Also in 2020, she was named Second Team All-CCS. She was chosen First Team All-League Division in 2019.

At Notre Dame High School, she was selected as the team MVP in 2020 and was chosen Most Inspirational Player in 2021. She was named the Firebird Classic MVP in 2020 and was chosen for the All-Tournament Team. In 2018, Haysman Boaler helped the Palo Alto Soccer Club reach the State Cup finals and the Hawaii U.S. Regional finals.

"I chose Willamette because I loved the campus, the school's philosophies aligned with my own, and the soccer team had a strong sense of community and support," Haysman Boaler said.

Sam Borngasser (Fy., GK, Grants Pass, OR/Grants Pass HS)

While playing soccer at Grants Pass High School in Oregon, Borngasser was named First Team All-Conference and Goalkeeper of the Year in 2020. In 2019, she was chosen Honorable Mention All-Conference. She helped Grants Pass win a conference title in 2020. She was the team's Most Committed Player in 2019 and was named team MVP in 2020. Borngasser also competed for the Rogue Valley Timbers in club soccer. Compton also played basketball in high school.

At Grants Pass, she was a member of the National Honor Society and the Tri-M Music Honor Society. She served in Student Body Leadership.

"I chose Willamette because it offered a very personal college experience while also having the majors that I am interested in and a soccer team with a great vibe," Borngasser commented.

Rachel Compton (So., GK, Lake Stevens, WA/Lake Stevens HS)

Compton competed as a goalkeeper at Lake Stevens High School and with the Washington Rush club team. She helped her club team win the 2017 Washington Rush Cup Championship, the 2018 State Cup Championship, and the 2018 Rainier Challenge Championship. She qualified for the honor roll throughout high school and also was a Scholar Student-Athlete Award winner. She participated in the national DECA competition after earning third place at the state level.

"Immediately when I met the team I felt welcomed and a great sense of community which only added to the great academic opportunities that Willamette provides with the small class sizes and great reputation," Compton said.

Emmerson Cooper (Fy., F/M, Boise, ID/Boise HS)

Prior to attending Willamette, Cooper was a forward and a midfielder at Boise High School and for the Idaho Rush club team. She contributed to two Idaho State Cup championships with the Idaho Rush and also helped the team win the President's Cup. At Boise High School in the 5A Southern Idaho Conference, she was named to the Treasure Valley's All-Academic Team in 2019 and 2020.

"It seems like the perfect balance between school and soccer while still having a team that takes it very seriously and wants to win and make each other better," Cooper noted. "Also the vibe on campus is so lovely."

Angelina De Leon (Fy., M, Marana, AZ/Salpointe Catholic HS)

De Leon played soccer at Salpointe Catholic High School in Arizona and competed for the Southern Arizona Soccer Club. At Salpointe Catholic, she helped the team win three Class 4A State championships and one Class 4A semifinal finish. Her entire high school team was inducted into the Salpointe Hall of Fame. She received Honorable Mention All-Kino in 2019-20. In club soccer, De Leon and her teammates guided Southern Arizona to the finals of the Arizona President's Cup and the semifinals of the Regional President's Cup in 2021. She was named to the 2019-20 Olympic Development Program's Region IV All-Tournament Team.

While attending Salpointe Catholic, De Leon was a member of the National Honor Society and consistently qualified for the Honor Roll. She received the Scholar-Athlete Award from the Arizona Interscholastic Association during all four years.

"I loved the team environment right away when I visited campus and how everyone tried to better one another, along with the strong academics," De Leon said. "I also love the Salem area and being close to my mom's side of the family!"

Lydia Emory (Fy., F, Tigard, OR/Tigard HS)

At Tigard High School in Oregon, Emory was named First Team All-Conference in soccer. She was a team captain as a junior and a senior. She also played for Copa with the Westside Timbers Club. While at Tigard, Emory was a two-sport athlete who also competed in track and field as an 800-meter and 1,600-meter runner. She was a State medalist in Class 1A. She is joining the team a bit later than the other first-year players as she has been completing basic training for the military.

Emory also is an artist. She has received First Place, Third Place, and Honorable Mention awards at the Clackamas County Fair in the creative arts exhibit.

"I really enjoyed the environment at the Willamette camps, interacting with the coaching staff and student-athletes, and the feel of the campus," Emory commented. "I liked that Willamette was close enough, but far enough from home to have the college experience and have family and friends that attend home matches."

Nina Krassner-Cybulski (Fy., F, Porter Ranch, CA/Agoura HS)

A forward, Krassner-Cybulski played soccer at Agoura High School in California and also saw action with the LA Surf club team. She was selected Second Team All-Conference in 2019, while helping Agoura win a conference championship. She received the President's Award for Educational Excellence. Earlier this year, she helped LA Surf win the 2021 league title.

"I chose Willamette because I found it to be the perfect balance between soccer and school, and also because of the strong sense of community around campus and within the team," Krassner-Cybulski said.

Amanda Smalley (Fy., D, Battle Ground, WA/Battle Ground HS)

Smalley was a defender at Battle Ground High School in Washington. She competed for the Washington Timbers during the club soccer season. In high school, she was chosen First Team All-League. She received the Coaches' Award twice. As a player with the Washington Timbers she helped the team win two President's Cup championships.

"I chose Willamette because I loved the sense of community and both the academics and athletics that it had to offer," Smalley noted. "I also really liked the campus and that is was close to home."