GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Tusculum women's soccer coach Mike Joy has announced the commitment of 10 student-athletes to attend the school and play soccer for the Pioneers.
Among this year's commitment class are five local players, with a total of two attackers, four midfielders, three defenders and a goalkeeper in the group. The Pioneers lost five seniors to graduation following last season, which saw the team compile a 10-7-1 overall record and advance to the South Atlantic Conference semifinals before being eliminated in overtime by eventual national runner-up Carson-Newman.
Joy, who will begin his 22nd season with the Pioneers in the fall of 2018, is the winningest women's soccer coach in Tusculum and SAC history with 261 victories and has guided the Pioneers to 20 consecutive seasons without a losing record.
"I am very excited about our 2018 class. We graduated five starters in 2017 and we will be looking for great things from this signing class to help us this next season and beyond," said Joy, who has 347 victories in 26 seasons as a collegiate coach. "We need to be better in the attack, and I believe we have helped address those needs with these signees. Three of our starting defenders are rising seniors, thus we are bringing in a talented group of defenders to help us reload. Graduation hurt us most in the midfield and I believe that our incoming midfield group will compete right away."
Three of the incoming recruits were members of the two-time TSSAA state championship team at Greeneville High School: midfielder Elissa McIntosh and defenders Katlyn Jones and Elizabeth McIntosh. The trio played for former Tusculum head coach and Sports Hall of Fame member John Eiskamp, and claimed Class A-AA state titles in 2015 and 2016 along with a runner-up finish in 2017.
Elissa McIntosh, a 5-8 midfielder, was a two-time All-District and two-time All-Region selection at Greeneville High School. She was team MVP and Offensive Player of the Year this season and was an All Star Game selection. McIntosh, who won state and region championship with the Greeneville Galaxy club team, will major in nursing at Tusculum.
Elizabeth McIntosh, a 5-6 defender, also earned All-District and All-Region honors with Greeneville High School and was named team Defensive Most Valuable Player. McIntosh was also a state All-Star Game selection and was named All-State and Co-Defensive Player of the Year following the 2017 season. McIntosh also played for the Greeneville Galaxy state and regional championship teams. She will major in elementary education.
Jones, a 5-7 defender, is no stranger to Tusculum as she is the daughter of head baseball coach and director of athletics Doug Jones. She joined the McIntosh sisters as All-District and All-Region selections the past two seasons, and also earned defensive MVP honors in 2016. Jones was District Rookie of the Year in 2014, and was a member of the state and region championship club teams with the Greeneville Galaxy. She has not decided on a major.
Two more local players, forward Caleigh Norton and defender Halea Murphy, were key parts of the Chuckey-Doak girls soccer team that won District and Sectional championships this past season and advanced to the TSSAA Class A state semifinals.
Norton, a 5-1 striker, recorded 27 goals and nine assists for the Black Knights last season, earning All-State and Region 1 Offensive MVP honors. Norton was also District Player of the Year and earned team MVP honors. She is undecided on a major at Tusculum.
Murphy, a 5-4 defender, received the team 100 percent award after starting for the Chuckey-Doak team that finished 13-7-1 overall and was eliminated from the TSSAA Class A Tournament on an overtime goal in the state semifinals.
"We have incoming players from across the nation and Canada, but we also have five of our local players that have great resumes and come to us from championship programs," said Joy. "I am very excited to have those players stay here in our community."
Bailey Bosler is a 5-6 goalkeeper from Waterloo, Illinois. She helped Waterloo High School to an 11-6-3 record last spring and a regional championship, earning team MVP honors. Bosler plans to major in chemistry at Tusculum.
Chayse Stonebraker is a 5-5 outside midfielder from Brownsboro, Texas. She played club soccer for the D'Feeters Soccer Club team in the Elite Clubs National League. Stonebraker intends to major in physical therapy at Tusculum.
Jamila Thombs is a 5-8 forward from Toronto, Ontario. Her sister, Jenique, played 50 games in her career for the Pioneers from 2010 to 2014, scoring four goals and five assists for 13 points. Thombs was the leading scorer for Schoolcraft College in Livonia, Michigan last season, scoring 21 goals and 47 points in 16 matches to rank in the top 25 in scoring in the NJCAA and lead the team to the Division I Championship tournament.
Kaitlyn Watson is a 5-3 attacking midfielder from Murfreesboro, Tennessee. She was high school MVP at Stewarts Creek High School, where she helped the Red Hawks to a 12-6-1 overall record and the District 7-AAA semifinals. Watson was a member of the state cup finalist team for the Murfreesboro Strikers.
Ellie Wray is a 5-8 center midfielder from Charlottesville, Virginia. She was second-team All-District and All-Conference last season, and is a four-year starter at Monticello High School. A team captain, Wray was a recipient of the team's Varsity Commitment Award in 2016. She will major in nursing at Tusculum.
2018 Tusculum Women's Soccer Commitments
| Name | Pos. | Ht. | Hometown/Previous School |
| Bailey Bosler | GK | 5-6 | Waterloo, Ill./Waterloo HS |
| Katlyn Jones | D | 5-7 | Greeneville, Tenn./Greeneville HS |
| Elizabeth McIntosh | D | 5-6 | Greeneville, Tenn./Greeneville HS |
| Elissa McIntosh | MF | 5-8 | Greeneville, Tenn./Greeneville HS |
| Halea Murphy | D | 5-4 | Greeneville, Tenn./Chuckey-Doak HS |
| Caleigh Norton | A | 5-1 | Greeneville, Tenn./Chuckey-Doak HS |
| Chayse Stonebraker | MF | 5-5 | Brownsboro, Texas/Brownsboro HS |
| Jamila Thombs | A | 5-8 | Toronto, Ont/Schoolcraft College |
| Kaitlyn Watson | MF | 5-3 | Murfreesboro, Tenn./Stewarts Creek HS |
| Ellie Wray | MF | 5-8 | Charlottesville, Va./Monticello HS |