HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky head women's soccer coach Bob Sheehan has announced the signing of eight student-athletes to the program. Joining the Norse for the 2020 season will be Lauren Deckert, Kamryn Keehan, Allison King, Mickayla Kowalski, Emily Tirey, Alexis Trammel, Kaya Vogt and Sofia Wilmes.

"I would like to thank my assistant coach Steve Bornhoffer for all of his efforts in helping to put this outstanding recruiting class together," said Sheehan. "This class is loaded with excellent players in every position. We expect this group to compete right away."

Lauren Deckert
Deckert won't be moving far to join the Norse. The Fort Thomas, Kentucky native played at Highlands High School as a center back under head coach Alex Dean, where the team finished 20-4-5 this season. Deckert has been named to the Kentucky All-State team twice and is the 2019 Kentucky East Player of the Year. She is also a 2018-19 Allstate/MaxPreps Soccer All-American.

Coach Sheehan on Deckert: "Lauren is a center back with great size and ball-winning abilities.  She can play a variety of positions due to her overall high-level technical skill set and footwork."

Kamryn Keehan
Keehan will join her sister Kiley as a Norse next season after playing for Walnut Hills High School and the Cincinnati Development Academy. In her two seasons at Walnut Hills, the forward netted 14 goals and contributed 13 assists for the team. In the past, she's been named to the second team All-State and the All-Cincinnati first team.

Coach Sheehan on Keehan: "Kam has a terrific skill set with abilities to connect passes, take on and beat people, and score goals."

Allison King
King will arrive at NKU from Twinsburg High School in Twinsburg, Ohio. The forward has been no stranger to scoring at the high-school level, sending 49 shots into the net over the past two seasons. She's been named to the first team All-State in each of the last two years and is a Suburban League Player of the Year. For the 2018 season, she was named the Greater Akron Player of the Year after she led the Tigers to a 21-1 overall record and reached the Division I state semifinals.

Coach Sheehan on King: "Alli is a goalscorer who has led her team to new heights in the past several years. She makes well timed runs and is quick and crafty in scoring goals."

Mickayla Kowalski
A Harrison, Ohio native, Kowalski commits to NKU after a four-year career at Badin High School. As a goalkeeper, she has over 300 career saves for the Rams and is coming off a season where she was named the 2019 Greater Catholic League Central Division Player of the Year. She was also named to the second team All-State in 2018 and the All-GCL first team in 2017, 2018 and 2019. Kowalski was part of one of the best youth squads in the country in 2018, playing for Jay Kiley's TFA Elite team, which finished third in the US Youth Soccer National Championships. Following her efforts there, she was awarded the Golden Glove award for best goalkeeper in the 17U division.

Coach Sheehan on Kowalski: "Mick has excellent size and range. She has played at a high level and has the ability to make game-changing saves."

Emily Tirey
Tirey is a defender from Oak Hills High School in Cincinnati. She has been named to the Cincinnati Enquirer Fall All-Stars first team, the first team All-Greater Miami Conference in her sophomore and junior seasons, and second team All-State. She was also the 2016 Greater Miami Conference Rookie of the Year following a 17-2 campaign by Oak Hills. Although she missed her senior season to injury, Tirey has 11 goals and eight assists over the course of three years.  

Coach Sheehan on Tirey: "Emily is a no nonsense and take-charge defender. She does a lot of the little things in defending correctly and understands her position well."

Alexis Trammel
Trammel is a Liberty Township, Ohio native out of Lakota East High School. In her four years of high-school play, the outside back has 13 goals. She has played for David Robertson's Cincinnati Development Academy team, which was a USYS National League second-place state cup finalist.

Coach Sheehan on Trammel: "Alexis is a terrific athlete who can play a variety of positions. She brings a nice blend of toughness and athleticism to the field."

Kaya Vogt
Vogt, a Cincinnati native, joins the Norse after playing for West Clermont High School under Amy Kemmer. The forward is coming off a rousing senior season where she lead the Wolves to a 10-4-4 record. Her 20 goals and 51 points on the year were the most in the Eastern Cincinnati Conference. She is a 2017 and 2019 member of the All-Eastern Cincinnati Conference first team and a second team all-state selection.

Coach Sheehan on Vogt: "Kaya is an exceptionally gifted attacking player and playmaker. She possesses excellent vision and a skill set to match and has demonstrated the ability to score outstanding goals."

Sofia Wilmes
Wilmes is another Cincinnati product joining the Norse and comes from Colerain High School, where she played as a forward under coach Felicia Waldock. She has 34 goals and 19 assists in her four-year career and was named to the Greater Miami Conference first team during the past two seasons. She's also a 2018 and 2019 All-Southwest Ohio member and was named the MVP of the Southwest Ohio All-Star game. Wilmes played alongside Kowalski for TFA Elite, where she helped the squad to a third-place finish at the US Youth Soccer National Championships.

Coach Sheehan on Wilmes: "Sofia brings tremendous pace and athleticism to the attack. She possesses a special ability to run behind defenses and score goals."