KANSAS CITY, MO (Aug. 5, 2025) – United Soccer Coaches has announced Defenders on its NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Players to Watch lists for the 2025 intercollegiate season.

The lists are compiled and released by the Division I All-America Committees to promote college soccer leading up to the official start date for the regular season later this month. The lists include United Soccer Coaches All-Americans and All-Region players from 2024 who are scheduled to return for the 2025 season.

“Entering the 2025 season, these previous honorees represent some of the best at their positions,” said Ralph Polson, Senior College All-America Administrator. “As pre-season training opens, we are pleased to recognize these outstanding student-athletes from our member schools. I would like to thank Jennifer Rockwood, DI Women’s All-America Chair, Ryan Hopkins, DI Men’s All-America Chair, and their respective committees for their efforts in compiling these lists.”

Here is the schedule for all position announcements: August 1 – Goalkeepers
August 5 – Defenders
August 8 – Midfielders
August 12 – Forwards

2025 NCAA Division I Women’s Players to Watch – Defenders Name Class School Hometown
Jasmine Aikey Sr. Stanford University Palo Alto, Calif.
Bella Ayscue So. Penn State University Apex, N.C.
Natalie Bain Sr. Xavier University Alexandria, Ky.
Hailey Baumann Jr. University of Wisconsin South Lyon, Mich.
Macy Blackburn Sr. Texas Tech University Keller, Texas
Ava Bramblett Jr. Ohio State University  Noblesville, Ind.
Carolina Castans Jr. University of Kansas Flower Mound, Texas
Anna Champine Sr. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee St. Charles, Ill.
Karsyn Cherry Jr. University of Louisville Lafayette, Ind.
Quinn Cornog Sr. TCU Dallas, Texas
Elise Evans Sr. Stanford University Redwood City, Calif.
Gracie Falla Sr. University of South Carolina Hattiesburg, Miss.
Avery Frishknecht Jr. BYU Mapleton, Utah
Sallie Garner Jr. Liberty University Mathews, N.C.
Heather Gilchrist Sr. Florida State University Boulder, Colo.
Jayde Holley Jr. University of California Davis Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.
Maggie Illig Sr. Michigan State University Troy, Mo.
Kyra Karfonta Sr. University of Dayton South Lyon, Mich.
Leah Klenke Sr. University of Notre Dame Houston, Texas
Maddie Kolb Sr. University of New Hampshire Tolland, Conn.
Ashlynn Kulha Jr. Old Dominion University Holly Springs, N.C.
Faith Leyba Jr. University of Colorado Phoenix, Ariz.
Katana Norman Sr. TCU Arcadia, Calif.
Cameron Roller Jr. Duke University Sherman, Texas
Ellie Simmons Sr. University at Buffalo Arlington, Va.
Kolo Suliafu Sr. University of Washington Ontario, Calif.
Heidi Thomasma Sr. Western Michigan University Grand Rapids, Mich.
Mimi Van Zanten Jr. Florida State University Buffalo Grove, Ill.
Kaelyn Wolfe Jr. Penn State University West Chester, Pa.
Brooklyn Woods Sr. Indiana State University Waukee, Iowa          

2025 NCAA Division I Men’s Players to Watch – Defenders Name Class School Hometown
Jefferson Amaya Sr. High Point University Charlotte, N.C.
Elijah Bishop Jr. University of Central Arkansas Aurora, Colo.
Dren Dobruna So. University of Dayton (Siena) Waterbury, Conn.
Jace Foster Sr. Oakland University Mississauga, Ont. Giuliano
Fravolini Whitchurch Sr. Princeton University San Diego, Calif.
Takahiro Fujita Jr. Marshall University Nara, Japan
Jackson Gilman Sr. University of Pittsburgh Schwenksville, Pa.
Eskil Gjerde Sr. Drake University Egersund, Norway
Noah Gold Sr. College Of Charleston Germantown, Md.
Jack Jasinski Sr. Princeton University Charlotte, N.C.
Andrew Johnson Sr. Cornell University Philadelphia, Pa.
Aidan Kelly Sr. University of Massachusetts Belfast, Northern Ireland
Zack Lillington Sr. University of California Davis Fairfax, Calif.
Clarence Loriot Sr. University of New Hampshire Creteil, France
Alex Matthews Sr. Missouri State University Derbyshire, England
Nolan Miller Sr. University of Michigan Troy, Mich.
Calle Mollerberg Jr. University of California Santa Barbara Stockholm, Sweden
Luka Nikolai  Jr. University of North Carolina Kaarst, Germany
Parker Owens Jr. Cal Poly Southlake, Texas
Rai Pinto Jr. Marshall University Porto, Portugal
Christian Shannon Sr. Western Michigan University St. Joseph, Mich.
Casper Svendby Sr. University of Pittsburgh Drammen, Norway

   
These positional announcements also lead up to the 2025 watch lists for the prestigious Missouri Athletic Club’s Hermann Trophy on the official start date for regular season games on August 14 (women) and August 21 (men). The MAC Hermann Trophy is presented annually to the Division I National Players of the Year as voted by Division I College Coaches at the end of the regular season. The 2025 recipients will be announced on January 9, 2026, in St. Louis, Mo.