Recruiting News: Duke lands No. 1 Recruit in the country

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The biggest news of the last week in college soccer was Duke securing the verbal commitment from [player_tooltip player_id='21915' first='Riley' last='Jackson']. The U.S. U17 Women's Youth National Team midfield and Gatorade National Girls Soccer Player of the Year (2021/2022) picked Duke for the next step in her career. Club teammate [player_tooltip player_id='21942' first='Solai' last='Washington'] is also a verbal commit to Duke for the class of 2024. The duo make this Duke class already one to considered among the best for 2024 recruiting rankings. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The ACC program was not the only team that landed verbal commitments in the last week. Penn State picked up a verbal commitment from one of the top ranked forwards in the junior class, Washington secured the verbal commitment from one of the smartest midfielders, and Vanderbilt snagged one of the top center backs from Michigan. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"id":"block_6329e8c5b9f54","name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["23703"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='23703' first='Andrea' last='Leyva'], one of the top center midfielders in the country, announced her verbal commitment to Washington last week. Leyva's older brother Danny plays for the Seattle Sounders, so the two siblings will be in the same city again soon. The younger Leyva was one of the best talents in the ECNL as she picked apart teams with her passing and finishing from the midfield role. She suffered a knee injury last year, and missed most of the previous season. Leyva's best attribute was her brilliance on the field, so there is little doubt she will return to that high level in the future thanks to her soccer brain. Washington is making a fairly safe bet that she will reach those high levels again, as she is a key piece for this 2024 class, which is shaping up to be one of best in Huskies' history.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["33400"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Vanderbilt had a busy week with two verbal commitments to the SEC program. Fife is a center back who has the tools to be a four-year starter. She is calm on the ball, excellent in the build-up, and does well in decision-making while in possession. She can be a shutdown defender when needed, but also has the tactical intelligence to be a great support defender if the style of play depends on that from the center back. [player_tooltip player_id='46073' first='Mary' last='Beth McLaughlin'], another center back, was the other verbal commitment last week for Vanderbilt. McLaughlin is a tough, shutdown defender from Tophat. Fife and McLaughlin could be the tandem to lead Vanderbilt to top of the conference in the near future.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["27546"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"Addison (Addy) Hess is the top ranked player in Virginia, and one of the best players in the country. She had her pick of schools for the next level. Penn State was the selection. The Nittany Lions are getting a forward who should step into the starting lineup. She has all of the characteristics that coaches want from a forward at the next level - elite finisher, hungry defender, unique skills to evade pressure, and a desire to always improve her game. Penn State's 2024 class is shaping up to be in contention for best in the nation. They landed one of the best goalkeepers in [player_tooltip player_id='23030' first='Kealey' last='Titmuss'], another top ranked forward Aubrey Kulpa, and NC Courage midfielder/defender Bella Ayscue.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["33452"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"Rutgers landed another out-of-state verbal commitment with [player_tooltip player_id='33452' first='Shaela' last='Bradley'], according to TheSoccerWire. Last week, Rutgers tapped into Michigan and now Rutgers is going across the country for a player. The Big Ten powerhouse is getting an attacking midfielder who can do it all and is built for the physical rigors of the college game. [player_tooltip player_id='24203' first='Mikayla' last='Mandleur'], a defensive midfielder, also committed to Rutgers last week. The duo would make a stellar combination for the 2024 class. They compliment each other really well.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["58412"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"Tonka Fusion Elite had three players make verbal commitments in the last month. Gilliand is the most recent one. The striker picked Wisconsin for the next step in her career. The Badgers are getting a center forward who likes to run off the shoulders of the defenders. She is excellent at timing her runs and beating the offside trap. Gilliand is a good finisher in breakaway situations. She is the first verbal commitment to Wisconsin for the 2024 class.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"align":"","mode":"preview"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Verbal commitments Class of 2024: Sept. 14-20 </span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><li>[player_tooltip player_id='33400' first='Ellie' last='Fife'] - Vanderbilt </li><li>Casey Malone - College of Charleston </li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='23703' first='Andrea' last='Leyva'] - Washington </li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='58165' first='Reese' last='Potts'] - Kansas State </li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='58166' first='Avery' last='Petty'] - Minnesota </li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='21915' first='Riley' last='Jackson'] - Duke </li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='21942' first='Solai' last='Washington'] - Duke </li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='27546' first='Addison' last='Hess'] - Penn State </li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='46073' first='Mary' last='Beth McLaughlin'] - Vanderbilt </li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='22728' first='Stephanie' last='Lathrop'] - Purdue </li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='33452' first='Shaela' last='Bradley'] - Rutgers </li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='58412' first='Kiya' last='Gilliand'] - Wisconsin </li><li>[player_tooltip player_id='24203' first='Mikayla' last='Mandleur'] - Rutgers </li></ul> <!-- /wp:list -->