FORT MYERS, Fla. – Florida Gulf Coast University women's soccer and head coach Jim Blankenship landed five dynamic players from the transfer portal. Four of the additions bring Power Four experience to Fort Myers and Pickering Field. Megan Morgan spent time with Miami and Florida State, Lily Borders gained experience with Auburn, Kate Friday played for Xavier, and Ava Boyd competed for Pitt and Michigan State, all of whom will now don the Green and Blue. Hailey Slouka arrives from Hope International.
"We are thrilled to welcome this exceptional group of transfers to FGCU," Blankenship said. "Their arrival will elevate the standard of an already championship-caliber team, which returns four All-ASUN performers. This transfer class features student-athletes who bring with them NCAA National Championship, NCAA Tournament experience and a shared passion for FGCU women's soccer."
Megan Morgan (Miami)
Weston, Fla.
5-4 | F
Morgan is a five-foot-four forward who made six appearances for the Canes as a junior in 2024, logging 122 minutes on the pitch. The native of Weston, Florida, started her collegiate career at Florida State, but transferred to Miami after one season. Morgan was a member of the 2021 ACC and National Champion Seminole squad.
She did not see any action during her redshirt sophomore year with the Canes due to injury, but as a redshirt freshman with Miami, Morgan played in 16 matches. That season, she accumulated 539 minutes of playing time and scored a game-winning goal against Alabama. Morgan was also credited with one assist in a 3-1 win over Virginia Tech and competed in all 10 Atlantic Coast Conference matches her first year in Coral Gables. In three years, she played in a total of 22 contests, worth 661 minutes.
In the classroom, Morgan made the President's List at FSU and the Dean's List at Miami. Morgan was a phenom in high school for Cypress Bay. She combined to score 37 goals and recorded 15 assists during her final two years en route to being named the 7A-5A Miami Herald Female Athlete of the Year, the Miami Herald Broward County 7A-5A Player of the Year and the Sun Sentinel 7A-6A High School Player of the Year in 2020.
Kate Friday (Xavier)
Fox Chapel, Pa.
5-7 | MF
Friday, a five-foot-seven midfielder from Fox Chapel, Pennsylvania, made eight freshman appearances a season ago with a Top 25 Xavier Musketeer program that would make the Big East Championship match. She logged 15 or more minutes in four contests and tallied 143 minutes throughout her first year as a collegiate athlete. Friday had a season-high 38 minutes in a 4-2 win against Milwaukee.
In high school, Friday was a four-year member of the Fox Chapel varsity high school team. She helped lead the program to nearly 40 wins during her high school career and collected All-WPIAL twice and All-Section First Team recognition three times.
Hailey Slouka (Hope International)
Corona, Calif.
5-8 | GK
Slouka is a five-foot-eight goalkeeper from Corona, California. Slouka spent the last three seasons with Hope International.
The senior started in all 15 games a season ago, recorded a career and season-high 62 saves and added five shutouts to the ledger. Slouka, who earned All-GSAC honors, generated an 84.9 percent save percentage and helped the Royals go 14-4-1 in 2024. She surrendered only 11 goals last season and had a season and career-high 14 saves against The Master's. Slouka recorded five or more saves five times.
In three years with Hope International, she snagged 150 saves and posted 11 clean sheets. In 2022 during her first season with the Royals, she came onto the scene with 56 saves and had shut-out performances. Slouka also earned All-GSAC honors in her junior season and helped propel her squad to a conference championship, winning in double overtime against the co-champs.
Prior to Hope International, Slouka spent her freshman campaign with CSU Bakersfield. She made five appearances and earned three starts for the Roadrunners. In those five matches, she tallied 23 saves and corralled a season-high of nine against Gonzaga. Slouka preserved a first-half shutout while facing CSUN.
Ava Boyd (Pitt)
Pittsburgh, Pa.
5-7 | F
Boyd is a five-foot-seven forward transfer from Pittsburgh. Boyd spent her sophomore season with the Pittsburgh Panthers but started her career with Michigan State. After not seeing any action with the Spartans, she appeared in 16 games last season with Pitt. Her first career start with the Panthers came against Loyola-Marymount. She totaled 359 minutes that season and had a goal and an assist against Dartmouth. Boyd fired 18 shots and had a season-high of four shot attempts in 42 minutes of action against Clemson.
On the high school pitch, Boyd earned ECNL All-Conference First Team honors in 2021 and played and scored in the ECNL National Selection Game in 2022. She was a two-year All-Selection and an All-WPIAL honoree in both the 2019 and 2020 seasons at Pine-Richland High School. In 2021, Boyd was invited to the United States Youth National Team camp.
Lily Borders (Auburn)
Lake Wales, Fla.
5-7 | F/MF
Borders, a five-foot-seven midfielder and forward, made 14 appearances for the Auburn Tigers in 2024, who advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament before falling to Ohio State.
Borders saw time off the bench, making an impact in 181 minutes. She scored two goals, one against South Alabama and Samford. Borders also saw a season-high 35 minutes against Samford. She recorded five shots and three on goal during her one season with the Tigers. Her first career assist came against Southern Miss. The Lake Wales High School product tallied 70 goals and 57 assists during her impressive high school career. The multi-sport athlete (softball) earned First Team All-Polk County in 2023.
Sports run deep in her family, and is one of nine children. Her father, Patrick Lance Borders, played Major League Baseball from 1988-2005. He was the MVP of the 1992 World Series with the Toronto Blue Jays and won a gold medal in 2000 with Team USA Baseball at the Sydney Olympics.
