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BLACKSBURG, Va. – Virginia Tech women’s soccer head coach Chugger Adair has announced five student-athletes have signed with the Hokies as a part of the 2016 recruiting class.

The group includes players from each coast of the United States including the states of Washington, Pennsylvania, New York, California and New Jersey. Mikayla Mance, Jaylyn Thompson, Bridget Patch, Jordan Hemmen and Chandler McDaniel have all signed on with Tech.

“The class of 2016 is very deep with a lot of players expected to make an impact from the start of their freshman year and throughout their career. Soccer wise, the class has very good balance with athleticism, ability and soccer savvy. They’re balanced by positions. As people, this class is filled with strong character, discipline and commitment. They excel in the classroom and are going to be a great compliment to our culture. I’m very excited and happy to announce the first part of this class and I’m looking forward to their impact on the Virginia Tech women’s soccer program,” Adair said.

Hemmen joins the Hokies from Renton, Washington. She attends Liberty High School and plays club soccer for the Pacific Northwest Soccer Club. At Liberty under coach Tami Nguyen, she helped lead her team to the 2013 State Championship and was a three-time all-league first team selection. She was also named to the 2A All-State First Team in 2015 and the All-League MVP while serving as team captain. For Pacific Northwest Soccer Club, she helped guide the team to two state championships and were regional finalists in 2014. She played under Todd Stauber and Viet Nguyen.

“Jordan Hemmen is a central player who could play center back or holding midfield with a great soccer brain and technical ability. We expect her to come in and compete right off the bat for playing time. She comes from a very well-coached club team and we expect her to have a tremendous impact at Virginia Tech,” Adair said.

Mance joins the Hokies from Pennsylvania where she attends Yough Senior High School and plays club soccer for the Pittsburgh Riverhounds Academy for coach Scott Gibson. For the Riverhounds, she was named the Player of the Year as well as ASL All-Tournament and was a four-year captain. She also attended the U15 U.S. Soccer National Camp. Playing one year at Yough for Steve Bradnam, she was an all-section, All-WPIAL player and led the WPIAL in goals scored in 2012. She has also been named a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Athlete of the Week.

“Mance is a tough, hard-working front-runner who can play as a target with her back to goal as well as face up. We’ve seen her score a number of great goals and she can be someone who fits right in with our attacking-minded front-runners. She’s coming off a recent injury but she’s well on her way to recovery and we look forward to her impact,” Adair said.

Patch is a forward from New York where she attends St. John the Baptist DHS and plays her club soccer for the Albertson Fury ECNL. At St. John the Baptist, she was a four-year letterwinner and a team captain. She helped lead her team to the NSCHSGAA State Championship in 2013 and has been the team’s offensive MVP the last three seasons. She scored 52 goals and had 34 assists in her career. She was named to the all-state first team, MSG Varsity All-Metro Team and Newsday All-Long Island First Team in 2015. She was also the CHSGAA Player of the Year in 2015. Patch was a member of the New York State ODP for three seasons and helped lead her club team Albertson Fury to the ECNL Champions League Playoffs three straight seasons. She has also been named an Academic Athlete all four years.

“Patch was a later add to the class but one of our first Albertson Fury players. She’s a hard-working, blue-collar type of forward with a lot of great character and charisma. She’s someone who’s going to compete for a spot on our front line and be able to test the defenses of the opposition,” Adair said.

Thompson is a New Jersey native who currently attends Eastern Regional High School and plays her club soccer for Penn Fusion ECNL. She was selected to the 2015 Girl’s High School Soccer All-American Game. She served as her team captain and has been selected to all-conference, All-Olympic Conference, All-South Jersey by the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Courier Post, all-state, All-State South Top 20, NSCAA Regional All-American and high school all-american. She helped lead her team to the Olympic Conference Championship all four years as well as Coaches Tournament Champions in 2015. She scored 26 goals and had 33 assists which are ninth in school history. She also played lacrosse at Eastern Regional.

“Thompson is a charismatic defender who we’ve enjoyed watching and getting to know her and her family. She’s a tough-nosed defender whose technical ability can allow her to play outside back, center back or even in the midfield. She’s a great addition,” Adair said.

McDaniel is a California native who attends Norco High School and plays club soccer for West Coast U18 ECNL. She is also a member of the Philippine Women’s National Soccer Team as they won the 2014 Vikings Cup. McDaniel was a four-year letterwinner at Norco for coach Clint McDaniel and has been named the Big XIII Offensive Player of the Year and Big XIII First Team All-League. She scored the most goals in Southern Section Division 2 with 34 which was good for 17^th in the state. She was the team’s offensive MVP and was named to the Press-Enterprise All-County First Team. She will serve as a team captain this season and is on the Press Enterprise Preseason All-County Top 11 Players to Watch. For her club team, she finished 2014 fall in the top 5 of national goal scorers and participated in the 2015 February PDP. She also competed in track and field as a sprinter.

“McDaniel is a versatile front-runner who can score goals. She’s got good pace, mobility and quickness. She’s very good in one-on-one situations and she’s just recently be added to the Philippine Women’s National Team which is fantastic for her. She’s from a soccer playing family and a great club and we’re glad for her to join our team,” Adair said.

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