STEPHENVILLE, Texas - Ahead of the 2026 season, Tarleton State Soccer head coach Erik Solberg has announced the signing of four new transfers.

The signing class features two forwards and two midfielders hailing from Texas, Kansas, Colorado, and South Carolina.

"Really excited to add these four players from the Spring portal to our program," said Solberg. "They bring tremendous experience on the field, and are capable of making an immediate impact. Beyond the field, they are also each outstanding people who fit the culture we are building here at Tarleton State!"

Zahra Friess, Forward

Zahra Friess is the first addition to Tarleton State Soccer's 2026 transfer class.

Friess attended the United States Air Force Academy, where she completed six weeks of basic training and competed for one season. She scored four goals and added one assist to earn Mountain West Conference All-Newcomer Team honors before spending the spring semester at Mississippi State.

Prior to USAFA and Mississippi State, Friess attended Cair Paravel Latin School (2021-2024) and Washburn Rural High School (2024-2025), where she lettered in both soccer and cross country while also competing for TISC U19 Girls for three years. During her high school career, Friess tallied 95 goals and 41 assists and helped lead her team to their first state championship title. Her accomplishments earned her numerous honors, including:

• Four-time First Team All-State honors
• Two-time Team All-Conference honors
• Conference Player of the Year
• 2025 TISC U19 Head Captain
• 2024 4-1A State Semifinalist
• 2025 USAFA Leading Freshman Goal Scorer
• KS vs OK All-Star Game Participant

Friess intends to major in Mechanical Engineering while attending Tarleton State.

Jordan Matthews, Forward

Jordan Matthews joins the Texans as a forward after spending two seasons with UTRGV.

During her freshman season, Matthews appeared in 18 matches while starting six and scored three goals for the Vaqueros. An injury limited her to nine appearances as a sophomore, but she was named a TopDrawerSoccer Southland Conference Breakout Candidate entering the 2025 season.

Prior to her time at UTRGV, Matthews attended William Howard Taft High School in San Antonio, Texas, where she helped lead the Raiders to back-to-back Texas Region 6A State Semifinal appearances. Matthews also spent two years with Classics Elite ECNL. The forward earned several honors, including:

• 2024 San Antonio Express News Soccer Player of the Year
• 2024 District MVP
• 2024 TASCO All Star team member and game participant
• 2024 TASCO First Team All-State honors
• 2023 San Antonio Express News Player of the Year Finalist
• 2023 TASCO First Team All-Region honors
• District record holder for goals in a season (51) and career goals (126)
• 2023 and 2024 Texas Region 6A State Semifinals

Matthews intends to major in Business Information Systems while attending Tarleton State.

Bailey Pottratz, Midfielder

Bailey Pottratz arrives at Tarleton State after one season at Gardner-Webb. The freshman midfielder appeared in 17 games during her debut season while starting 11, earning an assist against The Citadel and totaling 798 minutes.

Before beginning her collegiate career, Pottratz attended Fossil Ridge High School in Fort Collins, Colorado, where she lettered all four years. In 2025, her team went on to win the Colorado High School Girls Soccer State Championship with a 15-1-4 record. Pottratz also played for the Real Colorado National ECNL select team for six years. During her prep career, Pottratz earned several honors, including:

• Four-time First Team Academic All-State honors
• Two-time First Team All-Conference honors
• 2025 Second Team All-State honors
• 2024 Honorable Mention
• 2025 Varsity Team Captain
• Ranked No. 1 in Colorado and No. 10 nationally
• ECNL National Playoffs North American Cup Champion

Pottratz intends to major in Psychology while attending Tarleton State.

Peyton Bryant, Midfielder

Peyton Bryant is the final Texan to join Tarleton State Soccer, arriving alongside Pottratz after spending four seasons with Gardner-Webb.

Bryant played in 15 matches with four starts during her first season with the Runnin' Bulldogs. After missing out on the 2023 season, Bryant returned to the pitch to appear in 19 matches with 18 starts, logging the fourth-highest minutes on the team with 1528 played. Ahead of the 2025 season, Bryant was named to the 2025 Big South Women's Soccer Top Returning Players to Watch List and earned All-Academic later in the year.

Ahead of her collegiate career, the South Carolina native was a four-year varsity midfielder at South Iredell High School and served as a captain for the Charlotte Independence Soccer Club.

Bryant plans to pursue a master's degree in Business Administration while attending Tarleton State.