(Editor's note: MSUB Athletics release)
BILLINGS - Finalizing his 2021 roster, Montana State University Billings women’s soccer head coach Stephen Cavallo has announced the addition of three NCAA Division I transfer signings for the upcoming season.
Abby Sena, Sydney Torres, and Tuva Sallvin each inked letters of intent to join the Yellowjacket women’s soccer team, bringing the total number of new players for the 2021 season to 12.
Tuva Sallvin
Goalkeeper
Norrala, Sweden
Bromangymnasiet/Louisiana Tech
Standing at 6-foot-3, Sallvin brings a strong presence to the Yellowjacket lineup between the posts. As a sophomore at Louisiana Tech in 2020, Sallvin earned one start and made one save while playing 45 minutes. As a freshman in 2019 she saw action in three matches with two starts and made 10 saves while allowing just one goal. Sallvin earned one shutout and picked up three victories, held a 0.47 goals-against average, played 191 minutes for an average of 63.7 minutes per match, and had a season-high seven saves on Sept. 8 against Montevallo. Prior to her collegiate career, Sallvin was named Player of the Year for her parent club at Bromangymnasiet in her home town of Norrala, Sweden. She was a first-team province pick for girls in the 2000 age group, was named player of the game in the province qualifiers, and helped her team to a pair of district championships. Sallvin also attended the Swedish U18 national team camp for goalkeepers.
Coach Cavallo on Sallvin: “Tuva is a fantastic addition to our goalkeeping department. She has a huge presence in goal, is very strong technically, and good in the air. Due to her height she can reach shots that many other keepers would struggle to deal with. With the addition of Tuva we feel we have great competition for the number one position.”Sallvin on choosing MSUB: “With the head coach being a former goalkeeper and also having a goalkeeper coach with that, I felt like MSUB was the right fit for me. Goalkeepers are a lot of times forgotten so I wanted to go somewhere I knew I would be seen and prioritized. In addition to that, I felt a good connection between me, the girls who reached out to me, and the coach. I can already tell that this program and staff are very organized and I look forward to spending the rest of my college career at MSUB.”
Abby Sena
Midfielder
Las Vegas, Nevada
Coronado High School/University of Evansville
Sena spent two years in the women’s soccer program at NCAA Division I University of Evansville, where she trained with the team as a midfielder. Prior to her collegiate career, Sena was a three-year letterwinner in soccer at Coronado High School in Las Vegas.
Coach Cavallo on Sena: “Abby will bring experience and skill to our midfielder group. She is super technical and does a great job in helping build attacks through simple possession. She played at a very high level and we are excited to get her within our team.”
Sena on choosing MSUB: “I really liked how much Coach Cavallo cares about his players as well as the team’s style of play. Also, when I visited the school, it was a small, pretty campus which I really loved. I also just love how pretty Montana is and all the outdoor activities I get to do.”
Sydney Torres
Forward
Peoria, Arizona
Sandra Day O’Connor/Grand Canyon University
Torres spent her first two collegiate seasons at NCAA Division I Grand Canyon University, where she saw action in 27 matches off the bench. Torres totaled 568 minutes played for an average of 20.3 minutes per match, and placed four of her eight shot attempts on target.
Prior to her collegiate career, Torres was selected as her team’s MVP at Sandra Day O’Connor High School. She was a second-team all-state selection and won the Soaring Eagle award while playing three years as a midfielder. She also competed in track and field for one season.
Coach Cavallo on Torres: “Sydney is a very crafty, skilled, technical player. She will add scrappiness and dynamism to our attack and can play in the center forward or center attacking mid position. She brings a great bit of experience and we are excited to bring Sydney into this group.”
Torres on choosing MSUB: “The reasoning behind me choosing MSUB was due to the academic and athletic environment. When I went on my visit, I fell in love with the university and how welcoming everybody was. I cannot wait to receive my degree here at MSUB and play soccer for Coach Cavallo. I look forward to exploring the beautiful city of Billings.”
