VILLANOVA, Pa. – Villanova women's soccer coach Samar Azem and her staff have announced the addition of transfers Alex Fava, Rylee Donaldson and Jackie Richards to the team for the 2023 season. This group brings in a pair of forwards and a midfielder.

"We're thrilled to welcome our three graduate transfers to our program and to Villanova University," head coach Samar Azem said. "We are fortunate to add three more great people and exceptionally driven and talented student-athletes. All three student-athletes come from extremely successful programs and are competitive, talented, and hungry to help our program competitive growth."

Rylee Donaldson | Graduate | Forward
Allentown, Pa. | Salisbury HS | Bucknell
Donaldson was a First Team All-Patriot League striker the last two years at Bucknell, also earning Patriot League MVP honors in 2022 and United Soccer Coaches All-North Region Second Team laurels in 2021. She made 45 starts in 62 games with the Bison from 2019 to 2022, scoring 15 goals with five assists for 35 points. Of her 125 shots, 65 landed on frame with five game-winning goals, four of those coming in her junior campaign. She led the Patriot League with 20 goals in 2021 and was the Christy Mathewson Award recipient at Bucknell for the Most Outstanding Athlete in the 2023 senior class. Off the field, she was named an Academic All-Patriot League player twice and was a College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team selection.

A three-sport athlete at Salisbury High School, Donaldson was a four-year letter winner in soccer, two-year letter winner in track and field and added a letter in basketball. She was tabbed the team's Offensive MVP each year from 2016-2019 and became the school's record holder for career goals (72), assists (52) and points (196). She made the 2017 State Cup Finals with the West Mont United Club, as well. Donaldson plans to study Public Admin at Villanova. "I chose Villanova because of the profound community feel and the combination of competitive athletics and academics. I was drawn to Villanova the second I stepped foot on campus and could feel the championship culture in every aspect."

Azem on Donaldson: "Rylee is an extremely dangerous attacking player.  She has the pace, vision, and the goal scoring ability to threaten back lines and create opportunities for herself and players around her. She plays with an edge and competes fiercely.  She will be a handful for teams to manage and will be a player fans at Higgins will enjoy watching."
 
Alex Fava | Graduate | Midfield
Baltimore, Md. | Notre Dame Prep | TCU
Fava arrives at Villanova after spending the last two years at Texas Christian University. She was a part of Horned Frog program that won the Big 12 regular season and tournament titles in 2021 before being runners-up for both in 2022. TCU made a Sweet 16 appearance in both years she was with the team, finishing those seasons ranked eighth nationally in 2021 and 10^th in 2022. Before that, Fava started her career at the University of Kentucky where she started in five games as a freshman. Through her career so far, Fava has been on the Dean's list for eight semesters. At Kentucky, she landed SEC All-Academic Team status in 2019 and 2020, was a part of the Lewis Honors College, and was a Patterson Scholar. She earned Big 12 All-Academic First Team status in 2022 at TCU.

A dual-sport athlete at Notre Dame Prep, Fava earned four varsity letters with the soccer team while earning two in basketball and captaining both squads. She also played at the club level with Coppermine United 01 in the Premier Soccer Club, winning the USYS National Championship in 2019 along with five Maryland State Championship titles from 2015-2019. Fava was the 2019 recipient of the C. Markland Kelly Athletic Award and earned numerous accolades off the field, including being a 2018-19 National Honor Societies Recognition Program Scholar. She was also a member of the Science, Math, and Spanish National Honor Societies from 2017-2019.

Fava plans to pursue an MBA at Villanova, a school she chose for its community. "The moment I stepped on campus, I knew this school was special and was a community that I wanted to be a part of. Villanova is not only a place that I hope to learn and grow from during my time here, but it is also a place that I hope to positively impact both academically and athletically."

Azem on Fava: "Alex is a tough and tenacious midfielder.  Her ability to disrupt play and control the midfield is dominant.  She is hungry to be successful, she wants to be the best, and she's a team player. She has the passing vision to open teams up and the engine to maximize her movement and create opportunities for herself and her teammates.  Alex will add a strong dynamic to our midfield play."
 
Jackie Richards | Graduate | Forward
Reading, Pa. | Exeter HS | Campbell
Richards comes to the Main Line following a two-year stint at Campbell where she was a two-time All-Big South player, landing a spot on the second team as a junior and the first team as a senior. She was also named to the United Soccer Coaches All-Southeast Region Third team in 2021. With the Camels, she appeared in 35 games with 34 starts, totaling over 2,500 minutes of time on the pitch with 13 goals and 17 assists for 43 points. In her senior campaign alone, she tallied at least one point in 12 of the 17 games she played in. Before that, Richards started her career at Xavier, helping the Musketeers to BIG EAST Regular Season and Championship titles in her freshman campaign. In those two seasons, she accounted for three goals and an assist in 1,206 minutes of action.

During her high school career at Exeter, Richards was an All-Conference selection each year. She was named to the Honorable Mention list in her freshman campaign, Second Team as a sophomore and junior before landing a First Team spot as a senior. She was the Berks County Player of the Year in the fall of 2018, leading the county with 116 points on 49 goals and 18 assists. She also joined the All-State and Regional teams and was a finalist for Reading Eagle Athlete of the Year. A three-sport athlete, she earned four letters in both soccer and track and field and added a letter in lacrosse. She also played at the club level with Reading Rage SC under Eric Puls.

Richards plans to study Public Admin at Villanova. "I chose Villanova because of the community that is immersed throughout the entire school and athletic department. Each and every individual is driven and focused primarily on growth which is motivational to see. I am fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to be a part of their process of leaving the place better than it was found."

Azem on Richards: "Jackie is a formidable attacking player with an arsenal of tools to use against back lines including a lethal left foot. She is an athletic, hard-working and threatening forward who can unlock teams with her passing range, her pace, and on the dribble. She is a great addition to our front line and will be an exciting player to watch."