Coach Thomas and Soccer Sign Eight

Listen to @coachjimthomas' thoughts on the incoming class! #BleedBlue pic.twitter.com/TXRER3QvKn
— Boise State Soccer (@BroncoSportsSOC) November 14, 2018

BOISE, Idaho – The Boise State women's soccer team signed eight preps, Wednesday, head coach Jim Thomas announced.

Boise State will welcome Haley Apple, Lauren Bennett, Gabby Gillespie, Tori Gutierrez, Keile Hansen, Grace Kaufman-Fuller, Tatum Seastrander and Morgan Stone.

Apple, Bennett and Stone will join the team early at the beginning of January 2019 for the spring semester.

See below for full bios on each incoming player.

Haley Apple (Boise, Idaho | Timberline HS | FC Nova)
A local product from nearby Timberline HS, Haley Apple was named a first-team all-conference honoree in 2017 and 2018. She helped Timberline to a fourth-place finish at the state tournament as the Wolves finished the year 10-7-4.

Apple – an exceptional defender – showed her ability as an offensive threat in 2018, tallying six goals and seven assists for 19 points as a senior. She was named Timberline's defender of the year in 2016, 2017 and 2018 while also being named a team captain her junior and senior seasons.

Apple played club with FC Nova and was a four-time Idaho State Cup Champion. Other accomplishments with FC Nova included a special 2016 season that saw the team win the ECNL Northwest Conference Championship while being ranked as high as No. 20 in the nation.

A member of the National Honor Society, Apple also served on the Timberline Student Council as a junior and senior.

Coach Thomas' Thoughts…
"Haley is going to bolster our back line and give us a wonderful attacking option out of the outside back position. We're graduating two outside backs this year, so it's imperative that we refuel that area. Haley is a player that I've known for a number of years through her youth career. She'll give us some quality in the attack and is a lovely crosser and receiver of the ball."

Lauren Bennett (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. | Los Osos HS | Inland Empire Surf)
A talented goalkeeper from Southern California, Lauren Bennett will graduate early and join the Broncos in December. Bennett helped Los Osos to a 17-7-1 record and an appearance in the CIF Quarterfinals during the 2017-18 season.

Before her junior year was cut short due to injury, Bennett played in 15 games and tallied 10 shutouts while only giving up 10 goals. Bennett made 95 saves and was pivotal in Los Osos' victory in the championship game at the Excalibur Tournament, as the Grizzlies eventually won the game on penalty kicks, 4-2. The performance gave her all-tournament honors, as well.

Bennett played her club soccer with Inland Empire Surf in both the 2016 and 2017 seasons. She recorded 39 shutouts in 54 games over the course of 2017, ending the season with a 0.781 goals-against-average. The Surf won the 2017 United States Youth Soccer National President's Cup in large thanks to Bennett's performance in net as the game went to penalty kicks. She ended up stopping four PKs in what ended up going nine rounds to give the Surf the win.

An excellent student, Bennett has maintained a 3.9 GPA throughout high school.

Coach Thomas' Thoughts…
"Lauren is a really interesting prospect out of Southern California. She's an unbelievable athlete that will play in goal for us this year with tremendous upside. A huge project for us when it comes to building her up to be the elite goalkeeper we feel she can be, but an exciting prospect all the same. She has some unbelievable intangibles that I think Ed is going to have a lot of fun bringing onto the field in the near future."

Gabby Gillespie (Redlands, Calif. | Redlands HS | Pateadores SC)
Gabby Gillespie will play for the Broncos after a solid prep career in Southern California. She graduated from Redlands HS and was named the team's offensive player of the year in 2016.

She played her club soccer for Pateadores SC and was excellent as a forward. Gillespie scored eight goals over the course of 29 games in the 2017-18 club season and was also effective this past season (2018-19), finding the back of the net three times in just seven games.

She was named the player of the year in her club on multiple occasions and helped Pateadores win the Slammers FC Players Cup in 2016.

Coach Thomas' Thoughts…
"Gabby is an all-purpose attacking player. She could be an attacking midfielder, central forward, left or right forward, and she's currently playing right back for her club team, so she is the kind of player with the athleticism and technique that can play anywhere on the park, but one that we really feel will play in the front four for us and be so mobile that it will hard to pick which position she will play at any one time."

Tori Gutierrez (Goodyear, Ariz. | Trivium Prep Academy | SC del Sol)
Tori Gutierrez comes to Boise State from Goodyear, Ariz., where she was most recently named the region player of the year and region defensive player of the year after leading Trivium Prep Academy to a runner-up performance at the 2017-18 state championship. Ranked No. 1 in the state for almost the entirety of the season, Gutierrez and the Knights finished with an impressive 18-3-3 record last season.

A team captain as a junior goalkeeper, Gutierrez secured 10 shutouts and tallied an astronomical amount of saves (344) to lead the state in the category. She and Trivium Prep were also successful in 2016-17, as she secured 14 shutouts and helped the team to a 15-1 record as a sophomore. Gutierrez was an all-state selection both years, as well.

She played club for SC del Sol and was a captain under head coach Ally Maxwell. Gutierrez has also been excellent in the classroom as a three-time honor student her freshman, sophomore and junior years.

Coach Thomas' Thoughts…
"Our second goalkeeper of the group. Obviously graduated Janelle a year ago and we're now graduating Tara, so it's important we begin to rebuild that stable. Tori is an incredibly athletic player. She's a player that could play on the field for us with the kind of speed and agility she's got… So we're excited to get her involved playing out of the back and holding a high line almost as a sweeper, and adding a new dynamic to our goalkeeping core."

Keile Hansen (Bothell, Wash. | Henry M. Jackson HS | Greater Seattle Surf)
A dynamic forward, Keile Hansen just wrapped up her senior season at Jackson HS where she guided the Timberwolves to a 13-1-1 record and an appearance in the state tournament. She scored 19 goals and tallied five assists in 2018.

Hansen was named second-team all-conference in 2016 and was a key part in Jackson's four-straight WESCO Conference titles from 2015-18.

She played with Greater Seattle Surf on the club level and was a three-time state champion. The team captured the 2017 Super Black Surf Cup Championship and the 2018 Far West Regional League Championship.

A well-rounded student-athlete, Hansen has been a member of the National Honor Society, school congress and link crew, along with being consistently recognized on the Principle Honor Roll.

Coach Thomas' Thoughts…
"Keile is going to add some diversity to the way we play. She's currently a player that is a nine as a striker, but has the ability to play wide back – where we recruited her, and her club coach would tell you she's best at holding midfielder, so she's going to be an exciting player for us to try to find the best home for her to fit into. She has athleticism, skill and the ability to attack, which is really a definition of all three of those positions at Boise State."

Grace Kaufman-Fuller (Tucson, Ariz. | Salpointe Catholic HS | FC Tucson)
A talented defender, Grace Kaufman-Fuller has most recently buoyed an elite Salpointe Catholic HS team to back-to-back state championships in 2016-17 and 2017-18. Most recently as a junior, Kaufman-Fuller was recognized as a first-team all-region honoree along with earning all-conference honors, as well.

Last season's state title run included a 19-1-1 record with 15 shutouts thanks to the efforts of Kaufman-Fuller and the Lancer defense. Achieving a top-50 national ranking for much of the 2017-18 season, Salpointe Catholic gave up just eight goals over the course of the 21 games.

A four-year member on the varsity team, Kaufman-Fuller played her club soccer with FC Tucson where she and the team were semifinalists at the NPL National Championships in 2017.

Off the field, Kaufman-Fuller has been an active member of her school's athletic training club – most recently serving as the president – along with completing other volunteer and leadership work. She was on the honor roll her freshman and sophomore years, and now is member of the honors humanities program.

Coach Thomas' Thoughts…
"Grace is going to be an elite athlete in the Mountain West for the next four years. We're super excited about where she's going to play and how she's going to influence us. Be it at the center back position, you'll see a player joining from the attack, getting into the midfield level, maybe becoming a playmaker or even a goal scorer as a center back. As a wide back she's going to be joining the attack all day long with tremendous amount of passing range and crossing ability, and the speed to beat people on the edge."

Tatum Seastrand (Boise, Idaho | Bishop Kelly HS | Boise Thorns FC)
Another local product from nearby Bishop Kelly HS, Tatum Seastrand comes to Boise State after helping the Knights to three-straight state championships from 2016-18.

An honorable mention selection to the 2017 all-conference team, Seastrand and the Knights recently completed a 2018 season where they went 17-1 and scored 109 goals while only giving up 15. Bishop Kelly also won the district championship in four-straight seasons from 2015-18.

Seastrand also competed for the Knight cross country and track and field teams, most recently helping the cross country squad to the 2018 state title – her second state title of the 2018 fall season.
She played club soccer for Boise Thorns FC and where her and the Thorns won regionals and state multiple times and qualified for the national playoffs under head coach Tom Fetzer.

Coach Thomas' Thoughts…
"Tatum is a former youth player of mine and one with an incredible will to press. We've defined ourselves by the ability to defend the front three and four, and Tatum is a system player. She knows how to press within the system we have and she knows how to turn things into attacking plays. She has an unbelievable third lung and will never ever stop running, the pace to get behind and the will to get on the end of through balls."

Morgan Stone (Boulder, Colo. | Boulder HS | FC Boulder)
Morgan Stone comes to the Treasure Valley from Boulder, Colo., where she competed as a prep for Boulder HS. The Panthers logged a 10-6-1 record last season as Stone ended up with four goals and five assists (13 points) playing in the midfield.

Stone was an all-state honorable mention selection and a second-team all-conference pick as a junior. She has been a varsity starter since her freshman season in 2016.

Her club soccer was played with FC Boulder under head coach Fields Brown. Stone helped the team to a PDT Championship, a Desert Premier League Championship and were State Cup Finalists in 2016 and 2018.

Stone has maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout high school and has made the honor roll each year.

Coach Thomas' Thoughts…
"Morgan is actually going to join us in January, and give us the opportunity to work and prepare her for the fall season. She's a player that has all kinds of ability and can play in any level on the field. She'll probably end up in holding midfielder or center back roles, but we're projecting her as a holding midfielder. She's got some lovely ability on the ball and is a wonderful joiner of the attack – can spray passes, shoot and join in combinations. She's a player we're expecting to make a big impact in the first year of her playing here."

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