CLEVELAND, Ohio – Cleveland State Women's Soccer Head Coach Dallas Boyer announced the signing of nine players: Brooke Pendleton, Sophia Cucchetti, Eleanor Simkonis, Lilly Iadicicco, Payton Koebbe, Emma Pompo, Tanji Sarver, Liv Fain, and Vail Muller.

To view pictures from signing day, click here

Brooke Pendleton | Northville, Mich. | Defense | Northville High School
Pendleton joins the Vikings from Northville High School, where she was a four-year member of the team. The Northville, Michigan, native, played three years for the Michigan ODP State team. Off the field, Pendleton's team earned two Michigan High School Soccer Coaches Association All-Academic honors. In addition, she was named a 2020-21 KLAA Scholar-Athlete. Pendleton plans to pursue a degree in early childhood education.

Coach Boyer on Pendleton, "Brooke brings a physical presence, whether it's as a central midfielder or a defender.  She is comfortable in possession and should be able to adjust well to our style of play in trying to build up attacks from the back.  Every time I've had the chance to see Brooke over the last few years, she always competes exceptionally hard and I know she is going to enjoy doing so at this level as well."

Sophia Cucchetti | Cincinnati, Ohio | Midfielder | Walnut Hills High School
Cucchetti comes to Cleveland State from Walnut Hills High School, where she was a three-time All-ECC player, twice earning First Team recognition. The Cincinnati, Ohio, native was a two-time team captain and was honored with the Walnut Hills Leadership award as a senior. During her sophomore season, she was named to the All-Southwest Ohio team. In 2021, Cucchetti helped Cincinnati United Premier to the Academy National Final Four. Off the field, she was a two-time All-ECC and All-Southwest Ohio Academic honoree. She plans to pursue a degree in pre-physician assistant.

Coach Boyer on Cucchetti, "Few players genuinely love the process of working to get better at soccer than Sophia does.  She's a true "soccer junkie", constantly putting in extra work and seeking our feedback on ways to get better.  She's very clean and efficient in possession as a central midfielder who understands how to create space and numbers advantages to build up attacks the way we like to play.  As a key piece to her Cincinnati United Premier GA team that played in a national championship, she's been training and playing at a very high level which will continue to prepare her for the jump to this level.  I really am excited to work with another player who is so passionate about her development and performance on a consistent basis the way that Sophia is."

Eleanor Simkonis | Edgewood, Ky. | Midfield | Notre Dame Academy
Simkonis arrives at Cleveland State after leading Notre Dame Academy to the 2021 District, Region, and State Championship with a 29-0-1 record. As a junior, she was part of the ECNL Regional Championship team.  Simkonis was named First Team All-Region and Honorable Mention All-State as a senior. In addition, she garnered First Team Lady Knight Challenge Cup honors and was named the MVP. Off the field, Simkonis was a four-time Academic All-State honoree.

Coach Boyer on Simkonis, "We are very excited that we were able to add Eleanor relatively late in the process this year.  Her excellent athleticism and physical presence will give her the opportunity to compete immediately at multiple positions.  She is coming off a high school season where she helped lead her team to a Kentucky state championship and a #1 ranking in the country.  At any position that lets us put her wideout in some space, we expect her to bring that same speed and physicality to help us win her side of the field on both sides of the ball."

Emma Pompo | South Lyon, Mich. | Forward | South Lyon East High School
Pompo joins the Vikings after helping South Lyon East High School to a 2021 District Championship and an appearance in the Regional Championship game. On the club level, she helped her team to two State Championship games, winning the title in 2021.  In Pompo's freshman season, she earned Honorable Mention All-Conference honors and was named the Offensive Player of the Year. As a junior, Pompo garnered First Team All-Conference, All-District, All-Region, and All-State honors. In addition, she set the school record for assists that season with 22, earning Offensive Player of the Year recognition. Pompo plans to pursue a degree in business/marketing.

Coach Boyer on Pompo said, "Emma is an explosive athlete who consistently creates goal-scoring opportunities for herself and for teammates by winning her fair share of 1v1 situations.  We are excited to get her into those same situations here and do what she does well out in space against 1 defender and relentlessly attack.  She's versatile in that she can both cut in to create opportunities for herself to score or is also excellent at beating a defender out wide and providing service into the box for teammates.  As she adjusts and grows in confidence at this level, we think she will become the type of dynamic attacking threat that demands special attention from the defense."

Lilly Iadicicco | Cheswick, Pa. | Midfield | Springdale High School
Iadicicco arrives at Cleveland State after helping Springdale High School to a Sectional Championship and Class 1A Semifinalist appearance. The Cheswick, Pa., native was three-time All-Section and All-WPIAL honoree. Iadicicco plans to pursue a degree in speech pathology.

Coach Boyer on Iadicicco, "It's very exciting to add Lilly to our soccer family as I know it has been her "dream school" for several years now and she's earned this opportunity for herself.  Lilly is coming off of an incredibly impressive senior high school season leading her team to one of its best seasons in a long time by being one of western Pennsylvania's best players.  While she is capable of adding herself into the attack and being dangerous around the box herself, we expect that her best role at this level will be as a deeper-lying midfielder that can link up possession from the backs thru her in midfield and into the attack.  She has a very good sense of how to move in the traffic of crowded central midfield areas to receive passes under pressure and play out quickly in a few touches.  As she adjusts to the physicality and speed of the game at this level, she will be a good fit for how we look to build possession thru that position.  

Payton Koebbe | Cincinnati, Ohio | Midfield | Reading High School
Koebbe joins the Green and White after helping Reading High School to four Sectional appearances including a trip to the finals as a senior. Koebbe was a three-time First Team All-League and All-Southwest Ohio honoree. In addition, she set the record for most goals in a season.

Coach Boyer on Koebbe, "Payton is an excellent athlete in central midfield, combining both her state-qualifying track sprinter's speed with a very good soccer skill set.  Her quickness and impressive work rate combine for a real presence that affects the game on both sides of the ball.  She is currently recovering from an injury sustained during her high school season, but I know enough about Payton's toughness and commitment level to know she will soon be back and stronger than ever for next fall.  She is a real force on the field and I'm excited to include that into our mix of young attacking players."

Tanji Sarver | Akron, Ohio | Forward | Green High School
Sarver comes to Cleveland State after helping her team to the 2021 ECNL National Championship game. Off the field, she was named to the Honor Roll for the 2020-21 year. Sarver plans to pursue a degree in exercise science.

Coach Boyer on Sarver, "Tanji has been working incredibly hard for this opportunity and I'm thrilled to be able to provide it to her.  While she has played at a high level as both a defender and a forward on her International team that last year played in the ECNL's national championship game, we see her impact here at CSU being as a forward.  Her movement to create space for herself to be played into dangerous areas and to get on the end of crosses into the box is already excellent for a young player.  As she continues to improve her ability to play with her back-to-goal and target, she will grow into an all-around attacking threat able to create opportunities for herself and for others.  With as hard and I know Tanji is always willing to work, I'm excited to have the chance to help her get there. 

Liv Fain | Amherst, Ohio | Goalkeeper | Amherst High School
Fain arrives at Cleveland State after helping Amherst High School to three Sectional Championships. Off the field, Fain was a four-time High Honors student.

Coach Boyer on Fain, "Liv has all of the ingredients necessary to be a game-changing goalkeeper.  She is very good with her feet and will allow us to utilize the goalkeeper as an extra outlet in possessing from the back.  She has great footwork and reactions that make her a strong shot-stopper.  Her size and long frame allows her to be strong in the air.  Last summer while competing in one of the best leagues in the region made up almost entirely of Division 1 players, Liv was recognized as one of the best players in the league which was a great opportunity to start her transition to the game at this level.  Most importantly, she takes real pride in her development and continues to put in the work to get better and better every time we see her again."

Vail Muller | Stony Brook, N.Y. | Midfield | Smithtown East High School
Muller arrives at Cleveland State after being a part of the Suffolk Class AA finalist team as a senior and semifinalist as a junior. Muller was a three-year captain for Smithtown East HS. She was also a four-year captain of the Long Island Slammers and earned five MVP of the game honors in the 2020-21 season. Muller plans to pursue a degree in civil engineering.

Coach Boyer on Muller, "As a captain and leader for the teams that she plays on, Vail has proven herself as a consistent and reliable contributor.  She's done very well both in central midfield and as an outside back, so there's versatility there to see which is her best fit with us and at this level.  Particularly in the opportunities that we have had to work with her at our camps, there was a natural fit to see her able to respond to coaching and execute immediately the way we look to play in those positions.  As a very composed and intelligent player, I think her opportunity to quickly settle into the speed of play at this level and continue to grow is very exciting."