CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois soccer head coach Janet Rayfield announced today the additions of Mia Gildea, Ava LeGault, AJ Mayock, Claire Murray, Peyton Rhodes, Lauren Seppi, Emma Yee and Bella Zanoni to the Fighting Illini roster for the 2024 season.
"This class is a diverse group of winners," Rayfield said. "They come from winning programs, they are driven to win and they are coming to Illinois to help us win. They each have special talents and unique strengths to bring to the field and their collective competitive mentality will help us enter the new Big Ten conference poised to compete and expecting to win."
"As you can see from all their comments on why they chose Illinois they will also be great members of our academic community and are excited to join the family environment of our program and our athletic department."
MIA GILDEA | DEFENDER | FRISCO, TEXAS | CENTENNIAL HIGH SCHOOL | FC DALLAS
ABOUT GILDEA
- FC Dallas Captain (2016-2023)
- 2022 ECNL 1st Team All-Conference
- 2022 Top Drawer Best XI - ECNL National Playoffs
- 2021 and 2022 ECNL 1st Team All TX Conference
WHY ILLINOIS: "I chose the University of Illinois because I wanted a place that would challenge me both academically and athletically as a student-athlete. I knew that this was the place for me as soon as I stepped foot on campus and got a feel for the competitive environment. I loved the coaching staff and culture that they have created through their players and I cannot wait to be an Illini."
RAYFIELD'S TAKE: "Mia is a hard-nosed, do whatever it takes defender who defines every day the "fight" we value as a team. Mia is a goalkeeper's best friend because she takes it personally to not allow an attacker to even get a shot off. Her competitive fire on the field matches the tone and mindset we want in our backline."
AVA LEGAULT | MIDFIELDER | GLEN ALLEN, VA. | DEEP RUN HIGH SCHOOL | RICHMOND UNITED
ABOUT LEGAULT
- Two-time VHSL Class 5 First Team All-Region.
- 2023 first team all-region, second team all-metro, second team all-state
- Tallied eight goals and 18 assists her junior season in 2023
- Top Drawer Soccer Club Standout Sept. 9-10, 2023.
WHY ILLINOIS: "I choose Illinois because of the positive team culture, competitive Big 10 environment and excellent coaching and support staff. Not only that but walking on campus it immediately felt like home. Academics are also important to me, which is another reason Illinois was the perfect fit to fulfill both my athletic and academic goals!"
RAYFIELD'S TAKE: "Ava's accolades and statistics show that she is a creator and a playmaker. Whether she is shooting or giving the ball to a teammate in a position to score, Ava has the creativity and ability to create opportunities and help her team score goals and win games."
AJ MAYOCK | MIDFIELDER | ROUND ROCK, TEXAS | ROUND ROCK HIGH SCHOOL | LONESTAR SOCCER CLUB
ABOUT MAYOCK
- 2023 District 25 6A MVP.
- Three-time first team all-district (2021, '22, '23).
- 2023 Austin American-Statesmen First Team All-Central Texas.
- 2021 Austin American-Statesmen Newcomer of the Year.
WHY ILLINOIS: "The great education, the family-like atmosphere, and the opportunity to make a difference."
RAYFIELD'S TAKE: "I would call AJ an enforcer. Like Mia [Gildea] she is a fighter, a ball winner and a physical presence in the midfield. AJ will bring a physicality to the game and willingly do the gritty, tenacious, unheralded work in the midfield. She compliments our creative playmakers in a way that can help us create an incredible, complete midfield unit."
CLAIRE MURRAY | FORWARD | HINGHAM, MASS. | HINGHAM HIGH SCHOOL | SOUTH SHORE SELECT
ABOUT MURRAY
- Two-time all-state selection (2022, '23); Two-time All-New England (2022, '23); Four-time Patriot League All-Star (2020, '21, '22, '23).
- Four-time Eastern Mass First-Team selection (2020, '21, '22, '23).
- Has tallied 54 goals and 19 assists in her high school career.
- 2022 Division I State Champion.
WHY ILLINOIS: "As soon as I stepped foot on campus I could tell that the University of Illinois was for me. During my visit here last September, the environment that was created by the women's soccer team, as well as the student body, was enticing to me; they all seemed to be learning how to become a better version of themselves while enjoying their time being spent here. My final decision of attending Illinois was based upon those observations because I highly value a family dynamic within the team and having peers that strive to succeed."
RAYFIELD'S TAKE: "Claire is a proven goal scorer. She has the ability to score in a variety of ways; She is a threat from distance, capable of scoring with her head and lethal inside the box. As she adapts to the speed of the college game, Claire will give us a much-needed threat in the final third."
PEYTON RHODES | GOALKEEPER | SNELLVILLE, GA. | BROOKWOOD HIGH SCHOOL | GWINNETT SOCCER ACADEMY
ABOUT RHODES
- Three-time first team all-region (2021, '22, '23); Two-time all-county first-team (2022, '23).
- 2023 Gwinnett County Super Six selection.
- 2023 Goalkeeper of the Year.
- Posted 12 shutouts in 2023.
WHY ILLINOIS: "I chose Illinois because I felt safe and welcomed on my first visit. The college town vibe felt perfect for the kind of style of life I prefer. The girls on the soccer team showed so much respect for each other and talked about how much they loved the coaching staff I also got the same feeling from the coaching staff; everything at Illinois is so genuine. It's somewhere, where I can see myself working hard and being able to better myself."
RAYFIELD'S TAKE: "We are excited about the addition of Peyton to our goalkeeping group. She has great shot stopping ability, is confident and aggressive off her line and brings a great attitude and desire to grow, improve and challenge herself day in and day out. Her mentality and presence will help strengthen and push our group to grow and compete at a high level every day."
LAUREN SEPPI | DEFENDER | ST. LOUIS, MO. | NERINX HALL | ST. LOUIS SCOTT GALLAGHER
ABOUT SEPPI
- 2022 U16 and 2023 U17 ECNL National Champion.
- 2019, 2022, 2023 ECNL Midwest Conference Champions.
- 2021, 2022, 2023 Missouri Class 4 State Finalist.
- Led her high school team in goals (12) as a freshman in 2021.
WHY ILLINOIS: "I chose Illinois because the minute I stepped on campus it felt like home. I am so excited about the opportunity to continue growing as a player and I know the academics at Illinois will prepare me for life after soccer. I made an immediate connection with the coaches and are so thankful for them for believing in me. I can't wait to be a part of the Illini family."
RAYFIELD'S TAKE: "Lauren has been a part of one of the best youth teams in the country. Her ability to attack and defend, her pace and her left foot dominance makes her a valuable and versatile asset for this team and for the future of this program. Lauren is also a natural leader who makes a team better with her positivity, discipline and drive to get better every day."
EMMA YEE | FORWARD | RICHMOND, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA | BURNABY CENTRAL SECONDARY SCHOOL | VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC
ABOUT YEE
- 2023 & 2022 League 1 BC Champion
- 2023 League 1 Canada Inter-Provincal Champion
- 2023 FIFA Blue Stars Youth Cup Champion
- 2023 Vancouver Whitecaps FC Student-Athlete of the Year.
- Played in the 2022 Canada Summer Games.
- Played with current Illini defender Mya Archibald at Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
WHY ILLINOIS: "The University of Illinois was exactly what I was looking for both academically and athletically. They have a top-ranked engineering program with great resources for academic success. Athletically, the Illinois women's soccer team is such a great and competitive environment with amazing staff and top level competition which is everything I could ask for."
RAYFIELD'S TAKE: "Emma brings a special creativity on the ball to compliment her athletic ability and versatility. She creates in 1v1 situations, can solve tight pressure with her touch and deception and will also get stuck in and win a ball. Like fellow teammate, Mya Archibald, Emma brings high level experience to immediately compete to get on the field and make a difference."
BELLA ZANONI | DEFENDER | DALLAS, TEXAS | URSULINE ACADEMY OF DALLAS | SOLAR SOCCER CLUB
ABOUT ZANONI
- Two-time all-state honoree (2022 first team, 2021 second team); three-time all-district honoree (2022, '21 first team, 2020 second team)
- 2022 first team all-state selection; 2022 all-tournament team.
- Two-time state champion (2021, '23).
- ECNL Texas Conference Champions (2020-21, 2021-22).
WHY ILLINOIS: "There is a great balance between academic and athletic values. The team is family oriented but competitive, the choice was easy for me."
RAYFIELD'S TAKE: "Another member of a consistent, winning, youth team, Bella competes to win in every situation. Her effective, feisty, relentless 1v1 defending, especially in open spaces on the flank, defy her size. Bella doesn't back down from a challenge and will issue her own form of challenge when she gets forward into the attack."
