SAN DIEGO – Claire Watkins, a sophomore defender who attended and competed for the University of Oregon, has transferred and signed a Grant-In-Aid agreement to compete for the San Diego State women's soccer team and will be eligible to play for the Aztecs in the 2020 season.
"We are very excited to have Claire back in San Diego," head women's soccer coach Mike Friesen said. "She will fit very well into our team, both on and off the field and we believe that she will be an integral part of our success for the next three years. I am excited to coach her and help her grow in every way."
Watkins, a 2018 graduate of Helix High School, was a three-time (2015, 2016 & 2017) All-Grossmont Valley League and two-time (2016 & 2017) All-CIF San Diego Section honoree. She helped lead Helix to both the 2016 San Diego CIF Division III Section and Southern California Regional championships.
As a member of Albion SC, her club squad reached the National Cup finals in 2014, 2015 and 2016. She competed on both the regional and state Olympic Development Programs (ODP) and in 2015 and 2016 won both the Cal South ODP regional and national championships.
Watkins, who took the 2018 season as a redshirt with the University of Oregon women's soccer team, competed in 11 games in 2019, all as a reserve. She saw a total of 415 minutes of action, with a single-game high of 78 against the University of Colorado, and attempted three shots, one each at Fresno State, at Santa Clara and against Stanford.
Watkins will have three seasons to compete for the Aztecs.