HAMMOND, La. – Southeastern Louisiana women's soccer head coach Christopher McBride's and assistant coach Mary Mancin's travels this recruiting period took them down the street in Hammond and all the way to Georgia and California.

    Their travels paid off this week as McBride announced the signing of nine student-athletes for 2018.

    Southeastern picked up three signees from the state of Louisiana in defenders Mia Milton (Hammond) and Lindsey Reaux (Lafayette) and forward Brogan Bernadas (Covington). Coming in from out of state are a pair of midfielders from Mississippi in Aubree Dillon (Madison) and Darby Gillette (Meridian); midfielder Dalton Fish (Pflugerville, Texas); forward Sage Sammeli (Kathleen, Georgia); defender Claire Huston (Aurora, Colorado); and forward Chloe Gallo (Del Mar, California).

    "We have recruited a very diverse class," said McBride, who is entering his second year at Southeastern. "We have players coming from California, Colorado, Georgia, Mississippi, Texas and Louisiana. This group will bring a lot of athleticism, intelligence and competitive spirit. We feel everyone coming in add to our squad. The depth we will have next year will allow everyone to compete and push each other to be better every day. We are extremely excited about the class and our season next fall."

    Southeastern is looking to fill five spots from the 2017 team that finished 5-10-3 overall and 3-6-2 in the Southland Conference.

    Milton played just down the road from Southeastern at St. Thomas Aquinas High School where she earned Division II/III first-team all-freshman her first season and second-team all-district honors as a sophomore. She also competes for the Lady Falcons' basketball and tennis teams. She also played for the Mandeville Soccer Club, helping the squad capture state titles in 2013, '15 and '17 and reaching the regional semifinals in 2017.

    "Mia's game understanding is of the highest level," McBride said. "She very rarely gives the ball away and has a great understanding of how to move the ball on the field. Most importantly, Mia is a competitor in everything she does."

    Bernandas received freshman All-State and all-district honors at St. Scholastica Academy. She was also a Mandeville Soccer Club member and was on teams that won three state championships and a Gulf South Premier League title and made three appearances in the U.S. regional quarterfinals and one in the regional semifinals.

    "Brogan is as physical and athletic as players come," McBride said. "She has the ability to use both feet and is very confident running at defenders creating goal-scoring opportunities."

    Reaux earned first-team All-State and all-district honors in 2017 and second-team all-district recognition for St. Thomas More High School. She captained the team for two years and also earned the Academic Excellence Award and was a member of the FCA for four years. She was also a member of the Cajun Soccer Club.

    "Lindsey is a very athletic defender," McBride said. "It's difficult for players to beat her one on one, which is key as a defender. She is very vocal and is a good leader on and off the field."

    Dillon made Mississippi Association of Independent Schools First-Team All-Conference and was a MAIS All-Star at Madison-Ridgeland Academy. She was the captain of the team and helped the team advance to the state championship four times, winning it in 2012. She also lettered four years in track and two in basketball.

    Dillon was a member of the Mississippi Rush squad that won the U.S. Club Region III championships in 2013, '14 and '15 and the U.S. Youth Soccer state championship in 2014, '15 and '16. In addition, she was selected to the Region III '00 ODP Player Pool.

    "Aubree is a person of great character and value," McBride said of Dillon, who also did volunteer work for the Mustard Seed Foundation and soccer camp mission work in Canada. "Her character definitely shows on the field, her work ethic is tremendous, and the runs in behind oppositions back line from deep will be a great addition for us."

    Gillette also played in the MAIS at Lamar High School where she helped the team win the MAIS Division II championship in 2015, '16 and '17. She was named the Best Midfielder in 2015, the MVP in 2016 and was selected to the all-district team in 2017. She was also named to the MAIS All-Star team where she earned MVP honors. She also played for Gulf Coast United.

    "Darby is a very smart soccer player," McBride said. "She has a great range of passing which will be a great addition for us in midfield. She is very competitive and will have a great influence on her teammates."

    Fish is out of Hendrickson High School which won the Class 6A Texas State Championship in 2017. She was named honorable mention all-district that year and has also received UIL Academic All-District honors. She is also a member of the Sting Austin ECNL and was named the Austin Texans Soccer Club Premier Team MVP in 2015. She is a member of the National Honor Society, the FCA and Rotary Interact Club and does volunteer work with Well Aware, the Special Olympics and The Big Event.

    "Dalton is a fearless competitor," McBride said. "Defensively, she challenges for every ball, is strong in a tackle and is very hard to beat one on one. She is also very comfortable on the ball and will do a great job of building attacks for us.

    Sammeli, currently playing for Veterans High School, received the 2015 Rapid City Stevens High School "Best Offensive Player" award and was named 2017 5A State All-Star Game honorable mention. She is a member of Concorde Fire ECNL and has competed in two national ECNL events. She was also selected for the 2014 USA Women's National Team Camp.

    "Sage has had experience playing in England, Portugal, and Japan," McBride said. "She has a great passion for soccer and her intelligence shows on the soccer field. She has many components to her game which is hard for any defender to defend her."

    Huston was a four-year varsity starter at Cherokee Trail High School and a member of the Colorado Storm ECNL for five years. She has helped her team win the Colorado State Cup Championship and the NPL National Cup title and is a two-time defensive player of the year. He has done volunteer work at a local food bank and as a soccer camp instructor in Colorado and England.

    "Claire is an extremely smart soccer player and student athlete," McBride said. "Her understanding of the game will be great for the team, as well as her strength in one on one battles and composure on the ball."

    Gallo earned Most Outstanding Offensive Player and the Coach's Award at Torrey Pines High School where she is also a member of the track and volleyball teams. She also played for San Diego Surf ECNL.

    "Chloe has a great understanding of how we want to play here," McBride said. "She fits what we are looking for in a forward in her ability to create space, get in behind the opposition, and hold the ball up; she will be a great addition to the team."
 
Southeastern 2018 Women's Soccer Signees
Name – Position – Hometown – Previous School/Team
Brogan Bernadas – F – Covington, La. – St. Scholastica Academy
Aubree Dillon – MF – Madison, Miss. – Madison-Ridgeland Academy
Dalton Fish – MF – Pflugerville, Texas – Hendrickson HS
Chloe Gallo – F – Del Mar, Calif. – Torrey Pines HS
Darby Gillette – MF – Meridian, Miss. – Lamar School
Claire Huston – D – Aurora, Colo. – Cherokee Trail HS
Mia Milton – D – Hammond, La. – St. Thomas Aquinas HS
Lindsey Reaux – D – Lafayette, La. – St. Thomas More HS
Sage Sammeli – F – Kathleen, Ga. – Veterans HS