DETROIT (11/18/2019) -- The first signing class of first-year head coach Steve Shelton got off to a quick start as the University of Detroit Mercy women's soccer team announced the signings of seven talented student-athletes.
 
Pledging their allegiance to the red, white and blue are Raegan Hammond (Brighton, Mich./Brighton), Tia Jokic (Windsor, Ont./Walkerville Collegiate), Nevada Larson (Novi, Mich./Novi), Alexis McNeil (Grosse Ile Township, Mich./Grosse Ile), Karsen Murray (Berkley, Mich./Berkley), Kailyn Robertson (Tecumseh, Ont./Tecumseh Vista Academy) and Olivia Zulewski (Marshall, Mich./Marshall). 
 
"I am very excited for this incoming class, and the future of our program," said coach Shelton. "We have known many of these young ladies for a long time and know we aren't just getting great soccer players, but are adding incredible people to our program. It was very important this year that we not only added players that fit with our style of play, but also our culture and who we want to be as a program." 
 
Raegan Hammond * MF * Brighton, Mich. * Brighton

• Did not play high school sports, only club
• Played club with the Michigan Jaguars
• Helped her team to two Michigan State Cup championships and a regional semifinals appearance

 
Coach Shelton on Hammond: "Raegan is a versatile player for us that can play in the back line or as a winger. She is very technical, very athletic  and looks to take people on 1v1 and plays great balls in from wide areas. Again, she is just another player that adds a lot to our team in the attacking side of the game."
 
Tia Jokic * F * Windsor, Ont. * Walkerville Collegiate

• Played soccer, volleyball, basketball and badminton in high school
• Named to the All Star Team for soccer in 2019
• Was First Team All Star for basketball and volleyball as well as team MVP
• Played club with the Michigan Hawks and Eastside Kickers, winning the league and Kickoff Cup with Eastside and advancing to the national playoff with the Hawks

 
Coach Shelton on Jokic: "Tia is a fast, athletic, attacking player. She is very skilled on the ball and a very smart player who loves to get forward and go at teams with speed. Tia has a great shot from distance, which is something we knew we had to add to our team this year."
 
Nevada Larson * D * Novi, Mich. * Novi

• A three-year varsity letterwinner in soccer
• Named to the KLAA All-District Team as a junior
• Helped her team to a district, regional, and state championship as a sophomore and junior
• Played club with the Michigan Jaguars and was part of two Michigan State Cup championships and a regional semifinals team

 
Coach Shelton on Larson: "Nevada is exactly what we want as a holding midfielder. Her ability to win challenges both on the ground and in the air make her very valuable to our defense. On top of that, she doesn't just break up plays, she has the ability to be calm under pressure and connect passes to start the offense. She has great vision on the field and another kid that can be dangerous from distance."    
 
Alexis McNeil * F * Grosse Ile Township, Mich. * Grosse Ile

• Earned a varsity letter in all four seasons
• An All-Region, All-State and All-League honoree as a 2018
• Has scored 38 career goals    
• Played club with the Downriver Rush and was part of a Premier 1 League title, a state finals runner-up effort and two semifinals appearance

 
Coach Shelton on McNeil: "Lexie is one of the hardest workers I have seen. We want our program to have a pressing mentality, and a relentless work ethic, and I think she embodies all of these. She is also a very fast and athletic forward that will give teams a lot to deal with defensively, and comes from one of the best high schools in the state of Michigan."
 
Karsen Murray * MF/F * Berkley, Mich. * Berkley

• A three-year varsity letterwinner
• Tabbed Third Team All-State as a junior and Honorable Mention All-State as a sophomore
• Twice selected All-Region and helped her team to a district title as a junior
• Posted 18 goals and nine assists year and has 47 goals and 22 assists in three seasons
• Played club with SOCS and LFC

 
Coach Shelton on Murray: "Karsen is a very smart, very skilled attacking players. What impresses me most about Karsen is her ability to turn players in the midfield and get away from pressure with a lot of speed. She is another center midfielder for us that can shoot from distance and will make us very dangerous in the midfield."
 
Kailyn Robertson * F * Tecumseh, Ont. * Tecumseh Vista Academy

• Lettered in soccer, volleyball, track and field, tennis and ultimate frisbee
• Twice selected First Team All-City and All Star for soccer in 2018 and 2019
• Helped her team to three-straight regional finalist appearances 
• Was the team's MVP in 2019 and the Super Y league leading scorer in 2017
• Has recorded a school-record 39 goals with 18 in 2018 and 21 in 2019
• Played club with the Nationals Canada and Eastside Kickers and was part of an Ontario Sup semifinals runs this summer and a Michigan State Cup semifinals place in 2016         

 
Coach Shelton on Robertson: "Kailyn is one of those kids that is just a goal scorer. She will fit in with our fast attacking, relentless group, and just finds a way to put the ball in the back of the net. She will add that goal scoring element that we missed this year."
 
Olivia Zulewski * D * Marshall, Mich. * Marshall

• Earned varsity letterwinners in soccer, basketball and cross country
• Selected All-State, All-Region and All-District as a freshman, sophomore and junior
• Part of three league and district championship teams as well as a regional title squad as a junior, the first Marshall team to win a regional crown
• Holds the school record for assists
• Played club with Kingdom Soccer and the Marshall Soccer Club, helping the teams to a state championship in 2018 and semifinal runs in 2017 and 2019         

 
Coach Shelton on Zulewski: "Olivia is a solid defensive player that will add another element to our backline. She brings tremendous speed coming out of the back and has the ability to make plays up the field. Olivia will allow us to get more players forward and make us much harder to defend."
 
"Overall, on the field, we knew we needed to add a lot of speed, athleticism and players with an attacking mind set," said coach Shelton. "I think you will see a pattern in this group of players and see how we desire our teams to play. I can't be more proud of my staff and the work they put in to get this group in such a short period of time and really can't describe how excited I am for the future of our program."