PORTLAND, Ore. --- The Portland Pilots women's soccer team signed three recruits to National Letters of Intent as Madison Carter (Boise, Idaho/Timberline HS), Destinee Noel Manzo (Santa Ana, Calif./Mater Dei HS) and Lily Schlake (Meridian, Idaho/Rocky Mountain HS) have all committed to the Pilots, announced first-year head coach Michelle French. All three will come to The Bluff as freshmen in the fall.
"As a staff we are thrilled to officially welcome Madison, Destinee, and Lily to the University of Portland!" said French. "With each of their unique strengths, we have no doubt they will have a positive impact on and off the field."
Madison Carter
5-11, F/MF
Boise, Idaho/Timberline HS
Club: FC Nova ECNL
Regional Ranking: 12th (Pacific Northwest)
Madison Carter, who was chosen for the Idaho ODP team in 2015 and 2016, plays club for FC Nova in the ECNL, and her U-15 team was ranked 32nd nationally. Carter was recognized as a Day 3 "Standout Performer" at the ECNL Houston Showcase in 2016, and that same year her team qualified for the ECNL National Championship Playoffs. Her club team also won three straight (2014, 2015, 2016) state cup titles. Ranked as the No. 12 recruit in the Pacific Northwest, Carter also participated in the iD2 national training camp in 2014.
With her Timberline High School team, Carter was named first-team all-conference last fall, and she nabbed second-team all-league accolades as a junior. She's also a two-time team offensive MVP selection, and she registered 17 goals and five assists during her senior campaign. Carter helped the Wolves to a third-place finish in state as a junior in 2016.
Carter on Portland: "I chose University of Portland because of the history and reputation of the women's soccer program. I love that the students become our biggest supporters on game day. The added bonus, is a fantastic education on a campus that felt like home the minute I got there!"
French on Carter: "Madison is a fantastic athlete who possesses the ability to beat players not only on the dribble but through combination play. Her vision on the ball lends her the opportunity to recognize and execute passes or shots from distance in the attacking half. With continued development, Madison has the opportunity to become an impact player in the WCC."
Destinee Noel Manzo
5-3, MF/F
Santa Ana, Calif./Mater Dei HS
Club: Slammers LAFC Academy
Destinee Noel Manzo has played for Slammers LAFC Academy for the past two years after previously competing in the ECNL with Slammers FC. Manzo won the U14 and U15 ECNL National Championship with Slammers FC, and her U-17 squad was an ECNL National Championship Bronze medalist. Manzo also played for both Cal South Pro+ ODP and Region IV ODP, and she won a pair of Region IV titles. She participated in multiple U.S. Soccer Training Centers from 2013-15, she was part of U.S. Club Soccer PDP Training in 2014, and she went to an iD2 national training camp in 2014.
Manzo has dual Mexican citizenship, and she was a U-15 Gold Medalist in the Veracruz Olimpiada Nacional in 2014, playing for Instituto de Los Mexicanos en El Exterior. She also was a U17 Bronze Medalist at the 2015 Nuevo Leon Olimpiada Nacional.
Manzo on Portland: "I chose UP not just because of the beautiful campus and the great soccer environment that it contains, but knowing that my class and I have the ability to put Portland back up on the map is really what excites me the most about attending UP this year"
French on Manzo: "Destinee is a proven constant threat in the final third of the field – whether she's whipping in a cross for her teammates, or she's finding a way to position herself in the box to finish. In Destinee, we are adding a player with a high-soccer IQ and a great attacking presence."
Lily Schlake
5-5, MF
Meridian, Idaho/Rocky Mountain HS
Club: FC Nova ECNL
Regional Ranking: 21st (Pacific Northwest)
Lily Schlake is a club teammate of fellow Portland recruit Madison Carter on FC Nova ECNL. The pair helped lead their club team to three state cup championships, and FC Nova won the 2016 Mountain West Conference title to become the first team from the club to make the ECNL Champions League. Schlake was named a U-17 Player to Watch in 2017, and in 2016 she was nominated for the ECNL Player Development Program for the Northwest Region. She played for the Region IV ODP, she was named Idaho Youth Soccer Association Player of the Month in June of 2016, and she was named to the 2016 ODP Region IV Championships Best 18.
Schlake helped lead the Rocky Mountain High School Grizzlies to a pair of runner-up finishes at state (2014, 2016), and they finished third in 2017. Schlake is a two-time first-team all-state selection, and she was a 2017 All-American West Region Nominee. She was also named to the all-league first team three times after earning honorable mention as a freshman.
Schlake on Portland: "I chose UP because there's no other school in the country with their kind of soccer culture, spirit & atmosphere. They take soccer very seriously on the bluff and I know that I can become the best player and student I can be by attending the University of Portland."
French on Schlake: "Lily has the skill-set to play both central and wide. She is a composed, smooth player on the ball, who fluidly connects passes and helps to dictate the tempo of a game, while also having the ability to create goal scoring opportunities from wide areas."
