The Charlotte 49ers kept this year’s recruiting class close to home.

Their five recruits hail from Charlotte, Concord, Zebulon and York, South Carolina, four of whom played for Charlotte Soccer Academy at one point.  Two players graduated from Charlotte’s 8-9 campaign last season: defender Amelia Clower and goalkeeper Abby Coffeey.

“It was important for us to keep some of the best local talent here at our university. It’s a mainstay of what we’re looking to do, including players we have seen grow up and improve,” Cullen said in a statement.

Meet the recruits:

Kristy Campbell is a 5-foot-7 defender from Zebulon. She plays both high school and club ball: Leesville Road High School and North Carolina FC. She earned all-Cap 8 Conference as a junior and sophomore and her high school team won the league last season, finishing 18-1-1 with a berth in the East Regional finals.

Campbell traveled with the ODP South Region Regional Team to England in the spring. She also earned a spot on the ODP first team.

Off the field, she earned a 4.0 grade point average.

“She came to an ID event here and handled herself brilliantly,” Cullen said. “She showed very well in her training habits and had good consistency in her performance. She looks like a wonderful teammate and someone we can play predominately across the back line, depending on what we choose to play. She has a great upside as a soccer player and someone we think will contribute to our team immediately.”

Charlottean Ariana Maibodi stands 5-foot-6. The striker has proven pivotal for Myers Park High, scoring the winner in the state semifinals last season to secure the Mustangs’ inaugural trip to the state championship game. Maibodi scored 17 goals and provided 10 assists during that last season and has 46 career goals and 26 assists.

Maibodi became an immediate starter for the Mustangs, and could become an impact play early on for the 49ers, as striker Megan Greene enters her senior season.

“She is a very hungry and very motivated player,” Cullen said. “She is a good striker and knows where the goal is. We lose some strikers here in a year or so, at the end of the 2019 season, so we wanted to get some of these young strikers on board to be around the current group. She’s a player I have seen get better and better each year. She’s a brave player and one who sticks her head in there. She’s one I’ve known for many years, who I have seen grow up and mature. I think she’ll be a great teammate amongst the girls here and I’m excited to see her thrive at the next level.”

Maibodi won the 2016 State Cup with CSA, and finished as the runner-up in 2017 and 2018.

Coach Cullen’s daughter Peyton Cullen joins the 49ers from CSA. She will play her first season for Cox Mill High this spring to play alongside her sister Reagan.

A 5-foot-3 defender, Peyton has won multiple titles at the club level, including the 2018 North Carolina State Cup. She also played on the inaugural women’s Development Academy team in 2017. Her experience also includes ECNL (2015-17) and ODP (2013-16).

“She has played under some of the best youth coaches in the game throughout the region. She’s familiar with how we play and has played the majority of her career in the same position and has been very consistent in that. We are not bringing her in to convert her to a different role or position. We are going to keep developing her in the role she knows so well.”

Julia Patrum joins the 49ers from Concord High and CSA. She scored 42 goals for Concord last season, which was first in the state at the 3A level. Last season, she produced 15 assists, was named South Piedmont Conference Player of the Year, and earned a spot on the 3A North Carolina Soccer Coaches Association all-state team. She has scored 115 goals at the high school level, and helped Concord earn their first trip to the state playoffs last season.

Patrum has earned all-region and all-conference recognition each season, as well as player of the year runner-up as a freshman and sophomore. She won the 2017 and 2018 State Cup championship with CSA.

“She’s one of the best players in this area and we’re excited to keep her home,” Cullen said. “Every time I go to see her play, she scores multiple goals. She’s another fantastic striker with great footwork and change of pace. She’s very good around the box and knows where the goal is and goes to it. She’s an unselfish player who brings others into the game and knows how to set them up.”

Selah Gaylor heads north from Clover High in York, South Carolina. She earned a place on the 5A South Carolina High School Soccer Coaches Association all-state team last season. At 5-foot-1, she has an innate attacking ability, as she led the team with 15 goals and 15 assists. Her club career concludes with Discoveries Soccer Club, but she previously played with CSA. She scored 18 goals and had 11 assists for Discoveries in 2017, helping them win the State Cup.

“Selah is a phenomenal attacking player. What we like about Selah is her ability to go past players,” Cullen said. “She’s a great dribbler and keeps the ball very close control. She can play off the wing, at an attacking mid or off the striker. We wanted to add some more attacking threats to our team this year. She’s the type of player we feel can contribute in multiple areas of the field for us, that attacking personality and the ability to create goals and take goals.”

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