STEPHENVILLE – Tarleton burst onto the NCAA Women’s Soccer scene last season and now head coach Pete Cuadrado looks to build on the success of the inaugural season with the addition of six standout freshmen.
Tarleton announced the addition of six student-athletes on 2022 National Signing Day, the first National Letter of Intent signing day for athletes set to begin their collegiate careers next fall.
Isa Bergeron-Prejean, Portia Gonzales, Victoria Cameron are all staying in Texas to play for Tarleton, with Stephenville High School product Cameron in familiar territory staying home as the first local player to join Texan Soccer. Ashlyn Novotny and Ella Massarotti come to Tarleton from Colorado, bringing the total of Colorado standouts on the Texan roster to five. Emma “Spike” Barnes rounds out the class from Omaha, Nebraska.
“This 2023 class is a great step forward for our program,” said head coach Pete Cuadrado. “We are not only getting players who will do big things on the field, they are going to be great for us off the field and in the classroom. Our staff is really looking forward to getting this group on campus.”
The complete 2023 class consists of the following standouts:
Isa Bergeron-Prejean
Bergeron-Prejean is a 5-3 defender from College Station. She is a two-year letter winner at A&M Consolidated High School. In 2021 for her high school, she was the Underclassman Captain for her team that placed third in district. In 2020 she was District Co-Offensive MVP and First Team All-District for a squad that finished second in district.
She also plays for Challenge Soccer Club, serving as the U-17 ECNL Captain last year.
Academically, she is a National Honor Society Inductee and found herself on the A-Honor Roll as a junior. She intends to pursue a kinesiology major at Tarleton.
Portia Gonzales
Gonzales is a 5-2 midfielder from Grand Prairie. She is a four-year letter winner for South Grand Prairie High School, making the All-District First Team twice. In 2022, she helped lead her squad to the district championship.
Gonzales also participates in varsity track and cross country. For the latter, she is a regional qualifier.
She plans to major in business at Tarleton.
Victoria Cameron
Cameron is a 5-5 forward from Stephenville, a four-year letter winner for the Honeybees. Her team has been undefeated on their way to the district championship three times in her four years at SHS. In 2022, she was All-District Offensive MVP and Honeybee Offensive MVP. In 2021 she was Overall District MVP and Texas Association of Soccer Coaches First Team All-Region Forward. In 2020, she was All-District Newcomer of the Year.
Cameron is a star on the track as well, a four-year letter winner in the 100-meter and 200-meter individual and relay. She was a two-time Honeybee Track MVP, two-time Texas Girls Coaches Association All-State in Track and a Track and Field All-Star. Last year, she was the state runner-up in the 100-meter, took bronze in the state’s 4 by 100-meter, and fifth place in the State 4 x 200-meter. In 2021, she was the state’s 100-meter champion, the state’s 200-meter runner-up, and made the Big Country Preps Track and Field Dream Team.
Academically, she is a three-time Academic All-District Award Winner and an AB Honor Roll student. She will major in kinesiology starting next year.
Ashlyn Novotny
Novotny is a 5-7 midfielder/forward from Lakewood, Colorado. She plays for Green Mountain High School and was a member of the Colorado Rapids Elite Clubs National League (ECNL). A three-year letter winner was All-Conference for Jefferson County after leading her team in goals and assists.
Outside of high school, she was Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program Colorado 2020 Regional Camp MVP, plus a Colorado Rapids Elite Clubs National League 05′ Starter
Academically, Novotny has been on the honor roll all four years. She won the 2022 Top of the Mountain Award, and was on the Ram Athlete Leadership Team four times at Green Mountain HS. She’ll study kinesiology at Tarleton.
Ella Massarotti
Also from Colorado, Massarotti is a 5’9 forward from Parker, where she attends Lutheran High School. She was a four-year letter winner there, named First Team All-Conference twice. In 2022, her team made the state’s final four after a quarterfinal run in 2021. The latter year, she was First Team All-State.
Massarotti also plays basketball at Lutheran HS, earning two letters. Her team was conference champions in 2021-22. She’ll major in biology when arriving in Stephenville.
Emma Barnes
Barnes is a 5-6 goalkeeper from Omaha, Nebraska. She is a three-year letter winner at Concordia High School, while also playing for Gretna Elite Academy (ECNL). Last season, she was on the Nebraska All-State Second Team after breaking the school record for career saves. In 2021, she was a Nebraska All-State honorable mention, breaking the school record for saves in a single-game during the year.
In the ECNL, she was a two-time national qualifier, named to the ECNL Midwest All-Conference Second Team last year. She is ranked No. 21 in the Top-Drawer Soccer Heartland Regional Player Rankings.
Barnes, a two-time academic letter winner, will major in computer science at Tarleton.
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