Pali Blues News Release - www.bluessoccerclub.com
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
PACIFIC PALISADES, CA. – The Pali Blues are delighted to announce that the Stanford trio of Rachel Quon, Cami Levin, and Mariah Nogueira will play for the team in the 2011 USL W-League season, pending USL and USSF approval. The three are coming off a successful year at Stanford in which they reached the final of the 2010 NCAA Women’s College Cup.
“Bringing Mariah and Cami back and adding Rachel to our team will give us a huge boost,” Blues Vice President Charlie Naimo said. “They all have youth national team experience and come from a system of play that is very similar to our philosophy.”
Levin and Nogueira were part of Pali Blues during the 2010 season that saw the team extend its win streak to 33 matches (including a pair of championships) before the Vancouver Whitecaps snapped it with a 2-1 win.
A junior from Newport Coast, Calif., Levin has represented the USA at the U-14 through U-18 levels and is a current member of the U-20 player pool. Levin had two goals and 11 assists last season for Stanford.
Nogueira, a sophomore from Westminster, Calif., scored five goals and had four assists for Stanford as a midfielder. She played all 26 matches while starting 22, and was named the Pac-10 Freshman of the Year in 2010.
“I’m excited to come back and play for Pali,” Nogueira said. “It’s been a great way to keep up my soccer fitness and skill. I’ve met some great players and people over the past two years. Southern California is my home, so I can’t wait to get back to the perfect weather. I had a lot of fun working the camps last year as well.”
Quon, a native of Lake Forest, Ill., is one of Stanford’s top players at the outside back position. As a defender that likes to get involved in the attack, she scored two goals and assisted on five as a freshman last year. Quon also played every minute for the USA in the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Germany last summer, where it fell to Nigeria in a penalty kick shoot-out in the quarterfinals.
“I’m incredibly excited to have Rachel on the team this year, she’s an amazing player with vast experience in big games,” Nogueira said. “She’s one of the smartest soccer players I know, reads the game extremely well, is composed, makes good decisions, and is quick. I feel confident with her playing behind me. She’s also one of my good friends, so I look forward to spending more time with her this summer and showing her my hometown.”
Nogueira also looks forward to playing for new Pali Blues head coach Jacob Tudela. “I’m interested in seeing the new coach and his coaching style. I’m sure he will bring something different to the team so I look forward to working with him and growing.”
Pali Blues season tickets are now on sale at www.bluessoccerclub.com. For more information on the two-time W-League champion Pali Blues, make sure to stay tuned to the team website and follow the team on Facebook and Twitter @PaliBlues.