A strong core returns as Liberty reloads for 2025
Greenville, SC (March 27th, 2025) – The Liberty welcome back a strong core for the 2025 season, with key players returning to build on last year’s success. Their experience and leadership will be vital as the team aims for another competitive campaign.
FORWARDS
Lela Stark returns for her second season with the Liberty in 2025. In the 2024 season, she made nine appearances, including six starts, and scoring her first goal in a 2024 win at Asheville City. As a junior at Oral Roberts University, Stark played 16 games in 2024, starting four, and recorded two goals and one assist for a total of five points. She helped the Golden Eagles reach the Summit League championship match for the second time in three years, where they fell 3-1 to No. 3 South Dakota State.
Valerie Hernandez returns for her second season with the Liberty. As a junior at North Greenville, she played in all 17 games of the 2024 season, starting every match. She recorded two goals and four points while logging 1,137 minutes. She was a member of the U20 Girls Academy team in 2023. And played her club career with CESA.
Jaleah Simmons returns for her second season with the Liberty after playing 11 games, starting seven, and recording two goals and one assist while totaling 632 minutes. A rising sophomore at Furman, she appeared in 19 games as a freshman, starting four and logging 477 minutes. She was a 3-year member of the U20 Girls Liberty Academy team. And played her club career with CESA.
MIDFIELDERS
Carly Wilson returning for her second season with the Liberty, Wilson led the Liberty in minutes during the 2024 season, playing 990 total minutes and featuring in every match until being subbed out in the final game against Chattanooga. A junior at Wake Forest she appeared in 12 matches for the Deacs, starting two, and helped the team to an 8-1-3 record in games she played, Wilson logged 462 minutes. Her fall season with the Deacs was historic, as they reached the 2024 NCAA National Championship for the first time, marking just the program’s second College Cup appearance alongside the 2011 squad.
Kylie Cino returns for her second season with the Liberty after playing 60 minutes in the 2024 season. A Freshman at the University of South Carolina, she appeared in 20 games during the 2024 collegiate season, totaling 545 minutes. Cino played her club career locally here with CESA.
Morgan DeBarros returns for her second season with the Liberty after playing five games, starting one, and totaling 78 minutes. As a junior at USC Upstate, she appeared in 19 matches, starting five, and recorded three points with one goal and one assist. DeBarros scored her first career goal against VMI and registered a career-high four shot attempts in the same match. She finished the season with 630 minutes and earned points in two matches.
DEFENDERS
Alexah Fite is returning for her fourth season with the Liberty. Fite is the only active player who has competed in all four seasons since Liberty’s inaugural 2022 campaign. Fite saw her role grow each season, reaching 12 appearances with 11 starts in 2024. She was also one of two players to log over 900 minutes. A senior at Catawba College, she started all 19 games in 2024, tallying two goals and two assists. In 2024, the Indians reached the NCAA Tournament Round of 32 for the third straight year, part of an exclusive streak shared by just eight teams. They also became the first SAC program to reach 400 all-time wins. Fite was named to the USC All Region First team. First Team All-Region defender also earned D2CCA honors. She anchored the SAC’s top defense while contributing two goals and two assists, including a goal in Catawba’s 3-0 NCAA First Round win over Flagler.
Elle Bissinger returns for her second season with the Liberty after starting all 11 games she played, totaling 883 minutes. She has been a member of the U20 Girls Liberty Academy team the last 2 years and was named to the 2024 All Academy Cup team. Bissinger played for CESA, where she made the ECNL Girls Southeast All-Conference U-17 Second Team in 2023. She was also named to the ECNL Girls Mid-Atlantic All Conference First Team in both 2021 and 2022. She is currently enrolled to play collegiate soccer at Clemson University this fall of 2025.
Lauren Monday returns for her second season with the Liberty after starting all nine games she played in, totaling 783 minutes. A rising junior at Anderson University, she appeared in 15 games in 2024, starting 14 and logging 1,280 minutes. She was a member of the 2023 U20 Girls Academy team and played her club career with Clemson Anderson Soccer Alliance.
GOALKEEPERS
Kenzie Solomon returns for her second season with the Liberty after playing 11 games, making eight starts, and totaling 575 minutes in goal last year. A sophomore at the University of Georgia, Solomon contributed to a combined shutout and later entered for a penalty shootout against Clemson in the NCAA Tournament in the 2023 season. In the fall of 2025, she will continuing her collegiate playing career at Rice University of Houston, TX.
Henley Grunst returns for her second season with the Liberty after playing eight games, starting four, and logging 405 minutes in 2024. A junior at Flagler University, she started 16 matches in her sophomore season, recording 84 saves, two shutouts, and a 78.5% save percentage. Flagler (8-3-6), the Peach Belt Tournament runners-up, secured the No. 5 seed in their seventh straight NCAA Tournament, but fell 3-0 to Catawba in the first round. The goalkeeper also competed with CESA, helping lead them to the national tournament, while spending two seasons with the U20 Girls Liberty Academy team.
