Mustang Women's Soccer Signs 6 to National Letters of Intent
12/3/2025 8:30:00 AM | Women's Soccer
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — The Cal Poly women’s soccer program recently signed six talented high school seniors to National Letters of Intent, bolstering its roster as the team looks to defend its Big West Championship in 2026.
Forward Madison Lujan (Davis, Calif.), midfielder Delaney Franklin (North Fork, Calif.), defenders Kate Nunes (Salinas, Calif.), Suna Roberts (Torrance, Calif.) and Nina Souto (Rocklin, Calif.), and goalkeeper Alyssa Lopez (Windsor, Calif.) are all set to join the Mustangs as freshmen for the 2026 season.
With our class of seniors, our staff has worked diligently to make sure that the positions and skillsets we are graduating are filled by this top group of six freshmen. Our goal with this 2026 recruiting class was to add potential program changers that add quality and depth to all positions right away. To make a deeper run in the postseason than we did this year, we need a deeper roster in terms of quality and adaptability, and we believe this class will offer us exactly that.Bernardo Silva, Cal Poly Women's Soccer Head Coach
Delaney Franklin (MF)
Yosemite HS / Clovis Crossfire
A two-time All-Northwest Sequoia Conference selection, Franklin is set to join her older sister, Farra, on the team when she arrives in San Luis Obispo next fall. As the youngest in the family, playing soccer at the Division I level is something Franklin was destined to do as her mother (Cal), father (Cal), older brother (UC Davis) and of course older sister (Cal Poly) have all done so.
A three-time All-Academic NWSC selection, Franklin earned First Team All-Conference honors this past season by recording 13 goals and 18 assists for Yosemite High (Oakhurst, Calif.) and Second Team honors in 2024 with five goals and 10 assists. She has led the Badgers in assists the last two seasons and was named the NWSC Freshman of the Year in 2023. A three-time Scholar-Athlete Award recipient, Franklin was selected to the 2019 GPS National Team Camp in South Carolina while playing for Clovis Crossfire. She plans on pursuing a career in dermatology and said her older sister is an exceptional role model she has looked up to throughout her athletic career.
Thoughts from Coach Silva: “Delaney is a dynamic box-to-box midfielder with a skillset that allows her to compete in all types of games. She is gritty and skilled. Her technical and playmaking abilities from deeper areas will add quality to our midfield and help us continue to be one of the most fun attacking teams in the conference. Her character, maturity, and ability to communicate and connect with others fits perfect within the relationship-driven culture of our program.”
Alyssa Lopez (GK)
Windsor HS / Santa Rosa United
Lopez led Windsor High (Windsor, Calif) to a North Bay League Championship a year ago, recording eight shutouts in league play to earn NBL Defensive Player of the Year honors. A Scholar-Athlete, Lopez also earned All-NBL Second Team honors in 2024.
While playing club for Santa Rosa United, Lopez was selected to the 2024 Allstate Sueño Alianza National Showcase in Florida and invited to the inaugural ECNL Conference Cup in 2023, earning NorCal All-Conference Second Team honors that season. A member of the NorCal Player Development Program since 2021, Lopez has been heavily involved in student leadership positions in her high school and several clubs, including the Cancer Awareness Club and the Student Organ Donor Advocates. She plans on majoring in biological sciences and attending medical school in the future.
Thoughts from Coach Silva: “Alyssa is a goalkeeper that was identified and recruited through our College ID Camp system. Her work ethic, shot stopping ability, athletic upside, and ability to own her box stood out to us both during camp and while playing for her club. We love recruiting players that are as passionate about Cal Poly as we are, and Alyssa is surely an example of that. Her kindhearted personality combined with her underdog mentality will add tremendous value to our program and help us continue to establish a winning culture for many years to come.”
Madison Lujan (F)
Davis Senior HS / Davis Legacy
A three-year varsity letterwinner at Davis Senior High (Davis, CA), Lujan has helped the Blue Devils compile a 36-9-9 overall record during her time there, including a 13-1-2 mark as a freshman in 2023.
Lujan has had an excellent club career while playing for Davis Legacy, earning ECNL Second Team All-Conference honors twice (2022, 2025) and being selected to the U.S. Soccer Talent ID Training Camp in 2024. A two-time U18 Player Development Program state selection (2024-25), Lujan has been named to multiple PDP state pools (U15, U16 & U18) over the years. She plans on majoring in child development at Cal Poly and said her parents have had the biggest impact on her athletic career, always pushing her to be the best version of herself.
Thoughts from Coach Silva: “Madison is a mobile, athletic, goal scoring forward with a tremendous work ethic in pressing and defending situations. Her ability to both vertically stretch an opponent’s backline with her speed and post-up with her back to goal and get her teammates involved in the attack, make her a multidimensional forward that will contribute to our attacking style of play right away. Her humble yet confident approach to life was contagious during the recruitment process and we are excited for her to bring her personality into our locker room.”
Kate Nunes (D)
Salinas HS / Bay Area Surf
Through three seasons of play at Salinas High (Salinas, Calif.), Nunes has recorded an impressive 38 goals and 30 assists while earning Peninsula Athletic League First Team honors every year. The 2024 PAL Defensive Player of the Year has led Salinas to three consecutive undefeated seasons in league play.
The 2023 Salinas High Student of the Year has received a Top 25 Student Award at the school the past three years. She’s played club for Bay Area Surf the last four years and plans on majoring in Kinesiology at Cal Poly with hopes of becoming an occupational therapist in the future.
Thoughts from Coach Silva: “Kate is a defender with a fantastic balance of soccer IQ and athleticism. She is a fit, durable, and tough soccer player with a keen ability to join the attack from deep areas with a high success rate and consistent attacking production. She is joining us from a club in Bay Area Surf that we have had a lot of success recruiting from over the last few years, and where she got experience in playing a multitude of positions that will only benefit her ability to impact our program right away. Kate’s confident, fun, and engaging energy will add a ton of character to our locker room.”
Suna Roberts (D)
Mater Dei HS / Beach FC
A three-year varsity letterwinner at Mater Dei High (Santa Ana, Calif.), Roberts helped the Monarchs capture the CIF Southern Section Division I Championship last season while earning All-Trinity League First Team honors. She is a two-time Defensive MVP, securing Second Team All-Trinity League praise as a sophomore in 2024 and aiding Mater Dei to a Trinity League title.
Roberts has played club for Beach FC for 10 years and has been named to her school’s Honor Roll and Dean’s List every year. Her father played football at SMU and her older brother, Nolan, is currently on the men’s water polo team at UC San Diego. She plans on majoring in agricultural sciences at Cal Poly.
Thoughts from Coach Silva: “Suna is an athletic, tenacious, and naturally left footed defender that will quality and depth to our backline. Her versatility and skillset to play centrally or out wide on the flank give her the ability to impact our program in a few positions. We identified Suna at one of our college ID camps where she was the absolute standout, and throughout the recruitment process we felt that her character, personality, and work ethic aligned with the core values of our program.”
Nina Souto (D)
Whitney HS / San Juan SC
A gifted athlete, Souto is signed to compete on the women’s soccer and track and field teams for the Mustangs. A three-year varsity letterwinner in both soccer and track, the defender has served as a team captain for the Whitney High (Rocklin, Calif.) soccer program and earned MVP honors. She plays club for San Juan SC.
On the track, the hurdler has helped Whitney capture section and league titles and is the school record holder in the 300-meter hurdles, qualifying for state as a sophomore in 2024. She continues a Souto family tradition of attending Cal Poly as her older brother, Joey, was a hurdler on the Mustang track & field team (2021-24), and her older sister, Karly, is currently on the Cal Poly cheer and stunt teams.
Thoughts from Coach Silva: “Nina is a flank player and likely one of the best athletes I have ever recruited. She is coming into Cal Poly as a dual sport athlete (track & field and soccer) and we are excited about the level of athleticism she will bring to our flank play. Her ability to cover ground when joining the attack from deeper areas as well as her recovery speed as an outside back make her a threat and very hard to deal with in 1v1 situations. She has deep ties with Cal Poly as her brother, Joey Souto, was a stud athlete running for our highly successful track and field program, making her passion to be a Mustang and continue the family tradition of competing at Cal Poly evident throughout the recruitment process.”
