Tennessee inks top five recruiting class

by TopDrawerSoccer
February 5, 2015

Head coach Brian Pensky and the Tennessee soccer program have assembled a top 5 2015 recruiting class. The Big Orange welcomes 10 very talented newcomers in 2015, including five players ranked in the IMG Academy 150.

The 2015 Tennessee soccer signing class features the No. 1-ranked player in the country in Katie Cousins. Cousins and Nicole Seaman enrolled early at Tennessee in January. The eight talented newcomers who will join Tennessee at the start of the 2015-16 academic year include Gretchen Cagle, Mackenzie Gouner, Danielle Marcano (No. 49), Megan Massey (No. 57), Maya Neal (No. 30), Tatum Wagner (No. 95) and Jessica Yanez.

Top Drawer Soccer ranked Tennessee's class at No. 4 nationally on Jan. 23. Tennessee's 2015 class is the highest ranked group in the SEC.

"This is a terrific group of players...extremely diverse in talent," Pensky said. "It's a class that obviously comes in highly-touted - and deservedly so. But they all know and understand that it's about hard work and results. A father of one of our recruits said to me just the other day, 'The hard works starts now!' I loved that - he's exactly right. This is just the beginning for these kids. We are elated that they've all chosen to be Vols, and we cannot wait for them to join Nicole and Katie on campus!"

This marks the second-straight season that Pensky has assembled a top 15 class. The 2014 signing class ranked No. 11 in the nation by Top Drawer Soccer.

Tennessee went 10-10-2 in 2014 and surged at the end of the season with upset wins over Missouri and Ole Miss late in the regular season, an SEC Tournament upset win over Alabama, a thrilling advancement on penalty kicks against Florida in the conference quarterfinals and a hard-fought loss to Kentucky in the semis. Tennessee returns several veteran stars in 2015, including Top Drawer Soccer Top 100 players Hannah Wilkinson and Carlyn Baldwin.

Check out the breakdown of UT's 2015 signing class below.

Gretchen Cagle, GK (Pensacola, Fla.)

Cagle is a gifted goalkeeper who brings great athleticism to the position. She helped lead Pensacola Catholic to district titles in 2012, 2013 and 2015 and a regional crown in 2013. Cagle was named the USA Today Player of the Week in November of 2014 and has earned all-area honors in each of the last four years. She was ranked as the No. 3 player in her region by Top Drawer Soccer in 2014.

Katie Cousins, M (Forest, Va.)

Cousins was the 2013-14 Gatorade National Girls Soccer Player of the Year and TopDrawerSoccer.com's No. 1 player in the IMG Top 150 for the 2015 graduating class. She was also a 2013 and 2014 NSCAA Youth Girls All-American for club soccer. She has been a staple on the U.S. U-20 and U-18 scene over the last two years. The Forest, Va., native played on the 2013 U.S. U-20 Women's National Team that competed in the 12 Nations Tournament in La Manga, Spain. She was also on the U.S. U-20 roster for training camp in October of 2014. Cousins played on the 2014 U.S. U-18 Women's National Team in last spring's 10 Nations Tournament in Spain and helped the U-18 Stars and Stripes tie the U-20 Mexico team, 1-1, on July 25, 2014, in Mexico City. She also helped Jefferson Forest High School win district and conference titles in 2012 and 2014. Cousins chose Tennessee over Virginia, Clemson and Wake Forest. She enrolled early at Tennessee last month and will take part in the spring exhibition season.

Mackenzie Gouner, D/F (Monument, Colo.)

Top Drawer Soccer ranks Gouner as the No. 29 player in the Rocky Mountain Region. She is a three-time first-team All-4A Metro conference selection (2012, 2013, 2014) at Palmer Ridge. Gouner is also a three-time ECNL PDP selection and attended National ID Camp and National Team Camp and U.S. U17 National Team Camp in 2013. She plays forward and has tallied 40 goals and 19 assists in her high school career. Gouner is a multi-sport star, having lettered in soccer, track and basketball. She was a 2012 all-area track honorable mention in the 200m (25.5). Gouner was an Academic All-State Honorable Mention and won the 2011 State Cup Championship with Real National.

Danielle Marcano, F/M (Buford, Ga.)

Marcano is ranked the No. 49 overall recruit in the IMG Academy 150. She helped lead Lanier to GHSA state titles in 2012 and 2014, scoring the championship-winning goal as a freshman in 2012. She was named the AA Girl's Soccer Player of the Year in 2014 along with all-county honors after scoring 26 goals and 16 assists. Marcano has amassed 43 goals and 27 assists in her high school soccer career to date. She attended U.S. U17 Women's National Team Camp in Feb. 2013 and was in the U.S. U14 National Player Pool in Aug. 2011. She was voted a top 11 player by coaches after her club team was a national finalist in 2012 and reached nationals in 2013. She was in the ODP 97 Georgia state pool from 2010-12 and on the ODP Region III team from 2010-11. She competed in ODP interregional events in 2011 and 2012.

Megan Massey, F/M (Highlands Ranch, Colo.)

Massey is ranked as the No. 57 overall recruit in the IMG Academy 150. She is a four-year letterwinner at Mountain Vista, helping her team win a state title and a 19-1 record in 2013. She is a two-time First Team all-state selection (2013, 2014) and a three-time First Team All-Continental Conference pick (2012, 2013, 2014). She is coming off a strong 2014 junior season in which she tallied 18 goals and five assists. Massey has totaled 46 goals and 17 assists in her high school career to date. Her club team was Real Colorado National 96/97, which she won the Colorado State Cup Championship with in 2009 and 2011. Massey is a two-time invitee to the US GNT Training Center and attended ECNL/id2 National Training Camp in 2013 and 2014.

Maya Neal, F (Naperville, Ill.)

Neal is ranked the No. 30 overall recruit in the IMG Academy 150. She is a dynamic athlete who will play soccer and run track at Tennessee. In 2014, she helped lead her club team, Eclipse Select to a USYSA Regional Championship, the Disney Soccer Showcase title and a runner-up finish at ECNL Nationals. She was named to the ECNL Nationals Best XI U17 team in 2014 when she scored 14 goals in the fall/winter regular season. Neal also attended U.S. U18 Women's National Team Camp in Dec. 2013. She is a five-time All-American and eight-time all-state honoree in track & field, specializing in the heptathlon (4,904 points) and the long jump (19'4.75"). Neal was the 2012 AAU National Champion in the heptathlon and in track & field.

Rylie O'Keefe, M/D (Littleton, Colo.)

O'Keefe brings great versatility as she has played as a forward, outside back and midfielder in her career at Dakota Ridge. As a freshman in 2012 playing forward, she scored 14 goals and tallied 17 assists to earn league MVP, all-conference and first-team all-state accolades. She had two goals and two assists as an outside back in 2013 and four goals and three assists as a midfielder in 2014. She plays club ball for the ECNL Colorado Rush and helped the team to a national title and a Super League Division I title in 2012, CSVSA League championships in 2010 and 2011 and Denver Cup crowns in 2013 and 2014. She proved clutch in 2012, scoring the winning goals in the Rush's semifinal and championship wins in 2012.

Nicole Seaman, M (Scottsdale, Ariz.)

Seaman brings an accomplished resume from the Southwest. She was a 2013 NSCAA Girls High School All-Region VIII selection. The Scottsdale, Ariz., native had a stellar sophomore year at Desert Mountain High School, tallying 14 goals and five assists in 14 games to earn the 2012-13 AIA All-Division I Second Team and AIA All-Section I First Team honors and the Scottsdale All-City Award. Seaman played club ball for Gilbert Arsenal Soccer Club, Sereno Soccer Club and SC del Sol. She chose Tennessee over Wake Forest, Oregon and Boston College. She enrolled early at Tennessee last month and will take part in the spring exhibition season.

Tatum Wagner, F (Tulsa, Okla.)

Wagner is ranked as the No. 95 overall recruit in the IMG Academy 150. She is a three-time all-district (2012-14), a three-time first-team all-metro (2012-14) and a two-time All-VYPE first-team (2013-14) selection. She has led Bixby in goals and assists since it joined 6A. Wagner was a finalist for the 2013 Gatorade Player of the Year after she tallied 19 goals and seven assists as a sophomore. She has amassed 51 goals and 24 assists at forward in her high school career to date. She has played club ball for the Hurricane Futbol Club, TSC Hurricane (ECNL) and the Dallas Texans (ECNL). Wagner has helped Hurricane FC to three Oklahoma state titles and a Region 3 semifinal finish in 2011. In 2012, her TSC Hurricane ECNL squad finished ranked seventh in the nation. Her 2014 Dallas Texans ECNL team advanced to the National Championship and finished fourth. She has scored five goals in a game twice in ECNL play and she has led her club teams in goals for six years. She was selected to ECNL Nike ID 2 National Camp in Oregon in 2013 and ECNL Nike ID2 PDP in Texas from 2011-14. Top Drawer Soccer rated her as a Top 20 ECNL Player to Watch in 2012-13. She also played on the ODP Oklahoma State Team from 2008-12 and attended ODP National Camp in Las Vegas in 2012.

Jessica Yanez, GK (Downington, Pa.)

Yanez is a skilled keeper who knows how to win and posted 10-consecutive shutouts in 2014. She is a two-year team captain and starting goalkeeper and led Downington West to Ches-Mont League Championships in 2012 and 2014 and earned all-state honors in 2014. She also earned league MVP, Best Defensive Team and first-team honors in 2014. Yanez garnered all-league and all-area honors in 2013. She has played club ball for Penn Fusion U17 and played on the ECNL All-Event U17 Team in 2013. She is a two-sport athlete, lettering four years in soccer and two years in softball at Downington West. Also played club ball for Spirit United (U10-U14).

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