Women's Soccer News: SEALIONS Kick off 2011 WPSL Season

The San Diego SeaLions WPSL (Women's Premier Soccer League) kick off their exciting 2011 season this weekend as they head to Nansen Field on Saturday June 4 to play Ajax and return to San Diego to play at Cathedral Catholic High School for their home opener on June 5th at 2:00 pm.  

The WPSL SeaLions are proud to be San Diego's Women's Soccer Team

FACTS: The San Diego SeaLions women’s soccer team opens the 2011 Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL) regular season against Ajax America on Saturday, June 4, 2011, at Nansen Field in Rancho Palos Verdes. The SeaLions then return to Cathedral Catholic High on Sunday, June 5, to take on the Claremont Stars in the Home Opener. The game begins at 2:00 p.m. and the first 200 fans receive a free San Diego SeaLions sling bag.

COST: Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for military, seniors, and children. Fans wearing a U.S. National Team jersey will get in free in honor of this summer’s FIFA Women’s World Cup. The SeaLions will also provide free admission to any fan who brings a drum to beat during the game.

HOME FIELD: All home games are played at Cathedral Catholic High School, located at 5555 Del Mar Heights Road in Del Mar, CA.

The San Diego SeaLions are coming off of an exciting 1-0 pre-season victory over the Bay Area Breeze, one of three professional teams that joined the WPSL this season after dropping from the other women's soccer league, the Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS), due to financial constraints.  The WPSL has grown significantly in recent seasons as the W-League has lost several teams. These teams joining the WPSL bring a new strength to the league and look to challenge the existing WPSL teams for the championship.

"This is an exciting time for the SeaLions and for women's soccer," said San Diego SeaLions GM, Amie Becker. "We have some amazing new talent on the field, including former FC Gold Pride midfielder Rosie Tantillo. With the Women's World Cup coming up at the end of June, there will be tremendous energy around the game. I hope that everyone who loves this sport comes out in support of the SeaLions and women's soccer."

In addition to Tantillo, who helped lead FC Gold Pride to the WPS championship last year, the SeaLions boast a strong lineup of new and returning players. Kaycee Gunion, a two-time All-American at CSU San Marcos and 2009 AII Conference Player of the Year, returns in goal for her second year with San Diego. Gunion's technical talent and tactical understanding of the game provides a challenge for any team attempting to score on the SeaLions.  Supporting Gunion in the SeaLion defense are local college players Britney Bennett from San Diego State University (SDSU) and Britnee Chesney, out of Miramar College. Anchoring the defense, will be second-year SeaLion Co-Captain Sarah Aguilar, and UC Irvine’s Sarah Devine who returns for her fifth season with the SeaLions.

Playing alongside Tantillo in the midfield, the SeaLions welcome two new players. Sarah McTigue, a talented outside midfielder from UCSD, and Zaneta “Z” Wyne, a current standout at the University of New Mexico are both strong additions to the squad this season.  

On the attack the SeaLions will feature Miramar College product Nikki Petracca, and Columbia University’s Ashlin Yahr. Petracca is a powerful forward with an incredibly hard shot and the ability to hold the ball well back-to-pressure. Yahr, a long-strided, speedy player, has a knack for crossing the ball in on the ground to the top of the penalty spot and finding the feet of an oncoming player. The SeaLions are coached by former National Team player and World Cup Champion, Jen Lalor-Nielsen. 

Women's soccer offers dynamic action, beautiful soccer and family fun.  All young soccer players are encouraged to come to the SeaLions games, meet the players and discover new soccer skills from watching the SeaLions play! While soccer, which is known globally as football everywhere outside the U.S., has long been popular in America, few spectators realize how well women's soccer players do world-wide.  

The United States Women's National soccer team represents America in international soccer competition and our country's team is ranked first in the world by the FIFA Women's World Rankings.

The USA has won two Women's World Cups (1991 and 1999); three Olympic Women's Gold Medals (1996, 2004 and 2008) and seven Algarve Cups (2000, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, and 2010).   Head Coach for the SeaLions Jen Lalor-Nielsen was a member of the 1995 U.S. Women's World Cup Team in Sweden and was in the national team pool from 1992-'95, earning 21 caps with one goal. Former U.S. Women's National Team head coach April Heinrichs named Lalor-Nieslen as one of eighteen players to represent the USA for two matches in China in 2000.  A three-time All-American when Lalor-Nielsen attended Santa Clara University is proud to be coaching the SeaLions today and the Director of Coaching for the new youth competitive soccer club, San Diego Soccer Academy.

Women's soccer rocks.  It is exciting and fun, brimming with talent and skill.  Come out to watch the SeaLions and support your local women's soccer team. 

Photo Credit: Aaron Jaffe

 

---

San Diego WFC SeaLions one of the oldest female soccer clubs in the USA. The WPSL is a sixty-plus team national women's soccer league with five conferences and is considered one of the top women's soccer leagues in the world. For more information, please email Amie Becker.

The Women's Premier Soccer League WPSL is a 60-plus team national league for the Summer 2011 season and is the largest women's soccer league in the world. The league is sanctioned by the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) as an affiliate of the United States Soccer Federation (USSF). The WPSL's mission is to provide the highest level of soccer in our effort to: bring affordable & quality family entertainment to the community; display positive role models for our youth; while, being a stepping stone for aspiring professional & international-level players.