The Eastern Kentucky University soccer team has signed five student-athletes to National Letters of Intent, third-year head coach Melissa Barnes announced on Monday.

The five signees set to join the Colonel program in the fall of 2015 are Emily Beaver, Bailly Bounds, Tara Claus, Sarah O’Connor and Monica Rios.

“These five will add talent, depth, competition and versatility to our team,” Barnes said of the signing class. “They are great additions as players, they have great character and their personalities will add to our team dynamic.  In addition to our signees, we also have several outstanding walk-ons who will be joining us this fall.  We expect many of our incoming players to compete immediately for starting positions this fall.”

Beaver is a defender out of Westerville, Ohio, where she led Olentangy Orange High to an Ohio Capital Conference (OCC) title in 2013. Beaver – who has been named first team All-OCC and the district player of the year – plays club soccer for Ohio Premier.

“Emily has shown the ability to lead and organize a defensive unit at a high level,” Barnes said. “She can play in a variety of defensive roles for our team and is an excellent communicator, great competitor and very hard working.”

Bounds is a midfielder / forward from Las Vegas. She has won three state championships at the club and high school levels. Bounds won two state club championships with Heat FC from 2009-11 and won a state high school championship with Bishop Gorman High in 2011-12.

“Bailly is a dynamic player who strikes the ball very well with both feet,” Barnes said. “She has good athleticism, mobility and explosiveness. She will add more versatility to our team as an attacking player.” 

Claus is a midfielder / forward out of Milford High in Amelia, Ohio. She was named first team all-conference as a senior in 2014. At the club level, Claus has played for Ohio Elite for the past six years and was the top scorer on Ohio Elite’s U-16 team. She has been an Olympic Development Program (ODP) Region 2 Pool player since 2010.

“Tara is tenacious and can impose her will in the attacking third and in transition very well,” Barnes said. “She has the ability to score goals both in the framework of the team and as a result of individual efforts.”

O'Connor is a midfielder / forward from Arlington Heights, Illinois. She helped lead Buffalo Grove High to a fourth-place finish at the state finals as a sophomore, and she was named an all-conference goalkeeper as a junior. O’Conner plays club soccer for Sockers FC, with whom she competed at the Nike Manchester United Premier Tournament in Oregon in 2011. She has been an Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) and Midwest Regional League (MRL) participant since U-12.

“Sarah is an extremely versatile player who will do whatever it takes to help her team win,” Barnes said. “She is fearless with the ball and is hard in the tackle.  Her intensity in training and games will be a great asset.”

Monica Rios is a midfielder out of Lexington, Kentucky. She was a team captain at Lexington Catholic High School, where she was named first team academic all-state as a senior. Rios plays club soccer for Cincinnati United Premier and she has been an ODP state and region pool participant.

“Monica is a creative midfielder who likes to break other teams down and can influence the game,” Barnes said. “She is very driven to improve herself and her team every day and she does so with contagious energy.”

The 2015 Signing Class

Emily Beaver

Defender

Westerville, Ohio

Olentangy Orange High School

Club Team: Ohio Premier

Bailly Bounds

Midfielder / Forward

Las Vegas, Nevada

Bishop Gorman High School

Club Team: Heat FC

Tara Claus

Midfielder / Forward

Amelia, Ohio

Milford High School

Club Team: Ohio Elite Soccer Academy

Sarah O'Connor

Midfielder / Forward

Arlington Heights, Illinois

Buffalo Grove High School

Club Team: Sockers FC

Monica Rios

Midfielder

Lexington, Kentucky

Lexington Catholic High School

Cincinnati United Premier