STATESBORO, Ga. – South Georgia Tormenta FC has announced the addition of defender Alaysia Lane, midfielder Anika Elias and forwards Savannah Jackson and Elise Holcey to its 2023 title-defending roster, pending league and federation approval. The talented group, led by returner Holcey, joins a fighting Tormenta FC roster under the helm of Head Coach Jim Robbins ahead of its 2023 season kickoff on May 15 against Southern Soccer Academy.
Lane, 24, brings several years of experience representing Rutgers University before transferring to Gonzaga University. Through those years, Lane appeared in 17 games for Rutgers, scoring three times and assisting once. With Gonzaga, Lane appeared in 34 games, scoring once and assisting three times. Lane’s ability to play as a defender and throughout the midfield makes her a versatile player that will bring experience and mobility to the young Tormenta FC core.
“Alayisa is another extremely athletic wide player who will play on the left side of our team this summer. She is fast and powerful and likes to go forward. She can beat defenders one-v-one and score goals. Having another proven goalscorer on our roster gives us a variety of options. Her age and experience professionally will be additional assets to our team and club culture as we strive to get back to the USL W League championship game.”
Jim Robbins, Tormenta FC USL W League Head Coach
Joining the midfield is Elias. The Young Harris College graduate brings a plethora of experience to the midfield. With Young Harris, Elias totaled 31 games, tallying 1,979 minutes played, contributing with a goal and two assists during her time with the program.
In 2022, Elias featured for Morris Elite SC of the Metropolitan Division, where she helped the team to a historic playoff run in its first year in the W League.
“Anika has great vision and loves to play quickly in the possession phase, She can unlock any defense with her passing instincts and ability. She sees things that other players do not see and is excellent at providing the final pass in behind the opponent’s backline. I am confident that she will have willing runners who want to get on the end of her entry passes, especially against those teams who play with a high backline. She will be a key provider for our team in the middle and final third.”
Jim Robbins, Tormenta FC USL W League Head Coach
Adding to the offensive line is former Lynn University standout Jackson. Jackson spent her last year of collegiate eligibility playing for Lynn University, where she appeared in all 14 games with 13 starts, contributing with six goals scored and ranked second on the team in assists with six.
Prior to Lynn, Jackson spent time with the University of Illinois at Chicago, and Johnson and Wales University. Jackson was named Sun Conference Player of the Year in 2019.
“Savannah is a proven goalscorer at all levels of the game. She has pace, quickness, and can beat players one-v-one in central and wide areas. She can finish in a variety of ways, which will be critical to our team’s success this year. It will also help her to be successful as she develops into a professional player after her time with Tormenta FC. I look forward to watching her continued development here as we build a more dangerous and diverse attacking group of players in 2023.”
Jim Robbins, Tormenta FC USL W League Head Coach
Holcey is set to be the final returner of the 2022 W League team that went on to win the USL W League title. Holcey returns to Statesboro to help South Georgia make a run at this year’s title after a very valuable learning year in 2022 for Holcey. At 17 years old, Holcey made national history as the inaugural signing across the entire USL W League in its new era.
In 2022, Holcey scored a crucial game-winning goal against Peachtree City MOBA after entering the match in the 68th minute, making her Tormenta FC debut. Holcey scored Tormenta FC’s first home USL W League goal. In 2023, Holcey will now aim to take on more responsibility and bring the winning experience to the new team aiming to win it all again in 2023.
Holcey appeared in six games for Campbell University, totaling 121 minutes. Holcey recorded a shot on goal for Campbell on September 21, when they visited Radford University in Campbell’s 1-1 draw.
“We are excited to have Elise back for her second year here at Tormenta FC. She showed last year as a high school senior that she can compete and play at this level. Her game-winning goal late against MOBA was instrumental to our team’s success in the second half of the season. Elise is another dynamic, agile, and fast goalscorer who will prove difficult to defend. We definitely have plenty of goal-scoring players for our opponents to deal with this season. I look forward to her continued development in 2023.”
Jim Robbins, Tormenta FC USL W League Head Coach
In June of 2021, Tormenta FC was named a founding member of the USL W League, an elite pre-professional pathway for women looking to build their careers both on and off the pitch. Tormenta FC won its first-ever USL W League title in 2022 after defeating the Minnesota Aurora in front of 6,500 fans in Eagan, Minnesota.
Tormenta FC provides opportunities to local and national players to develop and start their professional careers in Statesboro, Georgia. In just one year, Tormenta FC’s USL W League team has produced six professional players with Sydney Martinez joining Jenae Packard, Emily Burke, Kelly Giddes, Abigail Wolf and Jodi Medina as the latest player to sign a contract in Europe.
For additional information and scheduling interviews, email: epintor@tormentafc.com.
