Soccer Adds Seven to 2026 Class

GREENVILLE, N.C. – The East Carolina soccer program has announced the addition of seven newcomers in its 2026 recruiting class. The septet will be joining the Pirates for year two under head coach Emily Buccilla.

"We're thrilled to officially welcome this special group to the Pirate Soccer family," said Buccilla. "Each of them brings a competitive edge that will elevate our program immediately, but more importantly, they're exceptional people who embody our values and will make everyone around them better. Throughout the recruiting process, it's been clear that these players and their families will be outstanding additions to our program. This class adds quality, depth, and character in every position, and we can't wait to see the impact they'll make as they grow within our program."

Ireland Baity | Defender | Texas Tech K-12 | McKinney, Texas
Baity comes to East Carolina by way of Texas where she competed in the club ranks with FC Dallas of the ECNL. A three-time Dallas Cup Champion, Baity also helped the team to an International Girls Cup title in 2022 and three ECNL playoff appearances. Though she wound up not competing in the high school ranks for long, Baity was a team captain when she did. She is a well-rounded student-athlete as an accomplished competitive choir performer and a Texas Regionals competitor in track & field. Baity is rated a three-star prospect by TopDrawerSoccer.

Megan Clements | Defender | Maryvale Preparatory School | Ellicott City, Md.
Clements comes to Greenville from Maryvale Preparatory School in Brooklandville, Md. where she played under the tutelage of head coach Colin Devlin. A four-year varsity starter and team captain as a junior and senior, she earned First Team All-State recognition as a senior after earning IAAM All-Conference honors as a junior and senior. On the pitch, she helped her team to two IAAM "B" Conference titles and one "A" title as a senior. Clements is also a four-year letterwinner on the track, even competing at New Balance Indoor Nationals in 2023.

Emma Fuchs | Midfielder/Forward | The John Carroll School | Churchville, Md.
Fuchs joins the Pirates by way of The John Caroll School in Bel Air, Md. where she played under the tutelage of head coach Hayley Howe. A team captain as a senior, she also earned varsity letters as a track athlete while scoring 25 goals and tallying nine assists on the soccer pitch. She was an IAAM "A" All-Conference honoree as a senior after four seasons of varsity play, including being just one of three freshmen on the varsity squad as a rookie. Fuchs is rated three-stars and No. 28 in the Mid-Atlantic region by TopDrawerSoccer.

Fuchs comes from an athletic lineage with her mom, Terri, playing collegiate soccer at Maryland and her dad, Bill, playing collegiately at Loyola (Md.).

Emery Ludlam | Forward | Alonso High School | Tampa, Fla.
Ludlam comes to ECU by way of Alonso High School in Tampa, Fla. where she played under the tutelage of head coach Tim Hill. A three-year letterwinner, Ludlam elected to train with her club team as a senior but did so with a phenomenal high school career behind her which included 80 goals scored and 24 assists. She was a three-time First Team Western Conference American Division All Star and twice led her team in scoring. She is rated a three-star prospect by TopDrawerSoccer.

Not the only collegiate athlete in her family, her brother Ian is a sprinter with Kansas State track & field.

Kenzie Mentzer | Midfielder/Forward | Exeter Township High School | Reading, Pa.
Mentzer joins the Pirates by way of Exeter Township High School where she played under the tutelage of head coach Milt Scholl. She is a four-year letterwinner in both soccer and lacrosse and served as a team captain as a junior and senior. She earned All-Berks County honors four times, All-Conference recognition three times—including two first team nods—and was named All State as a junior and senior. She departs Exeter Township with 228 total points on 91 goals and 46 assists, becoming her schools all-time leading scorer and fourth all time in Berks County in points and fifth in goals. In the club ranks, Mentzer competed for FC Delco. She is rated a three-star prospect by TopDrawerSoccer.

Mentzer comes from a line of competitive athletes with her mom Jill and dad Shawn playing collegiate softball and baseball at Alvernia College and her sister Taylor playing collegiate soccer at UNC Greensboro where she recently concluded her successful career.

Sydney Steinberg | Goalkeeper | Wharton High School | Tampa, Fla.
Steinberg joins ECU by way of Wharton High School in Tampa, Fla. where she played under the tutelage of Shane Moody. A team captain, she is a three-time All-Western Conference First Team honoree—with senior season honors still to be announced. In addition to soccer, Steinberg competed in flag football for one season, earning Third Team All-State honors as a wide receiver. She is rated a three-star prospect by TopDrawerSoccer.

Steinberg has East Carolina heritage as her mom, Lauren, was a walk on with the women's tennis team and her uncle, Jeff Causey, was a baseball letterwinner for the Pirates both in the 1990s.

Olivia Trick | Defender/Midfielder | Mount Notre Dame High School | Cincinnati, Ohio
Trick joins the Pirates by way of Mount Notre Dame High School in Cincinnati, Ohio where she played under the tutelage of head coach Kirsten Roof. A team captain as a junior and senior, she helped lead her team to four Sectional Championships, three District Championships and three Regional Finals. Individually, she was First Team All-Ohio as a junior—with awards still to be announced for her senior season—and has twice been named a First Team All-South-West Ohio honoree. Trick is a two-time All-Conference performer in the Girls Greater Catholic League. In addition to her exploits on the pitch, she earned a varsity letter as a freshman as a basketball shooting guard.

Trick also comes from a successful athletic family with her dad, Jon, playing rugby at Dayton and her brother, Owen, playing collegiate football also for the Flyers.

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