ST. LOUIS -- Saint Louis head women's soccer coach Katie Shields has announced the addition of eight student-athletes to the Billikens' program. All eight players will have four years of eligibility beginning next fall.
 
"We are excited to officially welcome our 2020 recruiting class into the Billiken family," Shields said. "Assistant coaches Chris Allen and Haylye Markway were instrumental in the recruiting of these outstanding student-athletes.
 
"These eight individuals will combine to be one of the most talented and deepest recruiting classes we have put together, adding to our talented returning roster on the field and furthering our championship culture off the field," Shields said. "They will be instrumental in helping our program continue to win Atlantic 10 championships and advance in the NCAA Tournament."
 
The new Billikens are:
Gracie English • F • Belleville, Ill. (Belleville East H.S. | St. Louis Scott Gallagher MO ECNL)
Jenna Faybrick • M • Plymouth, Mich. (Salem H.S. | Michigan Hawks ECNL)
Lyndsey Heckel • D • St. Louis, Mo. (Nerinx Hall H.S. | Lou Fusz United)
Caroline Kelly • F • Kearney, Mo. (Kearney H.S. | KC Athletics ECNL)
Hannah Larson • M • Columbia, Mo. (Hickman H.S. | St. Louis Scott Gallagher MO ECNL)
Jessica Preusser • M • St. Louis, Mo. (Nerinx Hall H.S. | Lou Fusz United)
Emily Puricelli • G • St. Louis, Mo. (St. Joseph's Academy | St. Louis Scott Gallagher MO ECNL)
Sophia Stram • D • Kansas City, Mo. (Bishop Miege H.S. | KC Athletics ECNL)
 
Gracie English • F • Belleville, Ill. (Belleville East H.S. | St. Louis Scott Gallagher MO ECNL)
First-team All-Conference, All-Sectional, Most Valuable Player, Offensive Player of the Year and Academic All-Conference as a junior … McDonald's Soccer Student-Athlete of the Week … STLHighSchoolSports Player of the Week … member of the St. Louis Scott Gallagher 02 team that reached the 2018-19 playoff quarterfinals … honor roll student every year … member of social studies and science honor societies.
 
Shields on English: "Gracie is a local product out of the St. Louis Scott Gallagher youth club. Her combination of tactical and technical sophistication will thrive within our attacking group. She is outstanding in combination play and has tremendous potential to develop into a dynamic forward in our program."
 
Jenna Faybrick • M • Plymouth, Mich. (Salem H.S. | Michigan Hawks ECNL)
Has played for the Michigan Hawks since 2011 … two-time ODP Region II Camp … 2016 ODP National Training Camp … member of two state championship teams … team reached the 2016 ECNL Region ll Championship … named to TopDrawerSoccer's ECNL Playoffs Best 11 and made the Day 2 Fireworks in 2017, when the team finished third in the finals … ECNL Champions League Best of the Semis and Final Review on TDS.  
 
Shields on Faybrick: "Jenna has enjoyed considerable success with her club team, the Michigan Hawks. She is a technically and tactically sophisticated midfielder who makes the game go for her team. She is a clever passer and playmaker who can set play for us at a high level. We are thrilled to welcome Jenna to the Billiken family."
 
Lyndsey Heckel • D • St. Louis, Mo. (Nerinx Hall H.S. | Lou Fusz United)
Will earn her fourth varsity letter in the spring … as a junior, was Class 4 All-State, region co-Offensive Player of the Year, first-team All-Metro, first-team All-Conference and Nerinx Hall's Most Valuable Offensive Player, leading the team with 17 goals and 17 assists … Nerinx Hall placed second in the state in 2019, its best finish in 25 years … made the All-Conference second team as a sophomore … played on the 2019 State Cup champion … also a four-year letter winner in basketball who helped Nerinx Hall win its first district title in more than a decade … enrolled in honors classes … National Honor Society member and Nerinx Hall Ambassador.
 
Shields on Heckel: "Lyndsey is one of the best athletes and competitors in the St. Louis area. Whether on the basketball court or the soccer field, she finds ways to win. She is dangerous on set pieces, can play a variety of positions, and will be a threat wherever she plays. We are thrilled to welcome another outstanding Lou Fusz product and Nerinx Hall alumna."
 
Caroline Kelly • F • Kearney, Mo. (Kearney H.S. | KC Athletics ECNL)
All-State first team as a sophomore and junior, honorable mention as a freshman … three-time All-District and All-Conference first teams … Class 3 Offensive Player of the Year, Region Player of the Year and United Soccer Coaches All-Central as a junior … Region Offensive Player of the Year as a sophomore, All-Region as a junior … member of a club team that won a U18 state championship and reached the ECNL quarterfinals.
 
Shields on Kelly: "Caroline is one of the best attackers out of Kansas City in the 2020 recruiting class. She is a goal scorer and fierce competitor. Her pace can stretch an opponent's backline by allowing her to get in behind, and her technical ability allows her to create opportunities out of small windows in the box. Caroline will be a tremendous addition to our attacking group as well as a future leader in our program."
 
Hannah Larson • M • Columbia, Mo. (Hickman H.S. | St. Louis Scott Gallagher MO ECNL)
Will earn her fourth varsity letter this spring … Missouri Soccer Coaches Association second-team All-State in her freshman campaign, first team All-State in her sophomore and junior years … named Missouri Class 4 co-Offensive Player of the Year her junior season … accumulated 55 goals and 29 assists through her first three seasons … as a junior, set single-season school records for goals and points … United Soccer Coaches All-Central … named an All-State All-American and chosen to play in the All-State All-American Cup … ranked 89th in the 2020 class by TopDrawerSoccer, and No. 2 in the Heartland Region … TDS State Star and Regional Star … selected All-Conference in her first season of play in the Women's Premier Soccer League … became the first female in Hickman High School history to score points in a varsity football game (placekicker).
 
Shields on Larson: "Hannah joins our program after a highly decorated high school and St. Louis Scott Gallagher youth career. She is an elite box-to-box midfielder who is absolutely relentless on both sides of the ball. She can break pressure on the dribble and create quality chances for herself and her teammates. Hannah will overwhelm opponents with her fitness, quality and competitiveness for 90 minutes. She will be an outstanding addition to our competitive culture both on and off the field."
 
Jessica Preusser • M • St. Louis, Mo. (Nerinx Hall H.S. | Lou Fusz United)
Three-year varsity starter … second-team All-State, All-Region, first-team All-District and first-team All-Conference as a sophomore and junior … made the All-Metro second team and was Nerinx Hall's Most Valuable Player as a junior … helped lead the team to the 2019 state final and the 2018 district final … team captain as a junior and senior … junior varsity MVP as a freshman … played on Lou Fusz teams that were national finalists in 2019, State Cup champions and region semifinalists in 2017 and 2018, and State Cup semifinalists in 2015 and 2019 … club team captain … National Honor Society member … first honor roll student every year, carrying a 4.0 GPA … Nerinx Hall Ambassador.
 
Shields on Pruesser: "Jess is a playmaker. I'm confident our fans will enjoy watching her operate out of the attacking midfield. She can beat players on the dribble or by combining. Jess' vision and technical ability make everyone around her look good. We are thrilled to welcome another outstanding Lou Fusz product and Nerinx Hall alumna."
 
Emily Puricelli • G • St. Louis, Mo. (St. Joseph's Academy | St. Louis Scott Gallagher MO ECNL)
Second-team All-State, first-team All-Region and first-team All-Conference as a sophomore and junior … has a 0.15 goals against average the past two seasons … 2018 and 2019 ECNL All-Conference … 2019 U.S. Youth national training ID … was in the 2017 and 2018 ECNL Player Development Program … 2017 USA Soccer training invitee … 2016 Italian national training invitee … played on the 2016 St. Louis Scott Gallagher team that reached the ECNL North American Cup final.
 
Shields on Puricelli: "Emily is one of the best youth goalkeepers in the country. The combination of her technical and tactical ability is beyond her years. She has an ability to make game-saving stops as well as initiate the attack with her distribution. Emily's presence and leadership will add to our history of outstanding goalkeepers."
 
Sophia Stram • M • Kansas City, Mo. (Bishop Miege H.S. | KC Athletics ECNL)
First-team All-State, first-team All-Conference and Offensive Player of the Year as a freshman, sophomore and junior … United Soccer Coaches honorable mention All-America and All-Midwest as a junior … TopDrawerSoccer All-America Watch List, All-Region and All-State as a junior … helped lead Bishop Miege to the 2017, 2018 and 2019 Class 4A state titles and a national runner-up finish in 2018 … played on club teams that won two State Cup championships and a Midwest Regional crown … National Honor Society member.
 
Shields on Stram: "Sophia is an outstanding athlete who was recognized as a high school All-America attacker and is an outstanding defender/midfielder for her KC Athletics club team. Her athleticism and technical ability will allow her to make an immediate impact on our competitive success."