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Utah Women’s Soccer Adds Eight New Faces
11/18/2024 3:10 PM | Soccer
Nakada signs eight new Utes
SALT LAKE CITY – University of Utah women's soccer head coach Hideki Nakada welcomed nine new Utes into the fold on Thursday as part of the program's 2025 signing class.
"We are delighted to announce this exciting group of student-athletes to join our program in 2025," said head coach Hideki Nakada. "I look for this group to enhance our quality of play that will allow us to play and improve our style and brand of soccer."
The list of new additions for Nakada's squad consists of forwards Abby Affleck and Julia Oka, midfielders Shannon Davidson and Finley Aghassi, forward/midfielder Eliza Smith, midfielder and defender Mimi Yamamoto, defender Reese Kennel and goalkeeper Eme McClenahan.
Abby Affleck – Forward – Syracuse High School – Syracuse, Utah
Affleck has put together an impressive resume during her time in club play with Wasatch SC. Her efforts have made her a two-time ODP regional team pick, a spot on the USY National Best XI in 2023 and a USYS Golden Boot award. She also earned a spot on the all-state first-team while helping lead her squad to a pair of USYS National Championships. She also lettered in track and field in high school.
Abby is the daughter of Michael and Hollie Affleck and has four siblings, Elizabeth, Harrison, Wyatt and Preston. Affleck will be the 10th member of her family who has attended the U.
Finley Aghassi – Midfielder – Westlake High School – Thousand Oaks, Calif.
Aghassi has honed her skills on the pitch during a career at Westlake High School in which she helped the program win a Marmonte League Title in 2021-22 and she was a four-year starter for LAFC SoCal Youth. Aghassi also helped her flag football team win a Marmonte League title in 2023. Off the field, she's served as a student advocate for Katie's Save, helping raise awareness about mental health resources.
Finley is the daughter of Jeff and Christine Aghassi and will be pursuing a degree in Kinesiology.
Shannon Davidson – Midfielder – Redondo Union High School – Redondo Beach, Calif.
Davidson has spent her club career with Beach FC ECNL and her play has garnered her a U17ECNL All-American spot and a place on the 2023-24 U17 All-Southwest Conference First Team. Her work helped Beach FC win the 2023-24 U17 ECNL National Title.
Shannon is the daughter of Dara and Tim Davidson and has two siblings, Marin and Kieran. Her sister, Marin, is currently a student at Utah. Her father was a student-athlete on the swimming and diving team at the University of Kansas.
Reese Kennel – Defender – Redondo Union High School – Redondo Beach, Calif.
One of Davidson's teammates on both the club and prep circuits has been Reese Kennel, who also helped Beach FC capture National and Southwest Conference Championships in 2024. She was also part of Redondo Union High School's D2 CIF-SS and Regional title winning squads and garnered recognition in the form of and All-Bay League first-team spot.
Reese is the daughter of Matthew and Kelli Kennel and has two siblings, Madi and Riley. Madi played soccer collegiately at Northwestern, while Riley is currently on the soccer team at Loyola in Maryland. Kennel will be majoring in Business.
Eme McClenahan – Goalkeeper – Hinsdale Central High School – Clarendon Hills, Ill.
McClenahan has been distinguishing herself with her work in goal for Chicago FC, first by recording two clean sheets in three matches in 2022 to help the team reach the Girls Academy Quarterfinals. One year later, she helped her side win their group in the Champions Cup and earn a spot in the league playoffs. Her season also included a stretch of five straight games without allowing a goal.
Eme is the daughter of John McClenahan and Amy Glynn and has one sibling, Ian. Her father, John, was a track and field student-athlete at Tulane. McClenahan plans on studying Biomedical Engineering.
Julia Oka – Forward – Pearl City High School – Pearl City, Hawaii
In just one season of high school soccer, Oka climbed to the top the state leaderboard in goals and was an all-state selection for Pearl City High School. She also gained experience by playing for Leahi Soccer Club and Santa Rose United ECNL.
Julia is the daughter of Maria and Grant Oka and has one sibling, Rylan. Her aunt, Hennesea, played basketball at Utah from 2006-11. Oka will be pursuing a degree in Marketing.
Eliza Smith – Forward/Midfielder – Highland High School – Salt Lake City, Utah
For Smith, her hard work on the field paid off in the form of all-state and all-region recognition and led to her being voted team captain as a junior. Smith is a two-time all-region honoree, led Highland in goals twice and ended her junior year on the 5A All-State roster. She found similar success in club competition as well, playing for an 07 Avalanche ECNL squad that won at nationals in 2024.
Eliza is the daughter of Scott and Katy Smith and has three siblings, Anna, Abby and Matthew. The list of Utah alums in her family includes both her parents and all four grandparents, one of whom played basketball at the U and one her aunts was a Ute volleyball player. In her time at Utah, Smith plans on studying Business.
Mimi Yamamoto – Midfielder/Defender – Saint Francis High School – San Jose, Calif.
Yamamoto officially joins the cast at Utah after spending time on the pitch for Saint Francis High School and FC Bay Area Surf. She'll be attempting to add to a list of accomplishments that already includes helping her club team take home two NorCal Conference Championships.
Mimi is the daughter of Gen and Hana Yamamoto and has one sibling, Hinako, who competed for the cross country and track and field teams at UCSD.
"This recruiting class will add higher level of depth and competition that will help us to grow within and I can't wait to watch them compete together to achieve our future goals," said Nakada. "We took a positive step forward this past fall and I have no doubt that this is a group that will help us continue to move in the right direction. It is a great day to be a Ute!"
FOLLOW THE UTES!
Fans can follow along on social media (Twitter: @UtahWSoccer | Instagram: @UtahWSoccer | Facebook: Facebook.com/Utahwsoccer), and the official mobile app of Utah Athletics, Utah360 -- download here.
OFFICIAL MOBILE APP OF UTAH ATHLETICS – UTAH 360
The official mobile app of Utah Athletics is Utah 360. Download it today to unlock a refreshed game-day experience that offers access to news and information, schedules, rosters, stats and behind-the-scenes videos, and allows fans to buy and manage game tickets and order concessions straight from their mobile device. The app is available in both the Apple Store (download) and Google Play (download). Add it today, access your game tickets and download them to your smartphone's wallet to make yourself game-day ready!
"We are delighted to announce this exciting group of student-athletes to join our program in 2025," said head coach Hideki Nakada. "I look for this group to enhance our quality of play that will allow us to play and improve our style and brand of soccer."
The list of new additions for Nakada's squad consists of forwards Abby Affleck and Julia Oka, midfielders Shannon Davidson and Finley Aghassi, forward/midfielder Eliza Smith, midfielder and defender Mimi Yamamoto, defender Reese Kennel and goalkeeper Eme McClenahan.
Abby Affleck – Forward – Syracuse High School – Syracuse, Utah
Affleck has put together an impressive resume during her time in club play with Wasatch SC. Her efforts have made her a two-time ODP regional team pick, a spot on the USY National Best XI in 2023 and a USYS Golden Boot award. She also earned a spot on the all-state first-team while helping lead her squad to a pair of USYS National Championships. She also lettered in track and field in high school.
She's ready to go ??
— Utah Women's Soccer (@UtahWSoccer) November 14, 2024
Abby's officially joining the family!#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/oMKwM3NALl
Abby is the daughter of Michael and Hollie Affleck and has four siblings, Elizabeth, Harrison, Wyatt and Preston. Affleck will be the 10th member of her family who has attended the U.
Finley Aghassi – Midfielder – Westlake High School – Thousand Oaks, Calif.
Aghassi has honed her skills on the pitch during a career at Westlake High School in which she helped the program win a Marmonte League Title in 2021-22 and she was a four-year starter for LAFC SoCal Youth. Aghassi also helped her flag football team win a Marmonte League title in 2023. Off the field, she's served as a student advocate for Katie's Save, helping raise awareness about mental health resources.
Signed, Sealed, Delivered ??
— Utah Women's Soccer (@UtahWSoccer) November 13, 2024
Finley's officially signed on to be a Ute!#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/L8UEcMq4kJ
Finley is the daughter of Jeff and Christine Aghassi and will be pursuing a degree in Kinesiology.
Shannon Davidson – Midfielder – Redondo Union High School – Redondo Beach, Calif.
Davidson has spent her club career with Beach FC ECNL and her play has garnered her a U17ECNL All-American spot and a place on the 2023-24 U17 All-Southwest Conference First Team. Her work helped Beach FC win the 2023-24 U17 ECNL National Title.
Shannon's ALL IN ??
— Utah Women's Soccer (@UtahWSoccer) November 14, 2024
We're so excited to have you, Shannon!!#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/bmzYH8VL3u
Shannon is the daughter of Dara and Tim Davidson and has two siblings, Marin and Kieran. Her sister, Marin, is currently a student at Utah. Her father was a student-athlete on the swimming and diving team at the University of Kansas.
Reese Kennel – Defender – Redondo Union High School – Redondo Beach, Calif.
One of Davidson's teammates on both the club and prep circuits has been Reese Kennel, who also helped Beach FC capture National and Southwest Conference Championships in 2024. She was also part of Redondo Union High School's D2 CIF-SS and Regional title winning squads and garnered recognition in the form of and All-Bay League first-team spot.
We've got another one!
— Utah Women's Soccer (@UtahWSoccer) November 14, 2024
Welcome to The Hill, Reese!#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/0JBQIO7B0r
Reese is the daughter of Matthew and Kelli Kennel and has two siblings, Madi and Riley. Madi played soccer collegiately at Northwestern, while Riley is currently on the soccer team at Loyola in Maryland. Kennel will be majoring in Business.
Eme McClenahan – Goalkeeper – Hinsdale Central High School – Clarendon Hills, Ill.
McClenahan has been distinguishing herself with her work in goal for Chicago FC, first by recording two clean sheets in three matches in 2022 to help the team reach the Girls Academy Quarterfinals. One year later, she helped her side win their group in the Champions Cup and earn a spot in the league playoffs. Her season also included a stretch of five straight games without allowing a goal.
Locked in ??
— Utah Women's Soccer (@UtahWSoccer) November 13, 2024
Can't wait to see you on the pitch, Eme! #GoUtes pic.twitter.com/G55cRh1WWU
Eme is the daughter of John McClenahan and Amy Glynn and has one sibling, Ian. Her father, John, was a track and field student-athlete at Tulane. McClenahan plans on studying Biomedical Engineering.
Julia Oka – Forward – Pearl City High School – Pearl City, Hawaii
In just one season of high school soccer, Oka climbed to the top the state leaderboard in goals and was an all-state selection for Pearl City High School. She also gained experience by playing for Leahi Soccer Club and Santa Rose United ECNL.
From one paradise to another ??
— Utah Women's Soccer (@UtahWSoccer) November 14, 2024
Welcome home, Julia!#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/NDO3qKSODY
Julia is the daughter of Maria and Grant Oka and has one sibling, Rylan. Her aunt, Hennesea, played basketball at Utah from 2006-11. Oka will be pursuing a degree in Marketing.
Eliza Smith – Forward/Midfielder – Highland High School – Salt Lake City, Utah
For Smith, her hard work on the field paid off in the form of all-state and all-region recognition and led to her being voted team captain as a junior. Smith is a two-time all-region honoree, led Highland in goals twice and ended her junior year on the 5A All-State roster. She found similar success in club competition as well, playing for an 07 Avalanche ECNL squad that won at nationals in 2024.
Eliza's already ??
— Utah Women's Soccer (@UtahWSoccer) November 13, 2024
Welcome to the U, Eliza!! #GoUtes pic.twitter.com/6IpzF4d7HC
Eliza is the daughter of Scott and Katy Smith and has three siblings, Anna, Abby and Matthew. The list of Utah alums in her family includes both her parents and all four grandparents, one of whom played basketball at the U and one her aunts was a Ute volleyball player. In her time at Utah, Smith plans on studying Business.
Mimi Yamamoto – Midfielder/Defender – Saint Francis High School – San Jose, Calif.
Yamamoto officially joins the cast at Utah after spending time on the pitch for Saint Francis High School and FC Bay Area Surf. She'll be attempting to add to a list of accomplishments that already includes helping her club team take home two NorCal Conference Championships.
Mimi's officially official ??
— Utah Women's Soccer (@UtahWSoccer) November 14, 2024
So excited to see you in Utah red, Mimi!!#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/egsjhXQYTa
Mimi is the daughter of Gen and Hana Yamamoto and has one sibling, Hinako, who competed for the cross country and track and field teams at UCSD.
"This recruiting class will add higher level of depth and competition that will help us to grow within and I can't wait to watch them compete together to achieve our future goals," said Nakada. "We took a positive step forward this past fall and I have no doubt that this is a group that will help us continue to move in the right direction. It is a great day to be a Ute!"
FOLLOW THE UTES!
Fans can follow along on social media (Twitter: @UtahWSoccer | Instagram: @UtahWSoccer | Facebook: Facebook.com/Utahwsoccer), and the official mobile app of Utah Athletics, Utah360 -- download here.
OFFICIAL MOBILE APP OF UTAH ATHLETICS – UTAH 360
The official mobile app of Utah Athletics is Utah 360. Download it today to unlock a refreshed game-day experience that offers access to news and information, schedules, rosters, stats and behind-the-scenes videos, and allows fans to buy and manage game tickets and order concessions straight from their mobile device. The app is available in both the Apple Store (download) and Google Play (download). Add it today, access your game tickets and download them to your smartphone's wallet to make yourself game-day ready!
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