DALLAS (SMU) – The SMU women's soccer program added nine newcomers to its roster ahead of the 2025 season.

Composed of four transfers and five freshmen, the 2025 newcomers are ready to make an immediate impact on the program.

The Mustangs added Claire Jones, Sydney Japic, Zoe Parkhurst and Sarah Bonnecaze from the portal, all of whom can affect the game offensively and defensively while also bringing experience onto the pitch. Japic brings not only international experience playing for Bosnia's national team but also NCAA Championship experience, appearing in four tournament games during the 2022 championships with Alabama.

Jones started every game she played in at Oregon State last season and was second on the team in assists. Parkhurst was a multi-year US National Training Center invitee prior to her time at Oklahoma and Bonnecaze is a former Louisiana Soccer Gatorade Player of the Year who appeared in 11 games at TCU in 2024.

The experienced transfer class has appeared in 111 total matches as a group and Japic and Jones bring over 20 starts each to the Hilltop.

The Mustangs' freshman class of Savannah Chenail, Brooke Bunton, Lindsay Nicholson, Julianna Millin and Libby Jannereth are all highly skilled players poised to make an impact on the pitch this season.

Chenail, a native of Montreal, Quebec, is a current player for the Montreal Roses FC in the NSL, signing with the club in April of 2025. She won the Canadian Club Championships in 2022 with AS Blainville. She also had the opportunity to develop within the CF Montréal Academy's women's program, gaining valuable experience at a higher level and qualifying for the Canadian Championship for a second time, where she won silver.

Bunton, an academy player for NWSL Orlando Pride, has made a name for herself in recent years within the USWNT youth system. She was named to the USWNT U-17 World Cup squad in May and started in the U-17 team's latest match, a closed-door friendly versus Japan.  Originally, in the class of 2026, the midfielder reclassified to the class of 2025 to join the team this fall.

Nicholson brings USL experience to the pitch as she is an academy player for Tampa Bay Sun FC. While Texas natives Millin and Jannereth are elite scorers who can impact the game in multiple ways.

TRANSFERS
#7 Sydney Japic, Sr., 5-9, Midfielder/Defender, Palo Alto, Calif.
Sydney Japic played the last three seasons at Alabama before transferring to SMU. She started in 14 out of 20 games played and totaled over 1,000 minutes played on the pitch. She helped the Tide record four shutouts and tallied two assists during the season. Japic brings a lot of experience to the Hilltop, as she has played in 57 games with 23 starts in her career. She also appeared in four NCAA tournament games during the Tides tournament run in 2022. Prior to college, she attended Hebron High School and was named first-team all-district 6A from 2019-21. Japic has also spent time on the international stage, playing in the UEFA U-19 and U-17 Euro qualifiers with the Bosnian National Team (2019 & 2021). She also scored a goal at the U17 UEFA Euro Qualifiers against Belgium in 2019.

#8 Sarah Bonnecaze, So., 5-6, Midfielder, Baton Rouge, La.
A former Louisiana soccer Gatorade Player of the Year, Sarah Bonnecaze transfers to SMU after one season at TCU.  She appeared in 11 games last season, tallying 230 minutes on the pitch.  Made collegiate debut versus No. 20 Alabama and finished the year with three shots taken.

#11 Zoe Parkhurst, Jr., 5-8, Midfielder, Menlo Park, Calif.
Zoe Parkhurst  transfers to SMU after playing at Oklahoma for the last two seasons. She appeared in six games last season with 110 minutes on the pitch. She comes to SMU having played 15 career games with 383 minutes played. Prior to college, she attended IMG Academy and was a multi-year US Soccer National Training Center invitee (2016, 2017, 2020, 2021) as well as a team captain on the IMG U19 and U16 teams.

#25 Claire Jones, Jr., 5-7, Midfielder, Ridgefield, Wash.
Claire Jones comes to the Hilltop after spending the last two seasons at Oregon State. Last season, she started each of her 16 appearances and recorded 1,325 minutes on the pitch. She ended the year with one goal and three assists and was named to the All-WCC Academic Team. She started 22 out of 28 games at OSU, tallying 1,967 minutes. Prior to Oregon State, she attended Ridgefield High School, where she was First Team All-League and All-Region junior and senior year. Jones was also a District Champion in her freshman and sophomore year and Second Team All-League her freshman season.

FRESHMAN
# 9 Julianna Millin, Fr., 5-6, Forward, McAllen, Texas
A goal-scoring forward, Julianna Millin is a native of McAllen, Texas, who played for McAllen High School. In three years of high school soccer, she became McAllen's high school all-time goals leader, scoring 148 goals, including 42 as a freshman. She led her team to a UiL 5A Elite 8 appearance and was a three-time First Team All-Region honoree (2022, 2023, 2024). She was also named the Rio Grande Valley Player of the Year in 2022 and 2024 and was named to the Republic of Ireland Youth National Team u17 Player Pool (2022).

#10 Lindsay Nicholson, Fr., 5-11, Midfielder, Palm Harbor, Fla.
A native of Palm Harbor, Florida, she is currently an academy player for the Tampa Bay Sun FC, which has helped take her game to the next level. Nicholson played club soccer for NC Courage before making the move to play with Tampa's USL team. She played two years of varsity-level soccer at Palm Harbor University High School, where she made back-to-back 7A final four appearances, contributing 19 goals and 11 assists during her freshman season and 17 goals and six assists as a sophomore year.

#13 Brooke Bunton, Fr., 5-5, Midfielder, Green Cove Springs, Fla.
Brooke Bunton is a native of Green Cove Springs, Florida, and attended Clay High School while also playing for the club team Jacksonville FC and is an academy player for the Orlando Pride.  As a sophomore on varsity, Bunton scored 36 goals and tallied 17 assists, leading Clay to the regional finals in the Florida Class 5A playoffs. She has made a name for herself at the national level as she had earned invites to US U15, U16 and most recently named to the U17 USYNT Camp. She was named to the USWNT U-17 World Cup squad in May and started in the U-17 team's latest match, a closed-door friendly versus Japan. She earned multiple ECNL honors and awards playing for Jacksonville FC. Bunton reclassified, forgoing her senior year of high school, and joined the Mustangs in the fall of 2025.

#21 Savannah Chenail, Fr. Defender, Montreal, Quebec
Chenail, a native of Montreal, Quebec, is a current player for the Montreal Roses FC in the NSL, having signed with the club in April 2025. She began her soccer career playing for AS Blainville. In 2021, she played for Team Québec and the Women's Excel Program (PEF) at the age of just 14. That same year, she competed in the Canadian Championship with her club's first team and won gold in 2022.  She also had the opportunity to develop within the CF Montréal Academy's women's program, gaining valuable experience at a higher level and qualifying for the Canadian Championship for a second time, where she won silver … Versatile on the field, she excels as an attacking fullback or winger, using her refined technique and game intelligence to create offensive opportunities and strengthen her team's defensive solidity.

#29 Libby Jannereth, Fr., 5-5, Midfielder, Allen, Texas
A native of Allen, Texas, she attended Allen High School.  A two-year varsity letterwinner, she scored three goals and had one assist as a junior… In 2025, she was named team captain and totaled 13 goals and led Allen High School Girls Soccer with a record-setting single-season 26 assists en route to earning 6-6A Midfield MVP, 6-6A First Team All-District, TASCO First Team All Region, Dallas Morning News First Team All Area, TASCO Academic All-State, and 6-6A Academic All-District.  An active member of the community as part of the Allen Student Athlete Leadership Team (SALT). She played for Sting Black ECN and was selected for the Phoenix Showcase 2024 Continental Tire National Selection Game.