RICHMOND, Ky. – Just days after the conclusion of the historic 2024 season, the Eastern Kentucky University women's soccer team reloads with a nine-member signing class, announced by head soccer coach Matt Cosinuke during National Signing Day on Wednesday. 
 
"We are more than excited about this incoming class. They are dynamic, athletic, talented, and probably the most heavily recruited group we have ever assembled," said Cosinuke. "We fully expect that they will challenge our returners for minutes immediately. Pair this group's quality and maturity with the talent and character of our returning players and we should have an extremely dangerous family for the 2025 season and years beyond. In addition, I would especially like to thank all our past and current assistant coaches for their tireless work ethic in helping build such a fun and exciting 2025 class."
 
The Colonels added Silvia Shirey, Reese Patrick, Miae Canales, Bailey Altizer, Jordan LeVasseur, Caroline Atwill, Emma Wolf, Lily Wolf, and Rachel Phifer on National Signing Day, which opened for the women's soccer team on Wednesday.
 
EKU will look to replace a nine-member senior class who led the program to four consecutive conference tournament appearances, including three semifinal trip and a championship appearance during the 2024 season.
 
In 2024, the Colonels set program records in assists, shots, shots on goal, and set single game records in assists and goals.  EKU finished 2024 with a 12-7-3 overall record and 7-3-1 mark in conference play, which is the second most wins and conference wins in a single season in program history.
 
Shirey joins the Colonels after three years at Hume-Fogg High School in Nashville, Tennessee, where she scored 102 goals with 34 assists.  The All-State forward guided her program to three district championships, two regional championships, and a state quarterfinals appearance in 2023.  With HFHS, she was a two-time D-1 Tennessee Soccer All-State Selection, three-time First Team All-District, and was the District 10 AA Freshman of the Year.  She chose EKU over Middle Tennessee, FGCU, Austin Peay, UT Martin, and Western Kentucky.
 
Patrick joins the Colonels after four seasons at local George Rogers Clark High School in Winchester, Kentucky and helped the Cards to a 53-22-7 record and is a four-time KHSAA District 39 champion.  Standing 5-foot-11, Patrick will be listed as a forward/center back and has versatility at both spots in the field, she recorded 54 goals with 23 assists and is a two-time KHSAA 10th Region Offensive Player of the Year and First Team All-State pick with GRC.  She chose EKU over Pikeville College.
 
Canales joins the Colonels after four seasons at American Heritage High School in West Palm Beach, Florida and will be listed as a defender on the 2025 roster.  Since 2021, Canales has helped the program to 25 wins with four goals and five assists in the span.  She was named the Boca Raton Offensive Player of the Year in 2022 and won a regional championship in 2023.  She chose EKU over FGCU and Harvard and was a standout Track & Field student-athletes out of the prep ranks. 
 
Altizer joins the Colonels after four years at Mechanicsville High School in her hometown of Mechanicsville, Virginia, and will be listed as a winger under Cosinuke's system at EKU.  As a forward with MHS, Altizer was a three-time All-Region selection with First Team honors in 2023, 2024, and was named MVP last season.  She chose EKU over UMBC, Longwood, and College of Charleston.
 
LeVasseur is the lone goalkeeper in the 2024 class and joins the Colonels out of Pinckney, Michigan, where she attended Mercy High School and was named Honorable Mention All-State in 2021.  Jordan picked EKU over Illinois-Chicago and Bowling Green.
 
Atwill joins the Colonels out of New Market, Maryland where she attended Oakdale High School and was a two-time All-County selection as a midfielder.  In four years with OHS, Atwill helped the program to over 60 wins while scoring 33 goals and 30 assists.  She helped the team capture its conference championship three times while advancing deep in the state tournament from 2022-24, she chose EKU over Ferris State.
 
Twins Lily and Emma Wolf join the Colonels out of St. Louis, Missouri where they attended Nerinx Hall High School, both will be listed as midfielders on the 2025 roster with Lily specializing as a holding mid and Emma as an attacking mid.  They guided their high school to a state championship in 2024 and during the 2021 prep season, Emma led the team in goals and Lily led the team in assists.  Both chose EKU over SIU Edwardsville.
 
Phifer joins the Colonels out of Roswell, Georgia where she attended Roswell High School and was a two-time Georgia State Championship participant, including a state title win during the 2023 season.  As a forward, Phifer scored over 50 goals during her prep career including three goals in her two state championship games, she led her program to over 41 wins with the 2024-25 season still yet to be played.  Phifer comes from a long line of NCAA Division I athletes in her family, her uncle Roman played in the National Football League (NFL) for the New England Patriots and her dad, Jay, played college basketball at Valparaiso.  Rachel chose EKU over Georgia State and Indiana State.
 
EKU will look to repeat its performance during the 2024 season in 2025, which is set to begin over the Spring with exhibition matches.  The 2025 regular season will begin next August and will be year five in the Atlantic Sun Conference for the Colonels.