CHICAGO — Chicago State head women's soccer coach Cristiano Costa announced five new additions to his incoming 2021 roster.
Yasmin Cardenas, Jayla Gage, Lynette Ocampo, Natalie Pacheco and Juliette Palechor will join the Cougars for Costa's fourth season as head coach.
Yasmin Cardenas
Position: Midfielder
Class: Freshman
Hometown: Houston, Texas
Previous School: Mac Arthur Senior High School
"Yasmin has the technical ability to react to any situation while making it look saucy and smooth. She will create a lot of problems for opponents. We are excited to see her journey at Chicago State."
Jayla Gage
Position: Forward
Class: Freshman
Hometown: Norwalk, California
Previous School: Santa Fe High School
"Jayla is an explosive and agile player who will help our team on the attack or defending on a high block. We are excited with her addition to our soccer family."
Lynette Ocampo
Position: Goalkeeper
Class: Senior
Hometown: Waukegan, Illinois
Previous School: Bryant & Stratton College
"Lynette is an athletic and great goalkeeper with the technical skills to help our team confidently play out from the back. We are beyond excited to have Lynette be part of the soccer program."
Natalie Pacheco
Position: Defender
Class: Freshman
Hometown: St. Charles, Illinois
Previous School: St. Charles North
"Natalie is a multi-positional defender that understands how to play possession style soccer and build out from the back. We are happy to have her be a part of our soccer program."
Juliette Palechor
Position: Midfielder
Class: Junior
Hometown: Gainesville, Florida
Previous School: Jackson College
"Juliette is a smart and versatile player that will help our team offensively and defensively. She will help the team keep possession and increase goal scoring chances. We are happy she is joining our program this fall."
About Chicago State
Chicago State University Athletics is comprised of 15 intercollegiate teams involving over 150 student-athletes that compete in basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis, indoor and outdoor track and volleyball. CSU held memberships in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and NCAA Division II before transitioning to NCAA Division I in 1994. Melvin Bland was the first CSU student athlete to gain NAIA All-American status in 1974 as a wrestler. Fred Evans became the first black swimmer ever to win a national championship in 1975. CSU's women's basketball team earned a spot in the 2011 Women's Basketball Invitational and CSU's men's basketball team won the 2013 Great West Conference Tournament title and made an appearance in the CollegeInside.com Postseason Tournament (CIT). The Men's Outdoor Track & Field 4x100-Meter Relay team were 2019 Honorable Mention All-Americans and WAC Champions. Their feat marked the first time the Chicago State's men's track & field program was represented at the national meet.
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