Auburn soccer adds depth with 2021 signing class

Auburn soccer adds depth with 2021 signing classAuburn soccer adds depth with 2021 signing class
Shanna Lockwood/AU Athletics

AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn soccer and head coach Karen Hoppa announced its 2021 signing class Monday, which includes seven student-athletes who are set to join the program next fall.
 
"We are really excited to add this 2021 class to our team," Hoppa said. "It gives us depth at every position except the goalkeeper position."
 
The class includes four midfielders, two defenders and one forward. Three signees hail from Texas with one apiece also coming from Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee.
 
"We really recruited them at the same time as the '20s," Hoppa added. "Think of these two classes together, we're excited to get them on the field together and we think this '21 class is going to make our team even better for next year."
 
The players who will join the Tigers in 2021 are listed below.
 

PlayerPos.HometownClub TeamHigh School
Micah BeasleyMFKlein, TexasChallenge SCConnections Academy
Haley DucaMFChelsea, Ala.Alabama FCChelsea
Layton GlissonFDacula, Ga.United FAHebron Christian Academy
LucyJames KnoxDBrentwood, Tenn.Tennessee SCBrentwood Academy
Jaycie SilhanDSpring, TexasChallenge SCKlein Oak
Carly ThatcherMFGreer, S.C.Carolina Elite SARiverside
Sydnie ThibodauxMFMontgomery, TexasHouston Dash SCLake Creek


Micah Beasley will make her way to Auburn from Klein, Texas, and is a product of Challenge SC, which has also produced current and former Tigers Alyssa Malonson and Jessie Gerow, among others.
 
An attacking center midfielder who can also play out wide, Beasley has earned recognition from the ECNL as she has been named an ECNL Player to Watch and to the ECNL Conference Selection Program.
 
Also a standout at the high school level, Beasley was named second team all-state and her team's offensive MVP. She has earned Top Drawer Soccer Winter State Stars honors in each of the last two seasons.
 

 
Haley Duca will stay in state to join the Tigers as she hails from Chelsea, Alabama, and is a product of Alabama FC and Chelsea High School.
 
A three-star center midfielder according to Top Drawer Soccer, Duca is a four-time team captain and two-time ECNL Conference Selection Program player for Alabama FC. She was named to the ODP State Team from 2015-17 and was also a 2016 ODP Region III Team honoree.
 
A three-year starter at Chelsea, Duca has tallied 156 points on 61 goals and 34 assists in her high school career. She has led her team to a pair of area championships and an AHSAA 6A State Championship runner-up finish in 2019. Duca is a two-time First Team All-State selection and was named a 2020 AHSAA North-South All Star as well as a 2018-19 Top Drawer Soccer Alabama State Star.
 

 
Layton Glisson will make her way to the Plains from Dacula, Georgia, and is a product of United FA, which also produced current and former Tigers M.E. Craven and Kala Faulkner.
 
A three-year player for United FA, Glisson is a three-star forward according to Top Drawer Soccer. She has earned ODP State Team and Region Team honors and has been invited to the US Youth Soccer ODP National Training Camp on a pair of occasions.
 
Glisson is also a track and field standout for Hebron Christian Academy and holds four school records in the 200 meter, 4x100 meter relay, 4x400 meter relay and long jump.
 

 
LucyJames Knox will come to Auburn from Brentwood, Tennessee, and is a product of Tennessee SC, which also produced Anna Haddock a season ago.
 
A defender for Brentwood Academy, Knox earned all-region honors in 2020. Along with soccer, she has helped lead the Brentwood track team to a trio of state championships while also competing in basketball and volleyball.  
 
Knox comes from a family of athletes as her mom, dad and two older brothers all competed at the collegiate level. Her brother, Dawson, is a tight end for the Buffalo Bills, while her other brother, Luke, is a linebacker at Ole Miss.  
 

 
Jaycie Silhan is a native of Spring, Texas, and a teammate of Beasley on Challenge SC.
 
An outside back who can play either side of the field, Silhan helped lead Challenge SC to the 2018 ECNL Texas Conference Championship and a pair of national playoff appearances in 2018 and 2019.
 
Along with excelling on the soccer field as a freshman and sophomore for Klein Oak High School, Silhan has also letter in track and volleyball. Primarily a defensive player, she totaled 15 points on four goals and seven assists in two seasons. Silhan was also the 2018 district triple jump champion, 2018 regional long jump qualifier and 2020 Houston Girls Jumper of the Year nominee.
 

 
Carly Thatcher hails from Greer, South Carolina, and is a product of Carolina Elite SA, which also produced Maggie Van Thullenar two seasons ago.
 
A three-star midfielder according to Top Drawer Soccer, Thatcher is a two-time Mid-Atlantic All Conference Team selection. She was invited to the 2018 ECNL National Training Camp and was named a 2018 Generation Adidas Olympique Lyonnais selection.
 
Thatcher is a three-time South Carolina 5A All-State Team honoree for Riverside High School and was named the team's offensive MVP in 2020. She was also named a 2019 Top Drawer Soccer Spring State Star.
 

 
Sydnie Thibodaux will join the program from Montgomery, Texas, and is a product of the Houston Dash Youth Academy.
 
A center midfielder who can play at any level, Thibodaux has been named a Top Drawer Soccer Girls DA Weekly Standout on six occasions in the last two seasons. She has totaled 23 goals in the last three seasons and has started in 82 of 86 games for the Dash during the span.