CALDWELL, Idaho - The College of Idaho women's soccer program has announced their 2023 recruiting class, which features a mix of incoming freshman as well as some transfers coming in to Caldwell.
Deborah Pond
Pond comes to Caldwell from Idaho State University. The sophomore from Boise is a 2021 graduate of Rocky Mountain High School who won the state cup five times during her time with the Boise Thorns Club Team. She won the 4A state championship with Bishop Kelly High School two years in a row before transferring to RMHS, where she won a state championship with the Grizzlies. She was named an all-state honorable mention her freshman year, and was named a first team all-conference in her sophomore and junior seasons. She plans on majoring in business at the College of Idaho.
From Coach Smith: "Deb is a highly skilled and dominant attack minded player that will help us generate even more opportunities going to goal. An attacking midfielder that checks every box of someone you want in that role. A great passer, ball striker, and competitor that will add another dimension to our attack. I cannot be more thrilled with Deb's addition to our squad. She will be a handful for anyone in our conference to deal with. Deb leads by example and will really help us get to the next level through her ability, passion, and desire to win and compete."
Eden Makaafi
Makaafi comes to Caldwell as a 2020 graduate from Borah High School in Boise, having last played at Orange Coast College. She made the varsity soccer team during all four years in high school, and is an ECNL member. She plans to major in Psychology while attending the College of Idaho.
From Coach Smith: "Eden is a physically imposing and incredibly talented attack minded player that will work in the MF and up front for us. Eden brings a desire and competitiveness that is second to none. She will make our opponents life very challenging in the physical duals and I absolutely love that. Eden has a great blend of power mixed with a high degree of skill and soccer IQ. She will have an immediate impact in our conference, and can score in many ways. She can play with her back to the goal, can create off the dribble, is excellent in the air and will play both sides of the ball with an absolute relentlessness. I cannot wait to see what Eden does this fall."
Cydney Ziegler
Ziegler joins the Yotes as the third and final transfer into the program, as she last played at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego. The Meridian native played soccer at nearby Mountain View, where she was the captain for the Mavericks as well as being named team MVP. She plans on majoring in Business while minoring in Marketing while attending the College of Idaho.
From Coach Smith: "Ziggy will really help us in many ways. She is a defender by trade but has a great ability to get forward from wide positions and get heavily involved in the attack. Ziggy is one of the most competitive players I have been around and she will fit right into this group. She is an elite athlete that will have a tremendous impact on our squad. An amazing 1v1 defender that can chase down forwards and has the capacity to be involved in the attack. A wonderful addition to our squad. She can play with absolute quality on the left or right so her versality is huge for us. She is a tremendous teammate that will help us grow as a squad on both sides of the ball.
Abbigail Roubidoux
The Fruitland native joins the Yotes as an incoming freshman, having played at Fruitland High School. Roubidoux was named the 3A Idaho Player of the Year twice in high school, as well as being named a 3x High School MVP and offensive player of the year. Roubidoux had a stellar high school career, scoring 227 total goals and 41 assists throughout her four years of high school. As a student in high school, she maintained a 3.9 GPA throughout her four years at Fruitland High. While at C of I, she plans on majoring in Biomedical Sciences.
From Coach Smith: "Abbi is a once in a decade attacker that we have been fortunate to add to our program. Abbi is the purest goal scorer I have ever seen and I expect her to make her mark right way in our league. Her creativity and instincts around the goal are 2
nd to none. A two footed forward that can score many ways but also has amazing instincts to set her teammates up as well. Her influence in our squad should really help us find another level in our attacking options. A local product that has the chance to be something really special in her time here."
Madison Little
Little comes to Caldwell from Las Vegas, Nev. as an incoming freshman. The Arbor View High School product is an honor roll student, having maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA in high school. She was named the Arbor View varsity soccer captain during her time in high school, as well as being a four-year letter winner in high school. She was a starter during all four years on varsity, tallying eight goals and 17 assists. As a club captain of LVSA U17, she scored five goals and three assists from free kick attempts during her U17 season. She plans on majoring in Law while at College of Idaho, while planning on becoming an attorney after college.
From Coach Smith: "Madison is a long and rangy box to box midfielder that can do everything in the middle of the field. At 5'10" I expect Madison will become a leader within our squad and help us win the ball in higher positions due to her pace and range. Madison brings a great balance of size and strength mixed with a very technical base that can make any pass you want and can out run midfielders off the dribble. The Yote fam are going to really enjoy watching her this year and years to come."
Shaelyn Olsen
The Caldwell native stays close to home, joining the Yotes after attending Greenleaf Friends Academy. Olsen is the younger sister of current Yote
Kylin Olsen. She was named to the first team all-conference list during her freshman and senior campaigns,, and plans to major in Biomedical Sciences while having a goal of becoming a neurosurgeon.
From Coach Smith: "Shae is a physically dominant forward that has great instincts to get to the goal. She has the ability to play multiple positions with her toughness and physicality. A true competitor that wills every team she has been on to victory. Shae will make us better the first day she is here. She will compete everyday and brings an edge unlike many players I have seen. I cannot wait to get her plugged into our amazing group."
Alondra Osuna
Osuna decided to stay close to home, joining the Yotes as an incoming freshman from Vallivue High School in Caldwell. Osuna was a four year varsity player for the Falcons, being named to the all-conference list all four years, a second-team nod twice, along with two first-team nods. Osuna, a dual-sport athlete, also played four years of basketball with the Falcons. She plans on majoring in Business.
From Coach Smith: "Nona is our piano player. She is a true playmaker that can really spray the ball around and pick out the right options from a MF position or half space position. Another two footed player that sees the game differently than most. One of the best passers of the ball I have ever been around but can also take players off the dribble and score from range. She will be an instant threat in our conference. Another massive competitor that not only will pull the strings of our attack but isn't afraid to mix it up on a tackle."
Allison Moultray
Moultray comes to Caldwell from Selah, Wash., after attending Selah High School. She was a four-year varsity player for Selah's soccer team, and she led the team in assists on two separate occasions (2021, 2022) as well as leading her team in goals in 2022. Moultray was named to the CWAC first-team all-conference list three times as midfielder, being named in 2020, 2021, and 2022. She led Selah to three district championships during her time in high school. She plans on majoring in English Literature and Political Economy with goals of becoming a journalist after her time with the Yotes.
From Coach Smith: "Alli is a strong imposing midfielder that is another great passer of the ball. A midfielder by trade she has the ability to play many roles. She can beat you many ways as her skill set is very strong. She can strike from distance, she can make any pass on the field and she can dominate her opponent physically. A true competitor that is going to do amazing things on this campus both on the field and off. She has an infectious personality that everyone on this campus will absolutely love. I am so happy to call Alli a Yote!"
Alivia Brenchley
The Providence, Utah native comes to Caldwell having played high school soccer at Ridgeline in Utah. Brenchley was a four year letter winner in high school, having been a starter on varsity for three of the four years in high school. She was the starting goalkeeper on the 2020 Utah 4A state champion squad, having gone 33-11 as a starter in high school with 19 shutouts, as well as recording an impressive 0.94 GAA (Goals Allowed Average). Brenchley was the starting goalkeeper on Northern Utah United for eight seasons, as her squad took third place in the 2022 President's Cup national tournament. She plans on majoring in Nursing while at the College of Idaho.
From Coach Smith: " Alivia is going to provide even more competition in goal for us this fall. Alivia is a strong and powerful player that has amazing shot stopping ability and quickness and is also dominant when it comes to balls in the box. I expect Alivia to be pushing from the very first day as she is a total competitor. A great athlete that covers a ton of ground and has great range in her passing that will really help us attack from that position."
Gracie Walt
Walt comes to Caldwell from Carson City, Nev., attending Carson High School. She was named the Northern Nevada 5A Defensive Player of the Year in the 2022-2023 season, while being named to the All Northern Nevada regional team in the 2022-23 season. The four year varsity player was named the Northern Nevada 5A first team as a midfielder during her the 2021 season, as well as being named the Max Prep Player of the Year in 2022-2023. In the classroom, Walt was a four time academic letter winner, and spend three years with the National Honor Society.
From Coach Smith: "Gracie is going to play a massive role in this squad. She is a bit of a swiss army knife. She can play in the MF and is as clean on the ball as you would like. She can also play in the backline and is an incredible 1v1 defender that not only has a great bite in the tackle but can get forward with pace and quickness. She has a technical ability that will become as massive asset in our build up and attacking phases. Gracie is going to have an amazing career as a Yote and I expect that to happen sooner vs. later."
Leslie Castrejon
The Anaheim, Calif. native and Caldwell High product stays close to home, joining the Yotes for the upcoming season. Castrejon joins the Yotes from Treasure Valley CC, having scored a goal and tallied two assists during her time with the Chukars.
From Coach Smith: "Leslie joins us after 2 years at Treasure Valley Community College. Leslie is a gifted center mid that I have tried to get for 3 years. We finally were lucky enough to make it happen. She has a craftiness on the ball that will cause lots of problems for our opponents . She is smooth and glides with the ball. Another piano player as she can get everyone into the game but also has a great bite when in pursuit of winning the ball back. I am so thrilled she is finally with us and I expect her to add a ton of creativity into our MF."
Isis Villafane
The Nampa, Idaho product joins the Yotes from Ridgevue High School. She was named to the all-conference team three times, once as an honorable mention and twice as a first team member. She was named to the all-state team twice, once as a second team member and the other as a first team member. Villafane was named as the Ridgevue MVP in 2022, and was the 2022 4A SIC season stat leader with 56 total points (25 goals and six assists).
From Coach Smith: "Not many in the league will be as quick and fast as Isis. She can stretch the opponent from a wide position and has a skill set that makes her very dangerous in the 1v1. A winger that could also provide the ability to really bomb forward from a wide back position. She is going to open the game up for us with her ability to run behind but will also be massive in our ability to regain the ball as high as possible with her incredible pressing ability."
