IRVINE, Calif. --- UC Irvine's women's soccer squad continues to grow with the introduction of all-around talent Destinee Manzo to the crew.

Manzo [MON-zoh] is ready to get back on to the field just recently being cleared to play missing two years due to injury keeping her from the playing field. The 5-3 winger attended Mater Dei High School, but played all of her soccer for Slammers FC and the Slammers LAFC Academy where she helped propel the club to a pair of national titles and a Bronze medal of the under-17 squad

"I've known coach Juniper since I was in clubs going to UCI camps he held here. I was looking into coming to UC Irvine early on, but the challenge that Portland presented was hard to pass up."

Manzo joined the squad for the Pilots in 2018 still working to return to form and join the her teammates. She was unable to compete during the season using a redshirt season as she continued her road back.

"My injuries at the end of my club days played a factor. It was difficult to leave the trainers I was working with to rehab and get back to full strength, and that was a large reason for returning to Southern California to get healthy make an impact on the field for a program like UCI."

The Santa Ana native will try to compete with the Anteaters in the upcoming 2019 season just up the road from her hometown. She brings a lot of ODP experience having won a pair of Region IV titles for the Cal South program and participating with multiple U.S. Soccer Training Centers for parts of three years along with an ID camp in 2014

"Destinee is a very accomplished technician with an excellent range of passing," lauded head coach Scott Juniper. "She is smart with the ball, composed in tight areas, and will definitely make a quick transition into the tempo of our young team. She could play anywhere in the midfield or possibly as an outside back. I've known Destinee for a long time and we are thrilled that she has decided to become a part of the Anteater family."

Manzo's heritage is a unique one as well brandishing dual citizenship between the United States and Mexico. She joined the Olimpiada Nacional in Mexico in 2014 and 2015 earning a Gold and Bronze for Instituto de Los Mexicanos en El Exterior as a competitor.

The Anteaters midfield is ripe with talent building on the talents of Shelby Lee, Alex Karlowitsch, and Elizabeth Hutchison who have graduated on to the next level, but a wealth of skill and drive remain with the likes of Jessica Miclat, Amber Huff, and McKenzie Madison patrolling the midfield for the Anteater squad looking to return to the Big West Tournament and beyond for a third straight year.