Pacific Palisades, Calif. (Saturday, May 10, 2008) – The Pali Blues Soccer Club are making their final preparations for what will be their first-ever regular season match-up in the USL W-League. The Blues travel to Ventura, California, today to play their Western Conference foes, the Ventura County Fusion.
"We are so excited to get the regular season rolling,” Blues head coach Charlie Naimo commented. “It has been a long pre-season, and we have very high expectations.”
The projected opening day line up will be Danesha Adams along with Liz Bogus or Mele French up top. Collette McCallum is expected to run the midfield with the help of Rosie Tantillo, Kandace Wilson and Kara Kabellis, with Jill Oakes or Leah Tapscott holding. The Blues’ back line will feature Amy LePeilbet, Kendall Fletcher, Erin Hardy and possibly Oakes. Valerie Henderson and Karen Bardsley are expected to split time in net for the Blues.
“I am proud of this group; they have really become a team over the last few months,” Naimo continued. “They are a very deserving group of people, and I hope they see much success this season.”
The Blues finished up a busy preseason with a cumulative 10-0-2 overall record, outscoring their opponents 40-5 over the 12 contests. They opened their preseason slate with a 1-1 draw against the Beijing Women’s Soccer Team, and they followed up that hard-fought match by winning the Silver Mug Tournament in Las Vegas this past February.
The Ventura County Fusion is also embarking upon their inaugural campaign in the USL W-League. The Fusion is led by head coach Michelle Myers, a former player at Santa Clara University. Myers has spent the past 12 seasons as an assistant coach for Loyola Marymount University (LMU). The Fusion has a relatively young team that will be led by forwards Katie Osborne and Sienna Kluck-Escoto. Osborne was a four-year starter and team captain at LMU, and Kluck-Escoto was named a 2006 NSCAA/adidas Second Team All-American following her sophomore season at Ventura College. The Fusion is backstopped by LMU graduate Joslyn Slovek.
The Saturday night opener is slated for a 5:00 p.m. kickoff, and the game will be played at Buena High School in Ventura.
The Blues will play their inaugural home contest at the “Stadium by the Sea” when they host the Los Angeles Legends next Saturday, May 17. Tickets for home match ups are only $10 for adults ($8 with student ID) and $5 for kids under the age of 12. Season tickets are still available and can be purchased online.
Stay tuned to the team website at www.bluessoccerclub.com for all updates regarding the Blues.
