WASHINGTON (April 11, 2018) – Howard University Women's Soccer head coach Brent Leiba welcomed eight student-athletes to the Bison family who signed their National Letter of Intent in joining the club this fall. The recruiting class features four international players and four athletes from four different states.
 
"We are very excited to announce the addition of this fantastic 2018 class to the Bison family," Leiba stated. "The quality of talent and character is outstanding, and I am looking forward to observing this class in combination with our returning players to take our program to the next level.  It truly is an exciting time to be a Howard Bison."
 
This group joins a cast that ended their 2017 campaign with a 9-10-1 (7-2-1 SWAC) overall record while reaching the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Semifinals.
 
Here is more information on the eight signees:
 
Thalia Boucher (Toronto, ON Canada) - Midfielder
 
In 2016, Boucher won the 2016 Ontario Cup Championship while finishing runner-up nationally. In 2014, she was named her high school's student athlete of the year after winning the 800-meter and 1500-meter in track.
 
Chloe Brown (Ashburn, Va.) - Midfielder
 
A three-year letterwinner in soccer, Brown guided her squad to a 20-1-1 mark while winning the 2015 Virginia 5A State title. Recently, she played for the 2017 Virginia State Cup Finalist Herndon Youth Soccer United as a midfielder.
 
Kiara Flynn (Mississauga, ON Canada) - Defender
 
Flynn is a two-time Ontario Youth Soccer League (OYSL) Champion and a U17 Canadian National Club Silver Medalist. The two-time City of Brampton Citizen Award for Sports winner guided her club to two Ontario Cup Provincial Finals, winning once in the U17 group.
 
Mikayla Johnson (Waldorf, Md.) - Defender/Midfielder/Forward
 
A year ago, Johnson helped her team win the 2017 Southern Maryland Athletic Conference (SMAC) title and regional championship. The SMAC All-Conference First Team honoree was a member of the McLean ECNL 99s, which was ranked in the top 10 nationally.
 
Kendall Macauly (Mississauga, ON Canada) - Defender/Midfielder
 
Macauly played three seasons for the Burlington Bayhawks (2015-17) where she won the OYSL Championship twice (2015-16). In 2016, Macauly scored the winning goal in penalty kicks as she propelled her squad to victory in the Quebec-Ontario Cup.
 
Kenya Saunders (Brampton, ON Canada) – Forward
 
Saunders won the 2016 Indoor and Outdoor Ontario Cup while also winning an OYSL league title that same season. In 2014, she was a member of the 2014 OYSL Provincial Cup Championship team.
 
Jordan Taylor (Wadsworth, Ohio) - Forward/Midfielder
 
As a member of the United States U17 Women's National Team, Taylor won the U17 Women's NTC Invitational against Mexico, Canada and Japan. She played two years in high school where she collected numerous honors, including Suburban Conference Player of the Year.
 
Victoria Thornton (Plainfield, Ill.) - Midfielder
 
Last season, Thornton was named to the Chicagoland Soccer All-State Watch List after taking home several accolades, including Southwest Prairie All-Conference. In December 2017, she was ranked No. 24 regionally by TopDrawerSoccer.com.
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.