Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina women's soccer and 2023 Southern Conference Coach of the Year Chad Miller today officially announced the addition of 10 student-athletes for the 2024 season. Eight of the newcomers are high school graduates and are joined by a pair of transfers in joining the defending SoCon regular-season and tournament champion Catamount program.
The 10 newcomers represent six different states with three coming from north of the border in Canada.
"This is a tremendous group of young ladies that we are ecstatic to be adding to our program. They fit with our culture and are going to be successful both as teammates and as people," said Miller. "We have a legacy of recruiting good student-athletes and they will no doubt continue that trend. They have a lot of passion for the game, and we look forward to them joining our terrific and talented group of returners."
Erika Gariepy, 5-8 
Position: Midfielder
Hometown: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Club Team: Quebec National Development Center
High School: Felix-Leclerk and Saint-Gabriel
Prior to WCU: A member of the prestigious Quebec National Development Center (NDC), the gateway to the full national team, Gariepy was a two-time provincial champion and a member of the tournament-winning Quebec team over Ontario her junior year. She was selected to the CF Montreal team that participated against top women's teams all over France. Also, a member of the College Montmorency team.
Personal: A lifeguard and avid ping pong player, Erika is the daughter of Sylvain Gariepy and Catherine Leblanc. She has one brother, Nicholas. Her mother, Catherine, was a Canadian Champion in synchronized skating.
Miller on Gariepy: "Erika comes to us from the NDC program in Canada and has aspirations of playing professionally after college, which we have proven in the past here at WCU that we can make happen. Her playmaking and vision are second to none and is going to be a high-quality addition to our midfield."
Lillianna Iacofano, 5-5 
Position: Defender/Forward
Hometown: Mount Pleasant, S.C.
Club Team: South Carolina Surf GA
High School: Lucy Beckham HS
Prior to WCU: A member of the South Carolina Surf GA team. Lillianna had a very decorated high school career at Lucy Beckham. She scored 73 goals and 33 assists in her high school career. She was a three-time All-Region Player, two times named to the All-State team, and in her last two years was named Region 7 4A Player of the Year. Lilliana was named Viking Cup Player of the Tournament and twice named to the Charleston Shootout All-Tournament Teams. She accomplished this while leading her team to two Regional Championships and this past spring the state championship where they finished runner-up.
Personal: The daughter of John and Kristine Iacofano, Lilliana has two brothers, John (19) and Luciana (13). Her mother ran track in college and her father played soccer in high school.
Miller on Iacofano: "Lillianna is a tremendous athlete who loves to compete. She is relentless with her work rate and brings so much energy and drive to a team. She loves to score goals and is not afraid to get into battles. Lillianna is very good in the air and an unselfish player. She is also versatile and can play in the back line or up top."
Olivia Mickey, 5-10 
Position: Goalkeeper
Hometown: Satellite Beach, Fla.
Club Team: Orlando City ECNL
High School: Satellite Beach HS
Prior to WCU: Transferred to WCU from UAB – Olivia saw limited action for UAB and will be joining the Catamount program as a redshirt sophomore. She was on the Dean's List at UAB. She was a six-year club starter for Orlando City ECNL. They qualified twice for ECNL Nationals and had a cumulative goal against average of .573 over her club career. She was a 2-time invitee to the US Soccer Regional Camp. In 2023 & 2024 she is a member of the WPSL Seminole Ice.
Personal: The daughter of Steve and Jill Mickey, Olivia has two brothers, Brenden (30) Brad (28), and two sisters Kelsey (33) and Riley (29). Her grandfather played college football at Syracuse and in the NFL for the St. Louis Cardinals.
Miller on Mickey: "Olivia has been in the college game for two years which will greatly help her in this transition. She is a very athletic goalkeeper and has good length which helps in the air in traffic. Olivia is good with her feet and comfortable with making decisions in possession which fits our style of play well. We look forward to working with her and adding her to our GK group here at WCU."
Mary Mueth, 5-8 
Position: Defender
Hometown: Fairview, Texas
Club Team: Dallas Sting ECNL
High School: Lovejoy HS
Prior to WCU: Transferred from Louisiana Lafayette as a rising sophomore. Made 16 appearances during the season and earned starts in eight matches. Finished as the team leader with three assists. She logged 844 minutes on the pitch, playing a full 90 in matches against Old Dominion, ULM, James Madison, and Texas State. Made her debut against regionally-ranked South Florida and was credited with an assist. Sent a clearing pass out of the 18-yard box at Old Dominion that set up the eventual game-winner in a 1-0 contest, while also assisting on the game-winning goal against Marshall in the regular-season finale. All told, she attempted four shots on the season with two coming against JMU, and included shots on goal in back-to-back matches against JMU and Georgia Southern.
Personal: The daughter of Nick and Sara Jane Mueth, Mary has one older brother Max, her father played soccer at TCU and was a co-founder of the Lovejoy Rock Climbing Club.
Miller on Mueth: "We are excited to add Mary to our program. With our injuries in our backline last fall, she will bring some experience and hit the ground running. Mary is a solid defender with a good athletic base and a strong frame. She is solid in the air and comfortable in possession."
Rylie Niemeyer, 5-10 
Position: Defender
Hometown: Independence, Ky.
Club Team: Kings Hammer ECNL
High School: Dixie Heights HS
Prior to WCU: Niemeyer has represented her Kings Hammer ECNL 06 team in the Ohio Valley Conference since her freshman year and helped win multiple conference championships and even reached the ECNL Super Cup. She also participated in the USLW (semi-pro) Kings Hammer team. A starter beginning her freshman year for Dixie Heights, she has helped her team to the district championship.
Personal: The daughter of Zach and Jill Niemeyer, Rylie is an honors student who has two siblings, Easton and Brady. Her grandfather played college basketball and mother is an employee of the Cincinnati Reds.
Miller on Niemeyer: "Rylie is a commanding center back with great size, who is equally adept at playing the ball out of the back and starting the build. With graduation, we knew we would need defenders who could step in and compete right. We believe with her composure and leadership abilities, that Rylie is that type of player."
Francesca Rowen, 5-8 
Position: Defender
Hometown: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Club Team: Quebec National Development Center
High School: College de Montreal
Prior to WCU: A member of the REX Development Center, the gateway to the full national team pool. She plays in the semi-pro League 1 with Pierrefonds. Francesca is also a member of the Quebec Provincial Team (4 seasons) and played in Danone Cup Team Canada in Barcelona in 2019. Quebec Cup U15 AAA Champions in 2021, LSEQ U15 AAA Champions in 2019, Quebec Games Champions 2018, Quebec Regional Selection Tournament Bronze 2019, Jefferson Cup U15 Champions 2019, Lower Canada College Soccer Champions 2014,2016, 2017.
Personal: The daughter of David Rowen and Antonietta Lalli. Francesca has a younger sister Gabriella. Great grandfather, James Patrick Rowen competed as a goaltender for the Montreal Canadians in the NHL. Francesca speaks 4 languages English, French, Spanish, and some Italian.
Miller on Rowen: "Francesca comes to WCU from the NDC program in Canada and aspires to play professionally after college. She is a left-footed outside/center-back who loves to connect and get forward. Her playmaking and vision are a great complement to her game as well as being a very solid and gritty defender."
Sophie Schultz, 5-6 
Position: Forward/Midfielder
Hometown: Burlington, Ontario, Canada
Club Team: Burlington Force Soccer Academy
High School: Corpus Christi Catholic Secondary School
Prior to WCU: A team captain, Schultz led her Burlington Force Academy to a gold medal victory in the prestigious Ontario Cup in 2023. The squad was the silver medalist in 2022 and claimed the OPDL West Championship in 2021. She has been in the top 30 consistently over the last three years in the FTF Top-100 rankings list of the top players in Canada.
Personal: A three-year honor-roll member, Sophie is the daughter of Todd and Joanna Schultz. Schultz has one brother, Aidan. Both parents played volleyball at Brock University and Sophie also played four years of club volleyball.
Miller on Schultz: "Sophie was one of the first people we contacted on June 15th last year and we are excited to add her to our program. She is athletic and determined and can play multiple attacking roles. She has been the top goal scorer on every team she has played on, but is probably better at setting up her teammates with her great vision."
Gabriela Vatrano, 5-6 
Position: Midfielder
Hometown: Denver, N.C.
Club Team: Charlotte Soccer Academy ECNL
High School: Bandys HS
Prior to WCU: Has been named by Top Drawer Soccer a 3-star recruit and has been listed as one of their top 150 players in the country each year since 2020. Was named to the ECNL National Mid Atlantic All-Conference team as a sophomore and has helped her CSA ECNL team to the Champions League Playoffs for three consecutive years, which includes a fifth-place finish nationally this past season. Was named to the USYNT Identification Center for three consecutive years and was one of the Best XI in the tournament at the USYS National Championships Final Four in 2019. Only played her freshman season of high school soccer, but led the team in goals and assists and was named all-conference that year.
Personal: The daughter of Tony and Kerry Vatrano, Gabriela has two brothers, Anthony, and Nicholas. Kerry played volleyball at Geneseo University and Tony played soccer at Herkimer Community College before transferring to Nazareth University.
Miller on Vatrano: "We knew Gabby from her club team, but it was at our ID camp that she really set herself apart. Her leadership, communication skills, and ability on the ball set her apart immediately. She does some of the little things that are hard to teach and don't always show up on the stat sheet but helps you win games."
Samantha Vibberts, 5-6 
Position: Midfielder
Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio
Club Team: Ohio Elite ECNL
High School: Summit Country Day
Prior to WCU: A member of Ohio Elite ECNL, Samantha and her team compete in the Ohio Valley Conference. In her first three years of high school, Vibberts recorded an impressive 20 goals and 20 assists, while leading her team to District Champions and Region Runner-Up honors. She has been named first-team all-conference and all-region on multiple occasions and by multiple publications. She helped her team improve their record every season and one of her many game-winning-goals was in the Cincinnati District Championship game. Has also been named to the SW Ohio Academic Team and is a team captain.
Personal: Samantha is the daughter of Eric and Heather Vibberts, who both were student-athletes at the University of Cincinnati. Eric was the starting quarterback and Heather was a soccer player.
Miller on Vibberts: "Sammy was our first commitment of the class because after we saw her, we knew immediately she has what it took to be a Catamount. The drive, commitment, and personality all align with our values. She can control the game from the midfield, switch the point of attack but also get herself forward and score goals as well."
Evelyn Wright, 5-5 
Position: Midfielder/Forward
Hometown: Blythewood, S.C.
Club Team: South Carolina United ECNL
High School: Blythewood HS
Prior to WCU: The first freshman in her school history to be named Region Player of the Year, Wright was selected for the USYNT regional US ID Center and has been named SC 5A All-State and all-region multiple times after helping her team to three consecutive regional championships. In her first three years in high school, she scored 34 goals and handed out 20 assists. She is also the leading goal scorer for her club team and has been called up to play in the W-League for the South Carolina Bantams.
Personal: The daughter of Bill and Anna Wright, Evelyn has one brother, Davis, who will be a member of the Western Carolina baseball team. Her father played baseball at Wofford.
Miller on Wright: "Another success from one of our ID camps, Evelyn is relentless and brings so much energy to a team. Her work ethic is unquestioned, and she is very driven and absolutely loves to compete. She is one of the youngest players on her Bantams summer league team, which Alexis DeMarco also plays on and she more than holds her own. She is also versatile and can play in the midfield or up top."
