SPOKANE, Wash. — The Gonzaga women's soccer team announced six additions to next season's roster Wednesday.
"This Class of 2022 is a group that we've been looking forward to having on our team for a long time now," Watkins said. "It was a unique recruiting process for many of them since most of it occurred during the Covid Recruiting Dead Period. Despite the challenges of the recruiting process, we know how talented this group is and have had the pleasure of getting to know each of them extremely well within their processes. They are each such great fits for our program on the field, in the classroom, and in the Gonzaga community. We can't wait to see what this group accomplishes!"
Taryn Barraclough
M | Kaysville, Utah | Farmington High School | La Roca FC
Barraclough hails from Farmington High School, where she was a three-time state champion. At the club level, she saw time for La Roca FC for two seasons.
Barraclough carries a 4.0 GPA and made the High Honor Roll at Farmington High. She plans on studying Nursing at Gonzaga.
Watkins on Barraclough: "We're so excited to have Taryn join us next year, she's a versatile player and brings so many different strengths to the game. She's creative in the attack, a tough defender, and more than anything she's a player who knows and values hard work over anything else. Welcome home Taryn!"
Lauren Chin
M | Seattle, Wash. | Ingraham High School | Eastside FC
Chin will make the cross-state trip to join Gonzaga from Ingraham High, where she was a two-year varsity letter winner. She was a captain at Ingraham, also having earned MVP for the Rams.
The center midfielder also played for Eastside FC, earning All-Conference 1st team for the ENCL NW Division.
Chin carries a 4.0 GPA and is a member of the National Honor Society. She plans to study Computer Science at GU.
Watkins on Chin: "Despite Lauren's very small frame, she's one of the best ball winners and toughest defenders we've ever seen as coaches. On top of that, she's incredibly technical and smart on the ball, making her the perfect combination as a midfielder. Lauren will be a difference maker!"
Taylor Gentry
D | Centennial, Colo. | Grandview High School | Colorado Rapids ECNL
Gentry joins Gonzaga after standout career at Grandview High School in Aurora, Colo. She was the starting center back for the 2019 5A state champion team at Grandview. In 2019, she was named Second Team All-State, First Team All-Conference and the Rookie of the Year.
Gentry comes from an athletic family. Her brother Tanner played football the University of Wyoming, before stints with the Chicago Bears and the Buffalo Bills. Her other brother Gunner also played football at Wyoming. Her Dad Ryan played football at Western Colorado, while her Mom Robin was a basketball player at Northeastern Junior College.
Watkins on Gentry: "Taylor is everything you want in a Center Back, strong and physical, great in her 1v1 defending, and gifted at her distribution out of the back. Additionally, she is a great leader and communicator in the back line, we're so excited to see what she'll accomplished here at Gonzaga!"
Hannah Gray
F | Seattle, Wash. | Holy Names Academy | Pacific FC
Gray has scored 23 goals and recorded 25 assists in 68 appearances so far at Holy Names Academy. During her freshman season, she was named Second Team All-Metro League as a member of the finalist team in the state tournament. As a sophomore, Gray was First Team All-Metro League, and Second Team All-State. She was also the team's Offensive MVP.
A stellar student, Gray is a Certified Holy Names Leader, which includes being involved in that student life and leadership programs. This includes completing leadership reflections, participating in Holy Names events, and promoting leadership events. She was the Holy Names Academy HOBY Ambassador in 2020, the Holy Names Academy Woman of the Year in 2019-20, the Holy Names Class of 2022 President in 2019-20, and received the Student Life Award in 2019-20.
Watkins on Gray: "Hannah is such a uniquely great fit for our program in so many ways. On the field, she's the type of player who already understands the work rate we expect in our program. On top of scoring goals as a forward, she's also special when it comes to her ability to defend up high. Off the field, she's exactly what we're looking for as a representative of our program!"
Kylie Jones
F | Kirkland, Wash. | Lake Washington High School | Crossfire Premier SC
A two-year varsity letter winner, Jones was the leading scorer for Lake Washington High in 2021, making First Team KingCo 3A. The center forward from Kirkland was a part of a state championship team in 2019, where she also made First Team All-State.
Jones plans to study Business at Gonzaga.
Watkins on Jones: "Kylie has the experience, technical ability, and soccer IQ to be extremely successful at the college level. She is dynamic in both her ability to attack and to defend and brings a special type of composure and consistency to the game. Kylie is an impact player, and we can't wait to have her on the field!"
Giana Riley
D | Manteca, Calif. | John C. Kimball High School | De Anza Force SC
At John C. Kimball High School, Riley was the Varsity Defensive Player of the Year during her freshman year, the Varsity Captain in her sophomore and junior years, and was named a Scholar-Athlete in her freshman, sophomore, and junior years.
Riley has played three years of basketball and ran track at John C. Kimball. She boasts a 3.9 grade point average.
Watkins on Riley: "When Giana first described herself to us, she said she was 'Fast and likes to score goals'. We couldn't agree more! G is strong and explosive and has a keen ability to be lethal in the box. She's a player that you want on your team and never want to have to play against, so we couldn't be more excited for her to officially be a Zag!"
