Pali Blues News Release -- www.bluessoccerclub.com
Thursday, April 12, 2012
LOS ANGELES – The Pali Blues announced today that Cami Levin has signed with the team for the 2012 W-League Season. The Newport Coast, Calif. native is returning to Pali fresh off her senior year at Stanford which is highlighted by a national championship after the Cardinal defeated Duke 1-0 in the NCAA Tournament final.
Levin has seen action at Stadium by the Sea the past three years for the Blues, but has always been limited by US Youth National Team duty. She has represented the USA at the U-18, U-20, and most recently, U-23 level.
In 2011, she only played in three matches at the end of the regular season, but impressed in each as a defender. She found a way to get four shots on goal, and earned one critical assist as the Blues tried to keep their playoff dreams alive.
“Cami was slated to be an impact player as a rookie this year in WPS,” said Blues head coach Charlie Naimo. “She has been a part of this team in some capacity since we started (in 2008) and she was still a youth player. Now it is her time to be a leader since she will have a longer season with us.”
Known for her work ethic and versatility, Levin succeeds in every position she plays. As a freshman at Stanford in 2008, she played and started all 25 matches and scored her season-high of six goals while earning four assists. As a sophomore, she played both as a forward and as a left back. As a junior, she played as a center back and attacking midfielder in addition to the left back position earning 11 assists that season.
Her final season at Stanford ended with a NCAA Tournament championship. In a perfect example that displayed her work ethic, Levin was tackled, blocked, and delayed by Duke defenders, but she managed to serve a cross that resulted in the game-winning goal.
The effort she gives on the field is something that Naimo admires about her. “She is one of those players that make you feel you are going to win when she is on the field because she masters the little things and outworks everyone,” he said.
Following her final season at Stanford, Levin was selected fourth overall by Sky Blue FC in the annual WPS Draft in January 2012, but she did not have the chance to play professionally as a result of the league suspending operations shortly after.