Panther soccer announces nine-player signing class for 2025

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- The UNI soccer team announced the signing of five high school players, as well as four Division I transfers to its 2025 recruiting class on Friday.

This year's class includes a quintet of athletes from Minnesota, as well one from Iowa, Wisconsin and Nevada, plus one transfer hailing from Iceland. Positionally, the class includes four defenders, three midfielders, one forward and one goalkeeper.

"This class combines immediate impact players with the spring 2025 transfers, as well as talented players joining us this fall," said UNI head coach Bruce Erickson on his incoming class of student-athletes. "We have some big shoes to fill with the departures of an excellent senior class. We wanted to add players who not only can make an immediate impact to our team on the field but also to the culture we are building and establishing."

Milan Cordone - Midfielder | Las Vegas, Nev.
A Las Vegas, Nevada native, Milan Cordone joins the Panthers after two seasons playing at the University of North Dakota. During her two seasons as a Fighting Hawk, she recorded five goals and two assists, including four goals scored this past season as UND posted a 4-8-6 record. A four-year letterwinner and team captain, Cordone played her prep career at Cordondo High School in Nevada, where she helped lead the Cougars to a 2022 Class 5A state championship and four regional titles. She tallied 26 total goals and 33 assists during her high school career, earning First Team All-State recognition as a senior.

"Milan is a tremendous attacking player and her experience and dynamic play will help our team immediately," said Erickson. "She has the leadership ability and passion to be a great player."

Allison Flies - Defender | Apple Valley, Minn.
Allison Flies returns to the midwest after redshirting the 2024 season at Utah Tech. An Eastview High School product out of the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, she was a four-time South Suburban Conference First Team performer, two-time team captain and most valuable player, earning First Team All-State recognition, as well as a High School All-American Game selection. Flies was also named a First Team All-Metro athlete and Section Player of the Year during her prep career. She played club soccer with Minnesota Thunder Academy (MTA) ECNL under Danny Storlien, earning all-conference recognition three times, team MVP honors once and five MTA Club ECNL Champions League titles.SHe is also WPSL teammates with current UNI player Olivia Bohl and incoming signee 2025 Abby O'Brien.

"Allison comes to us as a motivated player ready to help our backline immediately," Erickson explained. "She has experience playing with some of our players and will provide some tenacity defensively."

Ava Hall - Midfielder - West Des Moines, Iowa
UNI's lone in-state signee of the 2025 class, Ava Hall lettered all four seasons playing soccer as a defender and midfielder at Valley High School. As a junior, she earned First Team All-Central Iowa Metro League honors, as well as First Team All-District and Second Team All-State recognition in 2024. Hall will serve as a team captain for the Tigers during the upcoming 2025 spring season. With nine career goals scored, Hall also plays basketball and ran cross country at Valley High School. She plays club soccer with Sporting Iowa ECNL under Daryl Brazeau.

"Ava is a worker bee with an incredible work rate that will help the engine of our midfield immediately," said Erickson. "Great toughness and simplicity in how she plays. Ava will be a great fit to UNI Soccer."

Anya McKay - Defender | Mount Horeb, Wisc.
An incoming redshirt freshman transfer from Nebraska, Anya McKay was a four-year center back and forward at Mount Horeb High School in Wisconsin during her prep career. A three-year captain and four-time First Team All-Badger Small Conference performer, she notched 79 career goals and 16 assists in high school, becoming the fifth leading scorer in program history. McKay also earned All-State Honorable Mention recognition during her junior and senior seasons at Mount Horeb. She played her club career with SC Wave under Coach Giuliano Olivero.

"Anya joins us from University of Nebraska and is hungry to contribute to our back line," said Erickson. "She's tough as a 1v1 defender while being very good coming out of the back in possession. We are looking forward to working with her in a couple weeks."

Allie McCleery - Defender | Mahtomedi, Minn.
Hailing from the same high school as UNI's all-time leading scorer Lauren Heinsch, Allie McCleery is a four-year letterwinner at Mahtomedi High School, just northeast of the Twin Cities area. A outside back and center back, she earned All-Metro East Conference Honorable Mention honors in 2024 and was voted as the team's best defender during her senior season. McCleery helped lead Mahtomedi to a pair of state championships (2021, 2024), a state runner-up finish in 2022, three sectional titles (2021, 2022, 2024) and four consecutive conference championships (2021-24). She played her club career with Minnesota Thunder Academy (MTA) ECNL under Coach Danny Storlien.

"Allie comes to us as a successful high school and club player from Minnesota," Erickson explained. "She has a great pedigree as a player and is a winner. Her work ethic will be a welcome addition."

Olivia Mehl - Forward | Champlin, Minn.
Champlin Park High School standout Olivia Mehl joins the Panthers after lettering all four years on the pitch, as well as two years in basketball. A two-year team captain and All-Northwest Suburban Conference performer, Mehl was named the Offensive MVP of the Rebels' soccer program in each of her final two seasons, as well as the team's Coaches' Award winner in 2024. Mehl appeared in every match during her four seasons of soccer, scoring 18 goals with 17 assists and 123 shot attempts. She plays club soccer with the St. Croix Soccer Club in the east Twin Cities area.

"Olivia is a player with great potential as an attacking player," Erickson said. "She continues to evolve and improve and we are excited to get her into our environment."

Thordis Melsted - Goalkeeper | Hafnarfjordur, Iceland
Hailing originally from the north Atlantic, Thordis Melsted joins the UNI roster as a transfer from North Alabama. A former soccer player and track and field athlete at Lækjarsóli and the Commercial College of Iceland, was on the North Alabama roster for two seasons. While in Iceland, she played four seasons in goal under Coach Guðni Eiri´ksson for Lækjarsóli, finishing as a national champion in 2020 and 2022, earning Player of the Match honors in the final in 2020. Melsted was also a U18 national champion in the long jump, triple jump, hammer throw and 4x100-meter relay.

"Thordis is an excellent addition to our program and we expect great things from her," said Erickson. "She is an excellent communicator which is important for a keeper. She has a presence in goal and experience that will help our team immediately. We are excited to add her to our goalkeeping group!"

Abby O'Brien - Defender | White Bear Lake, Minn.
Defender Abby O'Brien joins the Panthers' 2025 signing class after lettering all four seasons in soccer at White Bear Lake High School in the Twin Cities area. A team captain as a senior and four-time All-Suburban East Conference athlete, O'Brien earned First Team All-State recognition for her play on the pitch in 2024 and second team honors in 2023, as well as team defensive MVP honors in three straight seasons (2022-24). Helping the Bears reach the 2023 Minnesota Class 4A state tournament, she also plays basketball at White Bear Lake, helping the Bears to two state tournament berths (2021, 2023). She plays club soccer with Minnesota Thunder Academy (MTA) ECNL under Danny Storlien. She is also WPSL teammates with current UNI players Olivia Bohl and Allison Flies.

"We are excited to get Abby to UNI," Erickson said. "She's a dominant player in the air, capable of scoring goals on set pieces. She is an excellent communicator and another player who has been teammates with some of our current players. She can make an impact in the back for us this fall."

Aynslea Ulschmid - Midfielder | Mahtomedi, Minn.
Another standout performer from Mahtomedi, Aynslea Ulschmid joins Allie McCleery on the 2025 UNI roster after four seasons as a midfielder for the Zephyrs. A team captain as senior, Ulschmid is a two-time All-State athlete on the pitch, earning first team honors in 2023, along with all-conference recognition in 2023 and 2024, as well as a pair of state all-tournament team selections (2022, 2024). She scored 21 career goals for Mahtomedi, along with 23 assists, leading all Zephyr midfielders in scoring as a junior. Helping lead Mahtomedi to a state title during her freshman and senior seasons, Ulschmid also plays hockey for the Zephyrs. She plays club soccer with Salvo GA in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.

"Aynslea is a talented attacking player capable of helping us immediately," Erickson explained. She has the ability to adapt to the college physicality right away and is an athletic, attacking presence."

UNI women's soccer action can be followed all season long on social media on Facebook (UNI Panther Soccer), X (@UNI_Soccer) and on Instagram (@unipanthersoccer). The full schedule and roster, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.

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