SLU Women's Soccer Thread

[Lord Elrond]

46 minutes ago, Pistol said:

Is there a good WSOC portal/transfer tracker somewhere? Top Drawer Soccer has one but it's inadequate.

Not that I’ve been able to find, if you find one let me know.  May be hidden behind a paywall or something 

[OkieBilliken]

3 hours ago, Pistol said:

Is there a good WSOC portal/transfer tracker somewhere? Top Drawer Soccer has one but it's inadequate.

Not that I know of.   I don’t follow any players on twitter but I think because I follow so much SLU sports related content, sometimes players/ex players  posts show up on my For You feed.   Jordan Gary I knew right away.   The latest 2, I had no idea who they were.  

[courtside]

I don’t post portal players unless the player chooses to make his or her portal entry public. And even then, it is likely in response to someone else posting it. Many players don’t announce it: Players don’t attend schools hoping to transfer to an additional school. I’m willing to answer some questions about it. 

I do post incoming transfers each cycle. I can tell you that by Thanksgiving 961 players were in the portal, a small percentage of that is since August. More have entered since, including as recently as yesterday. There are still two weeks left this cycle to enter the portal. The Men’s cycle began a week later. 

Players may commit at any time after that. SLU had two recent commits for example, that committed in December, but they didn’t announce until May. It varies. It’s still ongoing but SLU has reached out to 22 players so far this cycle, at 7 positions.

If you want to know where a past player ended up just ask. SLU Men’s Soccer for example is playing former Billiken Jack Sullivan and Akron on Saturday. 

SLU Women and SLU Men’s Soccer actively recruit the portal each cycle. That also means a few  players leave each cycle. It’s part of today’s game. And it is much more competitive for the Women’s program having to go up against more football four programs. 

[courtside]

Friend of the (SLU) program Jim Conlon, and the Wash U Women’s Soccer team, will compete for back to back D3 National Titles this week. It would be their 3rd national title the past decade. Good luck to the Bears. 

[slufan13]

12 hours ago, Lord Elrond said:

Not that I’ve been able to find, if you find one let me know.  May be hidden behind a paywall or something 

 

9 hours ago, OkieBilliken said:

Not that I know of.   I don’t follow any players on twitter but I think because I follow so much SLU sports related content, sometimes players/ex players  posts show up on my For You feed.   Jordan Gary I knew right away.   The latest 2, I had no idea who they were.  

 

Here you guys go

 

Posting Practices

• Portal entries are only shared when the player makes the entry public.

• Many players do not announce their entry, and players generally do not attend a school expecting to transfer.

• Questions about portal activity can be answered on request.

---

Transfer Cycle Activity

• Incoming transfers are posted each cycle.

• By Thanksgiving, 961 players had entered the portal; only a small percentage entered since August.

• Additional entries have continued, including as recently as the day before the information was written.

• Two weeks remain in the current cycle, and the Men’s cycle began one week later than the Women’s.

---

Commitment Timing

• Players may commit at any point after entering the portal.

• Two SLU players committed in December last cycle but did not announce until May.

• Timing varies widely, and the current cycle is still active.

• SLU has contacted 22 players across 7 positions so far this cycle.

---

Tracking Former Players

• Information about where past players have transferred is available upon request.

• Example: SLU Men’s Soccer plays Akron on Saturday, which features former Billiken Jack Sullivan.

---

SLU’s Portal Approach

• Both SLU Men’s and Women’s Soccer actively recruit the portal every cycle.

• As a result, a few players also leave each cycle.

• The Women’s program faces increased competition due to the rise of additional football-affiliated programs.

[courtside]

Appreciate you. 

A few small errors. Two weeks remain to enter the portal. The current cycle extends well beyond that time. Also, it’s not a rise in football four programs. That isn’t anything new.

Thanks again for being a faithful reader Waterloo Marty.

[slufan13]

Summary

• Two weeks remain for players to enter the transfer portal, but the current cycle continues well beyond that window.

• There has not been an increase in “football four” programs; that aspect has not changed.

• The message expresses appreciation and thanks the reader (“Waterloo Marty”) for following along.

[courtside]

1 minute ago, slufan13 said:

Summary

• Two weeks remain for players to enter the transfer portal, but the current cycle continues well beyond that window.

• There has not been an increase in “football four” programs; that aspect has not changed.

• The message expresses appreciation and thanks the reader (“Waterloo Marty”) for following along.

Still not quite accurate about football four programs but close enough. 

[Lord Elrond]

58 minutes ago, slufan13 said:

 

 

Here you guys go

 

Posting Practices

• Portal entries are only shared when the player makes the entry public.

• Many players do not announce their entry, and players generally do not attend a school expecting to transfer.

• Questions about portal activity can be answered on request.

---

Transfer Cycle Activity

• Incoming transfers are posted each cycle.

• By Thanksgiving, 961 players had entered the portal; only a small percentage entered since August.

• Additional entries have continued, including as recently as the day before the information was written.

• Two weeks remain in the current cycle, and the Men’s cycle began one week later than the Women’s.

---

Commitment Timing

• Players may commit at any point after entering the portal.

• Two SLU players committed in December last cycle but did not announce until May.

• Timing varies widely, and the current cycle is still active.

• SLU has contacted 22 players across 7 positions so far this cycle.

---

Tracking Former Players

• Information about where past players have transferred is available upon request.

• Example: SLU Men’s Soccer plays Akron on Saturday, which features former Billiken Jack Sullivan.

---

SLU’s Portal Approach

• Both SLU Men’s and Women’s Soccer actively recruit the portal every cycle.

• As a result, a few players also leave each cycle.

• The Women’s program faces increased competition due to the rise of additional football-affiliated programs.

Women’s basketball follows the same rules, yet there is this site where all the portal activity is displayed. Usually a day or so out of date, but never more than that.  I’ve been looking for something similar for women’s soccer.  The women’s basketball site :

https://wbbblog.com/womens-basketball-transfers-d-i-2025-26/

[Pistol]

WBB Blog is good. Sometimes it takes a while before a name shows up but they're thorough.

[Lord Elrond]

11 minutes ago, Pistol said:

WBB Blog is good. Sometimes it takes a while before a name shows up but they're thorough.

That’s been my experience too, they are usually a day or two (or more) later than announcements, but they do get all the movement 

[courtside]

As of today, we have reached over 1,000 players in the portal since August 1st. 

As for seeking more portal information or having it sooner, you can always set up your own portal tracker. You could then use your relationships with coaches and school administrators to obtain some of that information. 

[courtside]

SLU is adding UMass Goalkeeper transfer, Pepper Escher, to its 2026 recruiting class.

Pepper, a Freshman, played her club soccer with FC Stars. And, she played her high school ball with Worcester Academy. She helped lead her FC Stars 06/07 ECNL team to back to back New England Conference Titles. She also helped her team to the National ECNL Playoffs Round of 16 in 2024. The New England Conference includes all of Massachusetts, Connecticut, and much of New York. 

At Worcester Academy, Pepper was named Boston Globe Prep Player of the Year, and the NEPSAC Player of the Year. She was also named All State, All New England, and United Soccer Coaches all American. 

Recently, Pepper was one of three goalkeepers, and one of 24 players that received a USYNT U20 call up in October, 2025. She was coached by USYNT U20 Goalkeeper coach Brittany Cameron, who is also an assistant at Wake Forest. 

https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2025/10/us-under-20-womens-national-team-calls-24-players-training-camp-kansas-city-mo

[slufan13]

Here is what I was told today about SLU recruiting (you could also put this in the recruiting thread). As always, i ask that you keep my inside information here and not take it public 

 

• SLU is adding UMass goalkeeper transfer Pepper Escher to its 2026 recruiting class.

• Pepper is a freshman who played club soccer for FC Stars and high school soccer at Worcester Academy.

• With FC Stars 06/07 ECNL, she helped the team win back-to-back New England Conference titles and reach the ECNL National Playoffs Round of 16 in 2024. The New England Conference covers Massachusetts, Connecticut, and much of New York.

• At Worcester Academy, she earned multiple honors:

  • Boston Globe Prep Player of the Year

  • NEPSAC Player of the Year

  • All-State, All-New England, and United Soccer Coaches All-American

• In October 2025, she received a USYNT U20 call-up as one of three goalkeepers and 24 players selected. She trained under USYNT U20 goalkeeper coach Brittany Cameron, who also serves as an assistant at Wake Forest.

[Speyburn]

17 minutes ago, courtside said:

SLU is adding UMass Goalkeeper transfer, Pepper Escher, to its 2026 recruiting class.

Pepper, a Freshman, played her club soccer with FC Stars. And, she played her high school ball with Worcester Academy. She helped lead her FC Stars 06/07 ECNL team to back to back New England Conference Titles. She also helped her team to the National ECNL Playoffs Round of 16 in 2024. The New England Conference includes all of Massachusetts, Connecticut, and much of New York. 

At Worcester Academy, Pepper was named Boston Globe Prep Player of the Year, and the NEPSAC Player of the Year. She was also named All State, All New England, and United Soccer Coaches all American. 

Recently, Pepper was one of three goalkeepers, and one of 24 players that received a USYNT U20 call up in October, 2025. She was coached by USYNT U20 Goalkeeper coach Brittany Cameron, who is also an assistant at Wake Forest. 

https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2025/10/us-under-20-womens-national-team-calls-24-players-training-camp-kansas-city-mo

She played a total of 28 minutes for UMass.

[courtside]

10 minutes ago, Speyburn said:

She played a total of 28 minutes for UMass.

And? 

SLU’s  current GK coach (Megan Link) was a recent U16 USYNT goalkeeper coach. She recruited and she coached a player (Noelle Henning) who was named  the best goalkeeper in the U20 Concacaf Championship. She also played for Canada’s U20 World Cup Team. She started for Michigan State’s Elite 8 team this year. 

Meg also recruited Kaitlyn Parks who plays for Sporting JAX in the USL Super League. Kaitlyn is a former All Big Ten Goalkeeper, who helped the Spartans to the Sweet 16. She  also was a United Soccer Coaches All American.  Kaitlyn Redshirted her Freshman year at Wake Forest. 

Lauren Kozal Redshirted her Freshman year at Michigan State. When Megan Link arrived, she helped Lauren become the two time Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year, and a two time All American. She plays professional in the Swiss Women’s Super League. 

[courtside]

Celebrating, and selling, success:

https://x.com/sluwsoccer/status/1996249967464423475?s=46

[slufan13]

The question becomes, do we need to consider moving on from Shields if we don't make the NCAA's next year?

[cheeseman]

1 minute ago, slufan13 said:

The question becomes, do we need to consider moving on from Shields if we don't make the NCAA's next year?

No

[slufan13]

Just now, cheeseman said:

No

I would say yes. The goal is to make the tournament. 

[willie]

28 minutes ago, slufan13 said:

The question becomes, do we need to consider moving on from Shields if we don't make the NCAA's next year?

This is crazy

[brianstl]

14 minutes ago, willie said:

This is crazy

Let 13 cook

[Cowboy]

37 minutes ago, willie said:

This is crazy

-way beyond crazy imo

[billikenfan05]

Nah, but like I don't want to see a regression either. 

[slufan13]

I mean once you get a taste of success you have to keep eating. Otherwise it's time to move on. She should be held to a high standard. A couple of strikeouts on recruits lately and now a missed NCAA and the question has to be asked