PRAIRIE VIEW – Prairie View A&M soccer and head coach Sonia Curvelo have added a quartet of new signees for the Fall 2021 class.

The new additions include: Sierra Cota-Yarde, Bailey Johnson, Yahaira Owens and Savannah Powell.

"Our 2021 signees are a small, however powerful group that will help us close the gap," Curvelo said. "I expect the new class to compete right away with the experience each of them will bring to the table. They have played with some of the best clubs in (North America) and understand the importance of preparing, developing and competing on and off the field."

Cota-Yarde, a goalkeeper from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, helped lead Bloor Collegiate to the 2018 district indoor soccer finals. An accomplished club player, Cota-Yarde was in net for the North Toronto Soccer Club, which won the Ontario Player Development League (OPDL) Charity Shield in 2015 and 2018 while advancing to the finals in 2017 and 2019. The team also won the 2018 London Games.

Johnson will arrive from Dallas, Texas as a standout defender from MacArthur High School. Johnson's club activity includes a stint with the Dallas Texans ECNL. Involved in charitable activities, she is active in an organization that assists blind students in receiving college scholarships.

A midfielder from Slaton, Texas, Owens racked up several accolades as one of the top players at Hirschi High School before moving to Slaton High School. Owens earned First Team 6-6A All-District Honors and Team Co-Offensive MVP honors in 2018-19. She also won District 5-4A MVP in 2019-20. Owens has a successful track and field background as well.

Powell, a forward from Arlington, Texas, played alongside Johnson on the Dallas Texans ECNL club team. A key member of the Martin High School soccer program, she has helped lead the Warriors to a pair of runner-up finishes in district play during her sophomore and junior years.

All four are sharp in the realm of academics as well, embodying the student-athlete that Curvelo looks for in maintaining excellence within the program.

"Academically, each of them are strong so the standard for academics in PVAMU soccer is high, and I know that they will perform well in the classroom," Curvelo said. "It's important to our soccer program that we grow every year and set higher standards to achieve and to be recognized nationally for the work the team puts in. With the returners staying focused and improving day by day along with these new additions, we as a program are moving in the right direction. I look forward to coaching the new additions come Fall 2021."

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