2026 Women's Soccer Signing Class
June 01, 2026 | Women's Soccer
IRVINE, Calif. --- UC Irvine women's soccer's signing class for the 2026 season features 17 newcomers including three Power 4 transfers and a pair of duos from Washington and Nevada.
Allison Rabe | Defender - "Allie is another hybrid player who can play a number of roles. In the back, she can impact centrally or on the left. Allie can also impact the game in the forward line. Regardless of where she plays Ali has an opportunity to make an impact on day one." - head coach Scott Juniper
Avery Gleason | Goalkeeper - "Avery is a very accomplished goalkeeper. She has great hands, distributes the ball really well,and communicates really well with her back line. We have a rich tradition of goalkeeping at UCI and with Wendy directing the goalkeeper strategy, Avery is perfectly placed to grow fast." - head coach Scott Juniper
Caimbria LawsonKitchen | Defender - "Cam is a left back who has huge potential. She is very quick which makes her very tough to beat out wide. She is calm, composed and effective distributing the ball and connecting the game forwards. We are really happy to be adding Cam to the Anteater family." - head coach Scott Juniper
Elizabeth Hayes | Forward - ""B" is a wide player who loves to run at defenders. She loves to take chances and that's a quality you need to do well in our system of play. She is quick, unpredictable and can attack the end-line or the inside channel equally well." - head coach Scott Juniper
Ella Brinkerhoff | Forward - "Ella has excellent soccer DNA! Ella is an exciting prospect with bags of athleticism and a huge upside. We have developed a few players in the past with a very similar physical profile who have gone onto the pros so we can't wait to start work with Ella." - head coach Scott Juniper
Iriana Griffin | Forward/Midfielder - "Iri is a natural left winger who has the right balance of attacking bravery and defensive relentlessness. She will add a real spark to our game and will have no problem fitting into our system on both wings and both sides of the ball." - head coach Scott Juniper
Isabella Meric | Forward/Midfielder - "Bella has a ton of international experience with the Armenian National Team which will help her transition to college. She loves to have the ball at her feet and connects the game really well with a lot of soccer IQ." - head coach Scott Juniper
Keira Baranski | Midfielder - "Keira has been on the radar for a long time. Calm and composed on the ball, super smart in her decision making and can impact the game as a center back or in the midfield." - head coach Scott Juniper
Lianna Tsabur | Forward - "Lianna has scored a lot of goals and that is a quality we love to add to the squad. She is quick, brave, and extremely determined. Once she works up to the speed of play at the college level, our Anteater fans will love watching Lianna play." - head coach Scott Juniper
Mattie Gillaspy | Defender - "Mattie is a tough defender who can play anywhere across the back line. She is strong in the air and tough in the tackle. Mattie is smart with the ball and has an excellent range of passing." - head coach Scott Juniper
Mimi Dominguez | Midfielder - "Mimi made an impact in our conference as a freshman before heading onto an adventure at Kentucky. We couldn't be happier that she has decided to come home and choose UCI. Mimi can play in any attacking position but could see early action at the number 9 spot. She is strong, excellent at holding the ball up and has explosive pace when she has space to run at defenders. We will give her the freedom to play her personality, and we have the players around her to create a lot of problems in the attacking third." - head coach Scott Juniper
Mimi Yamamoto | Midfielder/Defender - "Mimi will bring an ability to play anywhere in the middle of the pitch. She can connect the game in front of the back four, play in and out of tight spaces and will help us progress the ball through the zones. We are so happy she chose UCI and I am looking forward to getting her on the field with her new teammates as soon as possible. Our team really enjoyed spending time with her on her visit and her transition into the squad will benefit from that early connection." - head coach Scott Juniper
Olivia Stark | Midfielder - "Starky is equally comfortable in the front line, centrally or wide,and also in an attacking midfield spot. She is dangerous with both feet and strikes a ball really well inside and outside the 18. We have a lot of attacking talent and Starky will help to knit those pieces together." - head coach Scott Juniper
Oona Hartman | Defender/Midfielder - "We are really excited to welcome Oona to the Anteater Soccer family. She is a player who will bring a spark to our attacking play and plenty of grit to win the ball back," touted head coach Scott Juniper. "We graduate a lot of attacking talent so Oona will help us replace that. We can't wait to start working with Oona." - head coach Scott Juniper
Samara Maldonado | Defender - "Samara can play anywhere. She is a really well-rounded soccer player who is good in and out of possession. Her work rate is second to none and we think she has the chance to grow into a high impact player for us." - head coach Scott Juniper
Sara Paul | Goalkeeper - "Coach Wendy circled Sara on the recruiting board after doing a lot of research. We look closely at all the goalkeeper specific pieces of the puzzle but also the personality and character pieces in a big way. Sara was clearly someone who could not just fit into our team culture but help to grow it. She is excited to get the gloves on and get to work." - Head Coach Scott Juniper
Taylor Esparza | Forward/Midfielder - "One of my favorite quotes is 'If you're afraid to fail, you'll never succeed', and here at UCI, they embody that growth mindset. What drew me to UCI was their unapologetic competitive environment and their seamless integration of all their staff and facilities. It is one big family and I am so proud to be apart of that."
| Student-Athlete | Year | Position | Hometown | Previous School(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allison Rabe | Fr. | DEF | Las Vegas, Nev. | Faith Lutheran HS |
| Avery Gleason | Fr. | GK | Oakdale, Calif. | Oakdale HS |
| Caimbria LawsonKitchen | Fr. | DEF | Oak Hills, Calif. | Oak Hills HS |
| Elizabeth Hayes | Fr. | FWD | Gig Harbor, Wash. | Gig Harbor HS |
| Ella Brinkerhoff | Fr. | FWD | Mission Viejo, Calif. | Capistrano Valley HS |
| Iriana Griffin | Fr. | F/M | Chula Vista, Calif. | Mater Dei Catholic HS |
| Isabella Meric | Fr. | F/M | Benicia, Calif. | Benicia HS |
| Keira Baranski | Fr. | MID | Chula Vista, Calif. | Mater Dei Catholic HS |
| Lianna Tsabur | Fr. | FWD | Apple Valley, Calif. | Granite Hills HS |
| Mattie Gillaspy | Fr. | DEF | Lake Tapps, Wash. | Sumner HS |
| Mimi Dominguez | Jr. | MID | Covina, Calif. | Bishop Amat HS | Kentucky |
| Mimi Yamamoto | So. | M/D | San Jose, Calif. | Saint Francis HS | Utah |
| Olivia Stark | Fr. | MID | Las Vegas, Nev. | Faith Lutheran HS |
| Oona Hartman | Jr. | D/M | Los Angeles, Calif. | Marlborough HS | Arizona State |
| Samara Maldonado | Fr. | DEF | Chula Vista, Calif. | Eastlake HS |
| Sara Paul | Gr. | GK | Woodland Hills, Calif. | El Camino Real Charter HS | Cal State Bakersfield |
| Taylor Esparza | Fr. | F/M | Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. | Los Osos HS |
Allison Rabe | Defender - "Allie is another hybrid player who can play a number of roles. In the back, she can impact centrally or on the left. Allie can also impact the game in the forward line. Regardless of where she plays Ali has an opportunity to make an impact on day one." - head coach Scott Juniper
Avery Gleason | Goalkeeper - "Avery is a very accomplished goalkeeper. She has great hands, distributes the ball really well,and communicates really well with her back line. We have a rich tradition of goalkeeping at UCI and with Wendy directing the goalkeeper strategy, Avery is perfectly placed to grow fast." - head coach Scott Juniper
Caimbria LawsonKitchen | Defender - "Cam is a left back who has huge potential. She is very quick which makes her very tough to beat out wide. She is calm, composed and effective distributing the ball and connecting the game forwards. We are really happy to be adding Cam to the Anteater family." - head coach Scott Juniper
Elizabeth Hayes | Forward - ""B" is a wide player who loves to run at defenders. She loves to take chances and that's a quality you need to do well in our system of play. She is quick, unpredictable and can attack the end-line or the inside channel equally well." - head coach Scott Juniper
Ella Brinkerhoff | Forward - "Ella has excellent soccer DNA! Ella is an exciting prospect with bags of athleticism and a huge upside. We have developed a few players in the past with a very similar physical profile who have gone onto the pros so we can't wait to start work with Ella." - head coach Scott Juniper
Iriana Griffin | Forward/Midfielder - "Iri is a natural left winger who has the right balance of attacking bravery and defensive relentlessness. She will add a real spark to our game and will have no problem fitting into our system on both wings and both sides of the ball." - head coach Scott Juniper
Isabella Meric | Forward/Midfielder - "Bella has a ton of international experience with the Armenian National Team which will help her transition to college. She loves to have the ball at her feet and connects the game really well with a lot of soccer IQ." - head coach Scott Juniper
Keira Baranski | Midfielder - "Keira has been on the radar for a long time. Calm and composed on the ball, super smart in her decision making and can impact the game as a center back or in the midfield." - head coach Scott Juniper
Lianna Tsabur | Forward - "Lianna has scored a lot of goals and that is a quality we love to add to the squad. She is quick, brave, and extremely determined. Once she works up to the speed of play at the college level, our Anteater fans will love watching Lianna play." - head coach Scott Juniper
Mattie Gillaspy | Defender - "Mattie is a tough defender who can play anywhere across the back line. She is strong in the air and tough in the tackle. Mattie is smart with the ball and has an excellent range of passing." - head coach Scott Juniper
Mimi Dominguez | Midfielder - "Mimi made an impact in our conference as a freshman before heading onto an adventure at Kentucky. We couldn't be happier that she has decided to come home and choose UCI. Mimi can play in any attacking position but could see early action at the number 9 spot. She is strong, excellent at holding the ball up and has explosive pace when she has space to run at defenders. We will give her the freedom to play her personality, and we have the players around her to create a lot of problems in the attacking third." - head coach Scott Juniper
Mimi Yamamoto | Midfielder/Defender - "Mimi will bring an ability to play anywhere in the middle of the pitch. She can connect the game in front of the back four, play in and out of tight spaces and will help us progress the ball through the zones. We are so happy she chose UCI and I am looking forward to getting her on the field with her new teammates as soon as possible. Our team really enjoyed spending time with her on her visit and her transition into the squad will benefit from that early connection." - head coach Scott Juniper
Olivia Stark | Midfielder - "Starky is equally comfortable in the front line, centrally or wide,and also in an attacking midfield spot. She is dangerous with both feet and strikes a ball really well inside and outside the 18. We have a lot of attacking talent and Starky will help to knit those pieces together." - head coach Scott Juniper
Oona Hartman | Defender/Midfielder - "We are really excited to welcome Oona to the Anteater Soccer family. She is a player who will bring a spark to our attacking play and plenty of grit to win the ball back," touted head coach Scott Juniper. "We graduate a lot of attacking talent so Oona will help us replace that. We can't wait to start working with Oona." - head coach Scott Juniper
Samara Maldonado | Defender - "Samara can play anywhere. She is a really well-rounded soccer player who is good in and out of possession. Her work rate is second to none and we think she has the chance to grow into a high impact player for us." - head coach Scott Juniper
Sara Paul | Goalkeeper - "Coach Wendy circled Sara on the recruiting board after doing a lot of research. We look closely at all the goalkeeper specific pieces of the puzzle but also the personality and character pieces in a big way. Sara was clearly someone who could not just fit into our team culture but help to grow it. She is excited to get the gloves on and get to work." - Head Coach Scott Juniper
Taylor Esparza | Forward/Midfielder - "One of my favorite quotes is 'If you're afraid to fail, you'll never succeed', and here at UCI, they embody that growth mindset. What drew me to UCI was their unapologetic competitive environment and their seamless integration of all their staff and facilities. It is one big family and I am so proud to be apart of that."
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Soccer
GK
/ Women's Soccer
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