KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – Options in the attack and in the midfield will be crucial to the success of the Oregon Tech women's soccer team as the club is finishing their second week of fall camp.
 
The Lady Owls will feature a roster of 32 players in 2024, including 19 players who will compete for spots in the midfield and the attacking third – with head coach Tom Moore having solid options between returners, transfers and incoming freshmen. The group will look to improve on an offense that averaged just over one goal per game a season ago.
 
"The talent depth we have is much better this year," Moore said. "Instead of nine players playing back-to-back 90-minute games, we will be able to go deeper into our bench with more quality.  Training has been much more competitive across the board; we are competitively challenging each other in a much better developmental way."
 
Tech will look to seniors Shalynai Naputi and Kayla Ness up top to shoulder the load early in the season. Naputi led the Owls in shots in 2023, finishing the year with two goals and three assists, while Ness makes the move from a midfield slot to a forward.
 
Sophomore Makahl Chambers and senior Mya Raunig have a year under their belt in the Tech system and will be in the mix after spending 2023 as reserve forwards. Two others – freshmen Caitlin Price and Tiffany Humpherys – are pushing the returners. Price was an All-Tri County Conference pick at Ponderosa High in California, while Humpherys was a state-champion track athlete at Twin Falls High in Idaho, while also earning All-Great Basin Conference honors on the pitch.
 
On the wing, Tech returns a pair of All-Cascade Conference selections in seniors Brianna Lewis and Kiah Wetzell. Lewis made the move from an outside back role last season and finished the campaign with four goals and three assists, with Wetzell, who missed last year due to injury, looks to regain the form that led to 14 goals and eight assists between the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
 
Freshman Raeah Raymondo won an Oahu Interscholastic Association title last year while at Campbell High in Hawaii, with junior transfer Sydney Soskis of Peninsula CC filling up the stat sheet, scoring seven goals with 11 helpers, en route to All-NWAC honors. Both provide key depth for the Owls.
 
"We have a plethora of returning players who will be ready, willing and able to score goals after a year in this system," Moore said. "We have added a few freshmen who I think will really surprise some people and am very excited to see what we can create in the attack."
 
In the central midfield, returning starters Kiana Jacobson and Miranda Valle will be key to the Owls success. Jacobson had a big junior year, earning All-CCC honors after leading the team with five goals scored, while Valle, a junior, added a goal and an assist.
 
Two other returners – junior Kaelin Ness and redshirt freshman Emily Johnson – will be looking to see extended minutes, along with newcomers Caneel Corpuz and Layne Lively. Ness played in eight games as a sophomore, with Johnson fully healthy after missing 2023 due to injury. Corpuz heads to Tech after a great career at Peninsula CC, earning All-NWAC honors last fall – scoring nine goals with five assists. Lively, from Ferndale High in Washington, helped her team to the 2A state semifinals, earning All-Northwest Conference honors.
 
At the holding mid spot, look for senior Jissel Valencia-Mendez to be a key option after splitting time between a starter and a reserve over the past two years. Transfer Jazmine Campbell, an All-NWAC pick at Lower Columbia CC, along with freshman Taylor Gonzales, from King Kekaulike Na Aii High in Hawaii, will be pushing for playing time.
 
"We are looking for our returners to bring great experience in controlling the middle of the field," Moore said. "We have added a few transfers who will get their chance to have a great impact, and our freshmen brought some very good talent and competitive edge that will produce this Fall and for many years to come."
 
Picked seventh out of 13 CCC teams in the league's preseason poll, the Owls are looking to climb the table in 2024 – with six non-conference match-ups on the docket before the league opener on Sept. 20.
 
"Our goal is to continue the culture we've developed over the last year," Moore said. "The group is really coming together and seems to genuinely enjoy playing the game. We need to learn from and build off last season's experiences, whether fortunate or unfortunate, putting the best possible product on the field."