Women's Soccer 2022 Newcomers

Tati Fung

UC Irvine women's soccer touts a robust incoming class for the 2022 season beginning with the transfer of Tati Fung from the University of Texas.

After growing up in Hawai'i, Fung came to California at age nine and coming to Fullerton. She was the No. 9 overall player in the Top Drawer Soccer IMG Academy Top 150 national rankings and No. 4 midfielder while playing for Legends FC and attending Sunny Hills High School. Fung earned Youth Girls All-American status twice under United Soccer Coaches while also playing for the California ODP State team and one of the Best XI in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy West.

Fung also spent time with the U.S. youth national team playing with the u15, u16, and u17 squads traveling to events and playing in Germany, Belgium, Portugal, China, and Sweden.

All this led Fung to the University of Texas playing her freshman season in 2021. The 5-3 attacking midfielder started the first nine games of her career starting 10 matches overall of the 18 she played in registering a pair of assists in the nearly 1,000 minutes played.

Alyssa Wheeler

The Anteaters continue their incoming class announcements with their first of many freshman in Alyssa Wheeler.

Wheeler travels down from Northern California where she was a club soccer standout with Clovis Crossfire SC. Earlier this year, her play earned her a spot on the U.S. Youth Soccer's Olympic Development Program as the only player from California heading to Florida in her age group.

The midfielder exceled on the prep scene with Clovis North Education Center playing both soccer and badminton at the school. Her senior year she posted nearly 50 points from 11 goals and 27 assists helping the team to a 20-win season, 8-1-1 league record, and a spot in the CIF Division I playoffs.

Alena Garcia

Another Northern California addition to the program for the Anteaters is central midfielder, Alena Garcia.

The freshman joins the squad from Union City, California in the Bay Area where she starred at James Logan High School. The Colts were unbeaten at 16-0-2 with a 14-0 league record reaching the North Coast Section CIF Division I playoffs with Garcia contributing six goals and three assists. Garcia has also exceled with her club side De Anza Force 

Laurynn Ziller

Joining the keeper room with the veteran Glo Hinojosa and competition behind her in Hannah Roberts and Gabby Nelms is a talent keeper from down the road in Laurynn Ziller. The 5-7 grad of Fountain Valley High School also starred with nearby West Coast FC club team as she joins the Anteaters entering the 2022 season.

Jenika Davis

The winger from Encinitas brings a lot of skill to the Anteaters as Jenika Davis joins the program. At Canyon Crest Academy, she helped the program to a semifinal appearance in the CIF Division II Tournament after coming into it as a low seed.

Davis exceled at City SC earning praise from her director, Courtney Drummond, as a player that is an incredibly hard worker, driven, has grown in confidence, and consistently a threat to go forward.

Savanna Arruda

Savanna Arruda is the second goalkeeper in the signing class joining the program from Rancho Cucamonga after recently making the switch from field player. As a member of Los Osos High School, Arruda played three sports and exceled at soccer helping the squad to the semifinals of the CIF Division II playoffs including having to win two penalty shootouts.

Arruda notes the importance of her craft as a keeper and athletics in general, but keeps her eye on academics, maintaining her high GPA in high school, and balancing a challenge plate of the classroom and sports.

Ella Colombini

Joining the program is Ella Colombini, the first of of our set of twins being announced as her and her sister join the twin pairing of Jenae and Mihaela Perez for the Anteaters.

Colombini comes down from Northern California and Moraga, California where she helped Campolindo go 10-0 in league and earn a CIF Division III spot. In league play, the 5-2 midfielder put home six goals and two assists. She played her club soccer for California Magic where her and her sister took the Surf Cup Tournament title.

Mia Colombini

The second half of the twin duo is announced in Ella's sister, Mia Colombini. Colombini completes the second set of twins joining Jenae and Mihaela Perez who are now sophomores.

Mia's resume is similar to Ella's coming from Northern California and Moraga, California and Campolindo High School where they earned a CIF Division III spot along with playing her club soccer for California Magic. Mia holds a slight height advantage of 5-4, and goes between midfield and her forward position where she scored 21 goals over 18 matches. She scored First Team All-League and All-NCS honors in addition.

Gracie Haley

Gracie Haley joins the program from a high-profile high school program in Capistrano Valley HS. The Cougars took home the Sea View League title with an unbeaten 9-0 record and 18-2-4 overall record as they reached the Second Round of the CIF Division Playoffs. The defender doesn't have far to go from CVHS and the hometown of Mission Viejo, and she joins her brother, Jack, who also plays in the Big West as a baseball player for Cal State Fullerton.

Anika Osborne

Osborne follows Gracie Haley's addition as a pair of defenders and Slammers products. The 5-9 talent comes from Sunny Hills High School, much like another incomer - Tati Fung - where she was a legacy student following in her mother's footsteps where she was also a defender and where her brother also attended and played soccer.

Osborne and Sunny Hills ended a drought of success in 2020 with a Freeway League title going undefeated. Like many Anteaters in the program, she was drawn to UCI for reasons other than soccer.

"“UCI has been a dream school of mine ever since I was younger and just the way it leads to medical programs for other opportunities made me finalize my decision,” she said.

Mirayah Villalpando

The Anteaters welcome in a center midfielder in with Bonita-native and Mexican national Mirayah Villalpando. At Bonita Vista High School, Villalpando and the squad were 14-2-3 with an unbeaten 7-0-3 mark to earn the No. 1 seed in the CIF Open Division playoffs. She contributed four goals in 14 matches for the Barons. Villalpando is described as a gritty and fast player that was a consistent contributor at her club Rebels SC. 

Niko Hadzibabic

A unique addition to the program is attacking midfielder Niko Hadzibabic. Described as a crafty with the ball and excellent soccer awareness, Hadzibabic (had-zih-BAH-bick) honed her skills down in San Diego with Torrey Pines High School and Rebels Soccer Club.

Aislynn Crowder

A second newcomer from a Power-5 school joins the ranks in Aislynn Crowder. The midfielder has spent the past two years at UCLA, but did not see any action in 2021 when they matched up twice with the Anteaters. She played a considerable amount during her freshman season in 2020 with over 600 minutes in 14 matches that included two starts. Crowder added three assists in that freshman campaign with one coming in NCAA Tournament play helping spur a comeback in an opening-round win over Iowa.

Prior to college, Crowder spent a considerable amount of time in her home state of Hawai'i attending Mililani High School in her hometown. The 5-6 attacker was three times All-Hawai'i and was a Gatorade Player of the Year nominee her senior season. She also played club soccer for Hawai'i Rush earning Player of the Year honors in 2017 and Midfielder of the Year honors two other times.

Crowder has made a mark with the U.S. Youth National Team as well training in their camps 14 different times in every age group from under-16 to under-20.

Emilie Castagna

The final addition to the roster in this class is the lone international into the fray with Bournemouth, England-native Emilie Castagna. The 5-4 winger has spent the last seven years at the Bournemouth School for Girls playing with different clubs from Mudeford Phoenix to New Milton to ultimately Southampton FC.

At Southampton, she played in the National Reserve League and the Women's FA Cup. Her goal this May was game-winner helping the academy squad take home the Treble. She was twice league champion and State Cup winner for New Milton achieving Golden Boot honors once and averaging more than a goal and a half with the club.

For Bournemouth School, the squad excelled with five State championships twice reaching the National Schools Cup quarterfinals and three times making the State squad. Castagna was also very decorated as a cross country athlete winning a road relay title in 2016 with multiple titles and vice-titles for the school, and even added titles in cricket, rounders, and tennis.