LSU Soccer begins its season on Aug. 18. Coach Sian Hudson added nine players with this year’s freshman class. During preseason they were all given playing time.
The team is expecting these players to provide depth and new ideas to the team. Here’s a guide to the freshman class to watch for this season:
No. 0 Bailey Herfurth: Goalkeeper
Herfurth joins the Tigers from IMG Academy. Originally from Northport, New York, the 2022 goalkeeper played most of her high school career at IMG Academy. She also played for the Olympic Development Program Region I squad for three years. Herfurth helps add depth and competition to a two goalkeeper tandem with senior Mollee Swift.
No. 2 Jocelyn Ollivierre: Defender
Ollivierre joins the Tigers from Air Academy High School in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She played her club soccer with Pride SC in the Elite Clubs National League. This is one of the premier competitions for high school soccer players. She was captain of her high school team, and she won defensive MVP and MVP in 2020 and 2021 respectively.
No. 5 Kelci Bowers: Defender
Bowers, from Fareham, England, has England national team youth appearances and previously played for Chelsea FC and Southampton FC youth academies.
“She has competed at the top youth level in European soccer with appearances for Chelsea and England youth national teams. She has all the qualities to be a top, top player in the collegiate game here in the States,” Hudson said. “Bowers should be able to add more depth to an already deep backline.”
No. 12 Laney Gonzales: Defender
Gonzales hails from Magnolia, Texas. She played her high school soccer with Magnolia High School and her club soccer with Houston Dash. She was named to the 2020-21 first team all-state. She brings three years of varsity experience to the team.
No. 23 Raelyn Prince: Midfielder
Prince joins the team from Titusville, Florida. She brings with her a host of accolades within the Titusville High School program and the Florida Kraze Krush ECNL team. She was named to the 2020 ECNL Florida National Selection Team.
No. 17 Ida Hermannsdottir: Midfield
The newest addition to the team, Ida joins the Tigers from Reykjavik, Iceland. She brings not only Icelandic National team experience but also Champions League experience. The Champions League is the premier competition in Europe for major clubs. She played for Valur Reykjavik in the top division of Icelandic soccer.
“She is one of the best young international talents in the game” Hudson said.
No. 18 Kelsey Major: Midfield
The Louisiana native joins the Tigers from New Orleans, Louisiana. She played at St. Mary’s Dominican High School and Louisiana Fire. The 2020-2021 Gatorade Soccer Player of the Year led St. Mary’s Dominican to the LHSAA State Final game. She also played for the ODP South Region for four years.
No. 50 Sage Glover: Forward
Glover, from Atlanta, Georgia, played for North Atlanta HS and a host of competitive clubs before coming to LSU. She has played for two ECNL teams, Concorde Fire Platinum and PDA South. She captained PDA South for two years. She also led North Atlanta to the 2018 Cape Atlantic League Title.
No. 11 Angelina Thoreson: Forward
From Uppsala, Sweden, Thoreson joins the team bringing experience from Sweden’s top division. She played three years for IK Uppsala and scored five goals in 20 games her last season there.
This freshman class should be able to produce some players to provide an instant impact. After their preseason 1-0 win against Houston, Hudson emphasized that point.
“It was great to see so many freshmen impacting the game at a high level,” Hudson said.