UCLA Signs Star-Studded Class

UCLA Women's Soccer has assembled a star-studded recruiting class for the 2016 season, highlighted by No. 1 recruit and U.S. Women's National Team member Mal Pugh and Canadian Women's National Team member and 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup veteran Jessie Fleming. Also signing with UCLA are U.S. Youth National Team members Marley Canales, Sunny Dunphy, Jayey Pederson and Kaiya McCullough, and JUCO All-American Julia Hernandez.

The 2016 UCLA freshman class is projected as the No. 1 class in the nation and arguably one of the greatest recruiting classes of all-time.

"This tremendous class addresses some of the needs we have from the graduation of three amazing groups of seniors (2013, 2014, and 2015)," said UCLA head coach Amanda Cromwell. "We are excited about the progress our current team is making this spring, and it will be exciting to see the whole group, newcomers and veterans, together next fall.

"What we love about this class is that they are coming to UCLA to be great - great students, great people, and great players. This greatness extends to the classroom, the field, our culture, and all of UCLA Athletics. We truly want players who seek out the best, who thrive on the challenge, and want to be part of something great. That is the DNA of this signing class. Almost all of the student-athletes at UCLA have dreams of playing their sport beyond college, but they also have a clear understanding that life beyond soccer involves getting a quality education. UCLA is the best place in the country to be supported while chasing dreams on and off the field."

2016 Freshman Class
Player	Position	Class	Hometown (High School)	Club Team
Marley Canales	MF	Fr.	San Diego, Calif. (Westview HS)	San Diego Surf
Sunny Dunphy	F	Fr.	Carlsbad, Calif. (Cathedral Catholic HS)	San Diego Surf
Jessie Fleming	MF	Fr.	London, Ontario, Canada (H.B. Beal Secondary School)	Canadian National Team
Julia Hernandez	F	So.	Madrid, Spain (Eastern Florida State College)	Madrid CFF, Pozuelo CF
Kaiya McCullough	D	Fr.	Mission Viejo, Calif. (El Toro HS)	San Diego Surf
Jacey Pederson	D/MF	Fr.	Palo Alto, Calif. (Palo Alto HS)	PSV Union FC
Mal Pugh	F	Fr.	Highlands Ranch, Colo. (Mountain Vista HS)	Real Colorado/U.S. National Team

Marley Canales

Midfielder

San Diego, Calif. (Westview HS)

San Diego Surf

Member of U.S. squad that won the 2015 CONCACAF U-20 Championship
All-Tournament selection at 2013 CONCACAF U-17 Championships
Earned 27 caps between the U-20 and U-17 teams since 2013
Three-time NSCAA Youth All-American
2014-15 California Gatorade Player Of The Year Finalist
2015 CIF All-San Diego Player of the Year
Member of the 2014 USYS ODP National Champion squad

UCLA Head Coach Amanda Cromwell: "Marley is a true box-to-box midfielder who absolutely runs opponents into the ground. She has years of experience with various U.S. Youth National Teams that will serve her well in Westwood. Anytime we spoke to anyone in San Diego about Marley we always received the same feedback - she is a coach's dream and works hard on her own time to perfect her craft. Marley was a heavily-recruited player, and we are thrilled to have her at UCLA."

Sunny Dunphy

Forward

Carlsbad, Calif. (Cathedral Catholic HS)

San Diego Surf

Participated in U.S. Youth National Team camps since 2013, most recently with the U-18s
Selected to the USYS National Championship Best 11 team in 2013/li>
Played on the USYS ODP National Championship teams in 2014 and 2015
Named to the Best XI at the 2013 ODP Thanksgiving Interregional
2014 ODP Championships leading scorer

UCLA Head Coach Amanda Cromwell: "At the age of 14 everyone knew Sunny Dunphy's name in Southern California. She was the towering forward that scored goals in buckets. Not much has changed for Sunny in three years; she is still an imposing goal scorer that has power from range. It's been fun to watch Sunny develop into a feared ECNL and U18 US National Team striker. We look forward to helping her reach her full potential. We expect big things in the future and are excited to have Sunny's free spirit join our team."

Jessie Fleming

Midfielder

London, Ontario, Canada (H.B. Beal Secondary School)

Canadian National Team

Made her Canadian Women's National Team debut in 2013 at age 15 and has 21 career caps
Played with Canada at the 2015 Women's World Cup and Pan American Games
won the Golden Ball and a team silver medal at the 2013 CONCACAF U-17 Championships
Played in the U-20 Women's World Cup in 2014 and the U-17 Women's World Cup in 2014
2015 U-20 Canadian Player of the Year
2014 U-17 Canadian Player of the Year
Playing with Canadian Women's National Team at the Olympic qualifying tournament

UCLA Head Coach Amanda Cromwell: "Jessie is our most experienced senior national team player with 21 caps and is the top youth soccer player coming out of Canada. "She has what a coach loves in a center midfielder, a mix of being an extraordinary fit runner and a soccer player with vision. Jessie reads the game as well as any player I've seen, and she will be on every team's scouting report from day one. Jessie can do it all, on the dribble, off the ball, final pass and score the goal. She is coming to UCLA because she wants to become an engineer and continue on with the Canadian National Team."

Julia Hernandez

Forward

Madrid, Spain (Eastern Florida State College)

Madrid CFF, Pozuelo CF

2015 JUCO All-American as a freshman
Led Eastern Florida State College to a runner-up finish at the National Championships
Scored the golden goal in the national semifinal
Ranked fifth in the nation in goals (26) and points (65) in 2015
Attended Spanish U-15, U-16 and U-17 National Team camps
Two-time U-18 Spanish national champion

UCLA Head Coach Amanda Cromwell: "When we were trying to balance out this recruiting class, we wanted a player who makes everyone around her better, and we found that in Julia. She brings this Spanish sense of awareness on the field in her ability to see the run before others see it or find the pass that puts a teammate in. Also, she can score spectacular goals in a variety of ways. Julia was a standout All- American at EFSC, and we expect her to have a similar impact for the Bruins over the next three years."

Kaiya McCullough

Defender

Mission Viejo, Calif. (El Toro HS)

San Diego Surf

Member of U-18 National Team player pool since 2015
Played on the 2014 and 2015 USYS ODP National Championship teams
Three-time first-team all-league player at El Toro HS
Team MVP as a freshman in both soccer and track and field
Parents Abdul McCullough (football) and Amy Thorne (gymnastics) were standout student-athletes at UCLA

UCLA Head Coach Amanda Cromwell: "Kaiya comes from UCLA royalty and has been a Bruin since birth. She is the defender for the modern game - intelligent, athletic, strong, fast, and she wants the ball. We think she has really developed into a college-ready player over the past two seasons. She has become one of the best defenders in ECNL and broke into the U.S. U-18/19 National Team over the past year. We know Kaiya will get goosebumps at her first opportunity to put the Blue and Gold kit over her head."

Jacey Pederson

Defender/Midfielder

Palo Alto, Calif. (Palo Alto HS)

PSV Union FC

Been with the U.S. Youth National Team program since 2012, most recently with the U-19 team
NSCAA Youth All-American in 2015
Two-time league MVP
2014-15 Central Coast Section Player of the Year
Brother Joc is a Major League All-Star outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers

UCLA Head Coach Amanda Cromwell: "We saw Jacey in the U-17 National Team camp, and she showed a great versatility, but it was at our Winter ID camp that she impressed us as the best player on the pitch. She is a player who possesses power, technique, and a strong competitive spirit. What really makes her unique is the ability to easily play on all three lines (defense, midfield, forward) and on either side of the pitch. Jacey comes from an athletic family, and we know she is ready for this challenge at UCLA."

Mal Pugh

Forward

Highlands Ranch, Colo. (Mountain Vista HS)

Real Colorado/U.S. National Team

No. 1 recruit in the nation and member of the U.S. Women's National Team
Scored a goal in her international debut with the full national team on Jan. 23, 2016
Golden Ball and Golden Boot winner at the 2015 CONCACAF U-20 Championships
Leading scorer at the 2013 CONCACAF U-17 Championships
2014-15 Gatorade National Player of the Year
2015 U.S. Soccer Young Player of the Year
Playing with the U.S. Women's National Team at the Olympic Qualifying Tournament

UCLA Head Coach Amanda Cromwell: "Mal Pugh is the best player in youth soccer in the U.S., and getting her to UCLA was a top priority for our staff. Mal has the It Factor! She changes games in a moment with a quick decisive dribble. She has the game intelligence to slice through the defense without the ball to create goals in high level games. She is the player that other coaches stay up at night trying to figure out how to contain. Mal chose UCLA because she could balance her U.S. Soccer dreams and get an elite college education that secures her future beyond soccer in the process."

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