EVANSVILLE, Ind. –Former High School All-America Watch List member and three-time Evansville Courier & Press Metro Player of the Year Ryleigh Anslinger (Evansville, Ind./Memorial) has announced that she will continue her playing career at the University of Evansville beginning this fall.  She will have three years of eligibility remaining.

Anslinger, who played her freshman year at Indiana University, will return home to Evansville where she had a star-studded career at nearby Memorial High School. Anslinger was a two-time first-team all-state selection for the Tigers, while earning three Metro Player of the Year honors.  She was also three-time all-district and led the city of Evansville in both goals and assists in 2018-19.  Anslinger helped Memorial to a state title in 2017, while also helping the Indiana Fire Juniors South to a state club title as well.

"Ryleigh's resume speaks for itself and what she has accomplished in Evansville," said Pfau.  "To have her come back home and play at UE is incredible.

"I believe that there is even more in Ryleigh and the best is yet to come.  She can play nearly anywhere on the field and change the game."

At UE, Anslinger will team with fellow Evansville native Kaylee Woosley in the Purple Aces' incoming class.  Woosley earned three first-team all-city honors at nearby Evansville North High School, while being the 20^th-ranked recruit in the Great Lakes Region according to Top Drawer Soccer.

"To have both Anslinger and Woosley attend UE and play soccer is not only exciting for UE, but also exciting for the Evansville community," said Pfau.  "The Evansville community will be able to continue to watch these incredibly talented players that they have followed throughout their high school careers.

"Both players believe in what we are trying to accomplish on and off the field.  They both believe that they have the talent to continue to push our program.  I want to build something special at UE, and I believe in order to do that, we need to keep talented local players like Anslinger and Woosley at UE."

Anslinger and Woosley join a diverse recruiting class for Pfau and the Purple Aces, featuring Indiana natives Amy Velazquez (Avon, Ind./Avon HS) and Ella McAndrew (Greendale, Ind./Lawrenceburg HS), first-team all-Ohio standout Paige Radel (Metamora, Ohio/Evergreen), Southwest stars Chrysta Vasquez (Henderson, Nev./Coronado HS) and Isabel Valdez (Phoenix, Ariz./Desert Vista HS), Texas native Kathryn Tyler (Lantana, Texas/Liberty Christian HS), and Floridian Joelle Haines (Jacksonville, Fla./IMG Academy). 

"This incoming class is an incredibly talented and deep class that UE and our soccer program has been able to attract," said Pfau.  "We were ranked for most of the year, and as high as fifth for part of the year, and this group of players coming in wants to build on that success.

"With the strong academic reputation of the University, it shows that our program can attract some of the best student-athletes in the Evansville area, as well as across the country.  That is a credit to President Pietruszkiewicz, the administration and the faculty at the University of Evansville."

Evansville is coming off of a season in which the Purple Aces began with the best start in program history, ranked as high as #5 in the United Soccer Coaches Midwest Region poll, and earned a spot in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament finals.