EUGENE, Ore.  – An eager women's soccer squad is ready to get the 2023 season underway behind a well-connected new head coach and an experienced group of players who are excited to show the work they have been putting in throughout the offseason.
 
First-year Head Coach Halle Meadows joined Bushnell in January of 2023. Meadows comes to Bushnell from Southwestern Oregon Community College, where she spent two seasons, the final as the head coach for the Lakers. She was named NWAC Southern Region Coach of the Year in 2022. Meadows also had successful stints at Frontier High School and South Valley Surf Club team in Bakersfield.
 
The connections from Meadows' time at Southwestern Oregon CC are clear as eight players made the decision to rejoin her at Bushnell, while multiple have connections to Frontier HS and Bakersfield. In addition, eight Beacons got an early opportunity to work with Meadows with Lane United FC this summer.
 
"It is nice getting players to come play for you who have already played for you," said Meadows. "I coached some of these girls in high school three years ago. Having kids who already played for me helps them trust what we are trying to do. These connections help get everyone bought into what we are trying to build."
 
Meadows brings in the largest recruiting class in the history of the women's soccer program, adding 18 players to a 2023 squad looking to rebound from a winless season. Of the 18 additions, 15 come with previous collegiate experience.
 
NEWCOMERS
 
The Beacons have four goalkeepers on the roster, including newcomers Lexi Bates (Murray, Utah) and Natalie Romero (Moorpark, Calif.). Bates brings in two years of experience out of SWOCC, where she was nominated to the NWAC All-Star team both years. Meadows described Bates as a "dog in the net and a shot stopper." Bates played for Lane United this summer.
 
Romero is a junior out of Moorpark College. She was named First Team All-Western Conference last season, making 21 starts in her career with the Raiders. "She is small but flies," said Meadows. "She is just as good with her feet as she is with her hands."
 
Lexis Canyete-Asato (Aiea, Hawaii), Myla Chow (Bakersfield, Calif.), Adrie Lader (Hubbard, Ore.), Lorelai Murphy (Bakersfield, Calif.), Destiny Navarrete (Victorville, Calif.) and Macee Wacholz (Sebastopol, Calif.) make up a deep defending squad.
 
Canyete-Asato is a junior transfer out of SWOCC, finishing last season with five goals and two assists. "Lexis is an outside back who is offensively and defensively sound," said Meadows. She played for Lane United this summer.
 
Chow is a junior center back out of Bakersfield College. She made 18 starts with the Renegades and was named All-Western State Conference honorable mention. Meadows describes her as "big, fast, strong and dangerous in the air."
 
One of three first-year players, Lader joins the Beacons out of North Marion HS where she was a two-time Second Team All-Conference honoree. "Adrie is calm, composed, and smart in the back line," said Meadows.
 
Murphy will be making her collegiate debut after playing at Frontier HS. "Lorelai is a strong player from Bakersfield that played top level club ball," said Meadows. "She is small, but mighty and will come in and make an immediate impact on the field."
 
Navarrete spent time at SWOCC and Glenville State before transferring to Bushnell. She was named an NWAC All-Star in her final season with SWOCC. "Destiny is a leader in the backline," said Meadows. "She is simple, smart and strong."
 
Wacholz, a junior outside back, was the final addition to the 2023 roster. She was a two-time NWAC All-Star at SWOCC before redshirting a season at Colorado State University – Pueblo. "Macee is an impact player in both the defensive and the offensive unit," said Meadows.
 
Hayleigh Michael (La Pine, Ore.), Harmony Simmons (Eugene, Ore.), Niamhie Taylor-Hughes (Wexford, Ireland), Abby Wammock (Yakima, Wash.) make up the newcomers in the midfield.
 
Michael is a junior transfer out of Blue Mountain CC where she appeared in 22 games and made eight starts. "Hayleigh is quick and strong on the outside," said Meadows. "We are excited for the speed she brings to our wing."
 
Simmons is a local product who spent two seasons as a consistent starter at Lane CC. She played in 23 games with 18 starts in her career with the Titans. "Harmony is a versatile and strong player. She never stops working," said Meadows.
 
Taylor-Hughes is a junior out of Wexford, Ireland who spent time at SWOCC and St. Cloud State before joining the Beacons. Taylor-Hughes tallied five goals and four assists during the 2021-22 season at SWOCC. Meadows describes her as "the player maker in the middle". She played for Lane United this summer.
 
Wammock is a junior transfer out of William Penn University, an NAIA school in Iowa. Meadows said, "Abby is a center back/midfielder. It's hard not to love and the hardest worker," said Meadows.
 
Joining the Beacons at forward are Lanaeya Botelho (Crescent City, Calif.), Ruby Daniels (Eugene, Ore.), Ashley Flores (Bakersfield, Calif.), Sara Hart (St. George, Utah), Maddie Simon (Eugene, Ore.) and Maria Velarde (Lawrenceville, Ga.).
 
Botelho is a junior forward out of Eastern Oregon University, where she played in 16 games last season, scoring two goals for the Mountaineers. Prior to EOU, Botelho played at SWOCC. "Lanaeya is goal hungry and dangerous in the box," said Meadows. She will redshirt this year due to the inter-conference transfer rule.
 
Daniels joins Simmons as a transfer from Lane CC, where she made 20 starts in her career with the Titans. Meadows said, "Ruby is dangerous on the wing, puts herself in great situations and is eager in front of goal."
 
Flores spent two seasons at Bakersfield College alongside teammate, Chow. She made 19 starts with the Renegades. She made 19 starts with the Renegades. "Ashley is quick and spicy technically on the outside," said Meadows. She played for Lane United this summer.
 
Hart is a junior transfer out of SWOCC where she started in 11 games, recording a goal and two assists. "Sara has strong technical skills, is dangerous in small spaces and works harder than anyone," said Meadows.
 
Simon is a freshman forward/midfielder out of Churchill HS. Meadows said, "We are eager to bring in a local player to help us build our program."
 
Velarde is a junior transfer out of SWOCC. Prior to college, she played at Mountain View HS in Georgia. Meadows said, "Maria, aka Curly, is the biggest supporter and hype man for her teammates and her energy radiates to all those around her."
 
Of the newcomers, Bates, Canyete-Asato, Simmons, Flores and Taylor-Hughes got a chance to work with Meadows this summer, playing for Lane United.
 
RETURNERS
 
Because she was hired in January, Meadows had the opportunity to work with the returners in the spring. That meant a majority of the team came into the fall already knowing her coaching style. The only part left was getting the newcomers and returners to mesh.
 
"Spring was really good because it got the returners to figure out who I am, what I do and how I do what we do," said Meadows. "Bringing in kids that already played for me really helped because they already knew what I was looking for. Our biggest thing was trying to get everyone to mesh. We integrated that immediately and that success is going to create success on the field."
 
Returning at goalkeeper are Madison Bender and Ency Soto Jacobo. Bender started all 17 games as a freshman last season, recording 108 saves on the year. Soto Jacobo, a senior transfer our of Hartnell College, redshirted her first season with the Beacons.
 
Sophia Castillo, Faith Palmer, and Mayah Torok make up the returning defenders.
 
Castillo returns for her senior season after appearing in 12 games last year. Torok joined the Beacons last season and appeared in nine games. Palmer has played in 14 games in her two seasons with the Beacons.
 
Ellie Arzie, Lindsey Estes, Bella Guzman, Dina Hayes, Bella Hernandez, Allison Moreno and Sydney Petersen return to the midfield.
 
Arzie played in 15 games last season, making four starts. Estes, Guzman, and Moreno joined the Beacons last year. Estes played in 15 games, Guzman played in two, while Moreno made 10 appearances.
 
Hayes, who also played with Lane United this summer, has seen the field in almost every game during her two seasons with the Beacons.
 
Petersen is one of the top returning goal scorers for the Beacons who has started in every game in her two seasons at Bushnell. She recorded two goals and two assists last season. Petersen played for Lane United this summer.
 
Returning at forward are Abbie Chambers, Trinity Hazelitt, Bella Hernandez, Taylor Morgan, and Emily Puita.
 
Chambers, who played with Lane United this summer, started in more than half of the games as a freshman. Hazelitt played in 14 games, while Morgan, who is entering her fourth year at Bushnell, appeared in 17 games. Hernandez sat out most of the season due to injury.
 
Puita was named All-CCC honorable mention in 2022, leading the team with four goals as a freshman before posting a goal and three assists during her sophomore campaign. She recorded over a third of the Beacons' shots on goal last year.
 
OUTLOOK
 
"We are an older team," said Meadows. "We have 25 juniors this year so hopefully we can come in with experience. We have a lot of new pieces, so we need to get those pieces to move together and get our leaders to do what they need to do. But we are looking good going into season so far."
 
Bushnell will play all three non-conference matches on the road, opening with a game at Simpson University on Thursday (Aug. 17). The Beacons will then take on Lewis & Clark College (Sept. 2) and George Fox (Sept. 6).
 
The Beacons will play their first three CCC contests on the road, beginning with Corban (Sept. 15). Bushnell will host three consecutive weeks of home games (six games), starting with Carroll College (Sept. 29) and Providence (Sept. 30) for home opening weekend before wrapping up the regular season with three more games on the road.
 
The CCC Tournament, hosted by Bushnell at the Les Schwab Sports Park and Civic Park, begins on November 6.