Feb. 7, 2018
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vanderbilt soccer and head coach Darren Ambrose are pleased to welcome a five member signing class on Wednesday with Madi Allen, Mairin Boyle, Peyton Cutshall, Raegan Kelley and Ella Shamburger all signing National Letters of Intent.
“We are thrilled to continue to bring in competitive-minded, intelligent, and hardworking student athletes to our program,” head coach Darren Ambrose said. “We feel this class covers a lot of needs in our program with the graduation of such a large and impactful senior group. We can’t wait for them to arrive in Nashville and join the Vanderbilt community. We expect them to represent Vanderbilt on and off of the field in a first class manner, just as they have done to this point in their careers.”
The Commodores are coming off an historic season and postseason run in 2017, posting a record of 13-7-2 (6-3-1 SEC) in Coach Ambrose’s third year leading the team. Vanderbilt finished fourth in the SEC standings, made the SEC Tournament semifinals, reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2006 and won an NCAA Tournament match for the first time since 1998. The team’s 2018 spring season is highlighted by a group trip to Japan this May.
Introducing Vanderbilt Soccer’s 2018 Signees:
Coach Ambrose on Madi Allen: “Madi is a ball winning midfield player who is very dominant in the air. She will be effective on both sides of the ball on dead balls. She is also fearless in the tackle and we hope to see her develop into a mainstay in our midfield over her career.”
Bio:
- Born May 10, 2000 in Orlando, Florida
- Full Name: Madison Grace Allen
- Prefers to be called: Madi
- Parents: Tom and Jeannie Allen
- Has two siblings, Sarah and Josh
- Twitter: @MadisonGAllen
On-Field Accomplishments:
- Two-time state champion at Oviedo High School (2016, 2017)
- 2017 Top Drawer Soccer All-State and All-Region Team
- 2017 Orlando Sentinel Central Florida Player of the Year
- 2017 Spectrum Sports Player of the Year
- 2017 Esmark High School All-American
- Two-time Seminole Athletic Conference first-team (2016, 2017)
- 2017 Florida State Cup Champion with Florida Kraze Krush club team
Personal:
- Chose Vanderbilt because “I wanted to pursue my academics at the highest level while playing the sport I love. Vanderbilt gives me the best of both worlds.”
- Favorite sports team is Orlando City SC. Favorite sport other than soccer is volleyball.
- Favorite soccer player is Alex Morgan, favorite athlete in another sport is Kerri Walsh Jennings.
- Favorite movie is Toy Story. Favorite musical performer is Ed Sheeran.
- Dream date is Kris Bryant. Bucket list item is traveling out of the country.
- Chose Vanderbilt over Auburn and Oklahoma.
Coach Ambrose on Mairin Boyle: “Mairin is a clever, athletic central player with a very high soccer IQ. She has great technique and can break teams down on the dribble or with the last pass. She also possesses great movement off of the ball. She is fun to watch and we think she will be a great complement to our midfield this fall.”
Bio:
- Born July 23, 2000 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Full Name: Mairin Ainsile Boyle [Pronunciation: Mare-renn]
- Nickname: Mair
- Parents: John and Joanne Boyle
- Has two younger siblings, sister Aislinn and brother Callan
- Twitter: @Mairin_Boyle
On-Field Accomplishments:
- 2017 Ontario Cup champion and national silver medalist with Burlington Bayhawks club team
- 2016 Ontario Cup finalist with Burlington Bayhawks club team
- 2016 and 2017 team captain for Burlington Bayhawks club team
- 2016 Burlington Youth Soccer Club Player of the Year
Personal:
- Chose Vanderbilt because “I want to play and develop at the highest level while obtaining an incredible degree, Vanderbilt offers exactly that.”
- Ran track and field in high school, Ontario Provincial silver medalist in the 4×100 relay.
- Father played soccer at Georgia State, Mother played soccer at the University of Toronto.
- Favorite sports team is Toronto FC. Favorite sport other than soccer is track.
- Favorite soccer player is Christine Sinclair, favorite athlete in another sport is Auston Matthews.
- Favorite musical performers are Luke Bryan and Zac Brown Band. Favorite aspect of Nashville is country music.
- Bucket list item is winning a conference title and national championship.
- Favorite hobbies away from soccer are boating and baking.
- Chose Vanderbilt over Ole Miss.
Coach Ambrose on Peyton Cutshall: “Peyton has played almost every position with her club team in the past two years. That adaptability will allow her to compete to be on the field early this fall. She can score goals and can play with her back to goal. She is also a big presence in the air. Peyton could see time as a midfielder or up front this fall given her skill set. She is tough and is an extremely competitive young lady.”
Bio:
- Born March 23, 2000 in Houston, Texas
- Full Name: Peyton Riley Cutshall
- Parents are Jeff and Colleen Cutshall
- Twitter: @PCutshall192
On-Field Accomplishments:
- 2017 first-team All-Region at Atascocita High School
- Three-time first-team All-District at Atascocita High School (2015-2017)
- Three-time Varsity team MVP at Atascocita High School (2015-2017)
- Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) National Training Camp Participant
- Two time VYPE Houston Player of the Year nominee (2016, 2018)
- Three-year captain with Challenge Soccer Club ECNL team
Personal:
- Chose Vanderbilt because of the “Incredible education with the opportunity to play soccer under the instruction of Coach Darren Ambrose and the Vanderbilt coaching staff.”
- Favorite sports team is the Houston Rockets. Favorite sport other than soccer is basketball.
- Favorite soccer player is Abby Wambach, favorite athlete in another sport is James Harden.
- Favorite movie is Lion King. Favorite musical performer is Thomas Rhett.
- Go-to midnight snack is waffles. Bucket list item is watching a cheese-rolling competition.
- Chose Vanderbilt over Alabama, Baylor, Missouri and Oklahoma State.
Coach Ambrose on Raegan Kelley: “Raegan has a great understanding of the game in the final third. She is deceptive on the dribble and is another player who can open teams with her passing. Her technical ability is also very high and, when combined with her vision, she could also add a dimension to our midfield this fall.”
Bio:
- Born January 7, 2000 in Atlanta, Georgia
- Full Name: Raegan Elise Kelley
- Nickname: Raeg
- Parents are Lee and Holly Kelley
- Has three siblings, sisters Layne and Graysen and brother Peyton
- Twitter: @Raegan_Kelley
On-Field Accomplishments:
- Three-time state champion at Westminster High School (2015-2017).
- Two-time region champion at Westminster High School (2016, 2017).
- Four-time state champion with Tophat Soccer club team (2013-2017).
- Three-time region champion with Tophat Soccer club team (2014-2017).
- Team Captain with Tophat Soccer club team.
Personal:
- Chose Vanderbilt “because of the sense of community I immediately felt when coming on campus, especially with everyone involved in athletics.”
- Favorite sports team is the Atlanta Falcons. Favorite sport other than soccer is tennis.
- Favorite soccer player is Carli Lloyd, favorite athlete in another sport is Julio Jones.
- Favorite movie is Bridesmaids. Favorite musical performer is the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
- Hidden talents are playing piano, snowboarding and speed reading.
- Go-to midnight snack is Oreos, best food she can cook is pasta.
- Chose Vanderbilt over Georgia and Missouri.
Coach Ambrose on Ella Shamburger: “Ella will bring much needed depth to our backline with the graduation of Stephanie Amack and Cristina De Zeeuw. She reads the game at a very high level and her distribution coming out of the back is a big, big strength that will help us play out of pressure.”
Bio:
- Born January 18, 2000 in Atlanta, Georgia
- Full Name: Ella Temple Shamburger
- Nickname: EllaBella
- Parents are Denton and Nancy Shamburger
- Has two siblings, Logue and Denton Shamburger
- Twitter: @_cinder__ELLA_
On-Field Accomplishments:
- Three-time state champion at Westminster High School (2015-2017).
- Two-time region champion at Westminster High School (2016, 2017).
- Teamsnap first-team Spring All-American.
- Team Captain with Tophat Soccer club team.
Personal:
- Chose Vanderbilt because “It is a perfect mix of soccer and academics. I love the size and it is not too far from home.”
- Sister Logue Shamburger plays SEC soccer for Alabama.
- Favorite sports team is the Atlanta Falcons. Favorite sport other than soccer is football.
- Favorite soccer player is Julie Ertz, favorite athletes in another sport are Peyton Manning and Julio Jones.
- Favorite movie is Lion King. Favorite musical performer is Jason Aldean.
- Once ate breakfast with Ryan Gosling. Dream date is Jon Snow from Game of Thrones.
- Hidden talents are jump roping and ceramics.
- Aunt and uncle both attended Vanderbilt.
- Chose Vanderbilt over Georgia and Wake Forest.
