For the College of Charleston womens’ soccer team, the upcoming season will be one of both quality and quantity.

The Cougars will welcome in 11 new signees, a class prodigious in talent as well as size. Needless to say, the coaching staff is revved up about the breadth of talent that will see the field in the coming year.

“It’s the most decorated class coming in that we’ve ever had,” said assistant coach Mike Barroqueiro. “So many of the kids, save for one or two, have ODP experience and have played with competitive state teams. We also have a very eclectic group with players from Texas and Ohio. Sometimes with large classes the quantity can overshadow the quality, but we have both.”

The class is a diverse group that fills a variety of the team’s positional needs. Dallas Sting defender/midfielder Toni Schneider brings national camp experience along with fellow Texas recruit Maryam Buazza of Challenge SC.

Columbia United FC midfielder Haley Hutchins will join the team, along with Katie Kerr and Liz Miller from Ohio Elite and Cincinnati United Premier respectively.

Strikers Stephanie Sacchetta (Pennsylvania Montgomery United) and Alyssa Bearden (North Carolina CASL Spartan Elite), defender/midfielder Betsy Stewart (Alabama Elite 91s) and goalkeeper Andrea Tordanato (Connecticut FSA SoccerPlus) will also add depth.

In addition, the Cougars were able to nab South Carolina prospects Casey Craft (Carolina Elite), Haley Hutchins (Columbia United FC) and Sarah Schaidle (Carolina Elite), a fact that pleased head coach Kevin Dempsey.

“We always want to attract the best in-state players to come to Charleston, and this year we certainly got the top three players in South Carolina,” Dempsey said in a statement. “That means a lot to me and the program.”

College of Charleston’s rise as a mid-major program has been a steady one.

It’s coming off a fairly successful 12-5-4 season in which the team suffered a heartbreaking loss during the Southern Conference Tournament, in a match that went to penalty kicks.

The Cougars are losing six from last year's team, but will have more than enough firepower to replenish the roster – which will be as big as the team has ever enjoyed.

“This is a class that can help us be one of the best teams,” Barroqueiro said. “We wanted to be preemptive and have the ability to develop players so that by the time they’re sophomores they’ll be ready to play. If they have the ability to play right away then they will, but it takes the pressure off of us not having to play a player who isn’t ready.

“I like the national scale we’re on right now. Every year this program has gotten better, and this sets the bar pretty high.”