Seattle Sounders Women News Release -- www.sounderswomen.com
Friday, March 16, 2012
TUKWILA, Wash. – The Seattle Sounders Women's 2012 roster is taking shape as the club has signed three more top talents. The trio of Lyndsey Patterson (MF/F), Julia Roberts (MF), and Lindsay Elston (MF), pictured, includes a variety in upbringing, ages, and skill sets. However, one thing they have in common is talent.
Elston, a U-20 U.S. National Teamer, and Lyndsey Patterson, a WPS veteran, both competed for the Sounders Women last season. They return in search of bigger and better things.
“Last year was a lot of fun,” Elston said. “It was a different experience for me. This year will be really intense, I’m so excited to play with players like Hope, Alex, and all the great players coming in.” She added, “It’s going to be crazy. You dream of getting an opportunity like this, and I have one right in front of me.”
Another player who is coming in, but is less known in the Pacific Northwest, is Julia Roberts. While unknown in Washington, Julia is quickly gaining notoriety on the East Coast, where she competes for the University of Virginia. In addition to her experience at Virginia, Roberts competed in the U-17 World Cup for the United States.
“I went to the World Cup with the U-17s in New Zealand,” Roberts said. “It was awesome, I loved New Zealand. It’s weird the places that soccer takes you. The World Cup experience was so great. We ended up losing in the final, but it was still such a great experience.”
Now soccer brings Roberts to a state she’s never even visited. She considered making Seattle her destination for summer soccer, but when the signings of Hope Solo, Alex Morgan, and Sydney Leroux were made public, Roberts began counting down the days until her arrival.
"I got really excited because I knew I would at least have great competition in practice and would be getting better every day," Roberts said. "I feel really fortunate that it all fell into place like that.”
Roberts will be with all new teammates this summer, similar to when she started five matches for the U.S. U-17s at the World Cup. She seems to take it all in stride.
“You can learn something from every player you play with and against. Playing with good players is really exciting. My hope for Seattle is to step out of my comfort zone and really challenge myself to prepare for my senior season,” the Maryland native said.
Lindsay Elston will be headed into her junior year at the University of Washington next season. In 2011, Elston joined the Sounders Women for four games after playing with the U-20 National Team. She started every match for Washington in 2011. Elston is a graduate of Eastlake High School.
Last year, Patterson also joined the Sounders Women midseason. She spent the first part of the year in Atlanta with the WPS Silverbacks. Patterson scored one goal and added three assists last summer for the Sounders. Patterson was a star at the University of Tennessee where she started 88 of 91 matches from 2001-2004.
Roberts was coached in youth soccer by current Sounders FC Fitness coach, Dave Tenney. In 23 starts during her junior season at Virginia, she scored seven goals and assisted on six.