EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ - The Lancaster Inferno have officially announced their first round of signings for their 2016 inaugural season in the East Conference of United Women’s Soccer (UWS). These nine players will lead the campaign in the new national pro-am women’s soccer league for the Lancaster, Pennsylvania-based team.
“Keeping with our mission to provide the highest level of women’s soccer, we are very pleased with the commitment from our returning signees,” said Lancaster Inferno owner Francisco Cleaves. “In addition, we have recruited additional players to ensure we field a competitive team in UWS.”
POS. - NAME - HOMETOWN - COLLEGE (LAST TEAM)
GK - Emily Armstrong - Collegeville, PA - Univ. of Connecticut (F.C. Penn. Strikers) *
MF - Trisha Clark - Dillsburg, PA - Elizabethtown College (Lancaster Inferno)
MF - Stephanie Cleaves - Lancaster, PA - Houghton College (Lancaster Inferno)
MF - Natalie Connell - Lancaster, PA - Davidson Univ. (Lancaster Inferno)
MF/D - Bailey Corbin - Lampeter, PA - Nova Southeastern Univ. (Lancaster Inferno)
GK - Emily Dolan - Wilmington, DE - Florida Gulf Coast Univ. (Lancaster Inferno)
MF/F - Laila Espamer - Rio Cuarto, Argentina - Lorenzo de Almagro (Argentina U-20 WNT) *
MF - Teresa Rynier - Leola, PA - James Madison Univ. (Lancaster Inferno)
D - Carol Sanchez - Nicoya, Costa Rica - Virginia Commonwealth Univ. (Costa Rica WNT) *
* signifies 1st year in Inferno uniform
Armstrong was named the 2015 American Athletic Conference (AAC) Goalkeeper of the Year as she helped UConn go undefeated at home. She also received the Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award at the American Athletic Conference Tournament and was awarded AAC Goalkeeper of the Week and All-New England First Team honors.
Clark was named 2015 First-Team All-Conference and Second-Team All-Region for Elizabethtown College. She was also awarded Second-Team All-Conference in her previous three seasons and was the 2012 MAC Conference Rookie of the Year. As a member of Trinity High School in Camp Hill, Trisha was named the Mid-Penn Capital Division Player of the Year as a senior, the Patriot-News Big 11 and All-Sentinel Girls’ Soccer Team in 2012.
Cleaves has signed on for her third consecutive season, and will serve as team co-captain. Stephanie represented Honduras as a member of its Women's National Team in the qualifying rounds for the 2010 Central American and Caribbean games, 2012 Summer Olympics pre-qualifiers, and 2013 World Cup pre-qualifiers.
Connell has signed for her second consecutive season with the Lancaster Inferno. As a freshman at Davidson University, Natalie saw action in all 19 games, starting in 17 of them which was best among first-year players. She was a four-time letter winner on the varsity girls soccer team for Hempfield High School where she was team captain and a three-time league all-star.
Corbin is in her third season with Lancaster. After her freshman season at USC Upstate, Bailey transferred to Nova Southeastern University where she was one of six players to play in every game during the 2015 season. Bailey helped the team achieve a second-place finish in the Sunshine State Conference and their third-ever appearance in the NCAA playoffs.
Dolan will suit up for her third consecutive season with the Inferno after completing her four-year career at Florida Gulf Coast University. Emily played for Kirkwood S.C. Freedom who were six-time State Champions, Region I Premier League and 2008 Director’s Cup National Champions.
Espamer is an attacking mid-fielder/striker and was most recently part of the San Lorenzo de Almagro women’s team, on loan from Club Atletico Racing de Cordoba, where she led the team in scoring with 31 goals. Both teams participate in the Argentinian First Division. She was also part of the U-17 and U-20 Argentina National Team programs.
Rynier is a former professional soccer player - Ottawa Fury (Canada, 2011 & 2014), Kvarnsvedens IK (Sweden, 2012) & FH Hafnafjördur (Iceland, 2013) - who has signed on for her sixth season with Lancaster, and will serve as team co-captain. The All American four-year starter for James Madison University holds the school record in assists (53), which is also a conference and state record. In 2011, Teresa was selected by the Philadelphia Independence in the fourth round of the Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) Draft.
Sanchez - a fixture on defense for Costa Rica’s Women’s National Team - most recently participated in the 2016 CONCACAF Olympic qualifiers, defeating Mexico to advance to the tournament semi-finals where they would eventually lose to Canada. In addition to playing for her country, Carol is the captain for A.D. Moravia of the Costa Rican First Division. She played her collegiate ball for Virginia Commonwealth University and was the 2011 Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Defensive Player of the Year.
About United Women’s Soccer (UWS): UWS is a national women’s soccer league sanctioned by U.S. Soccer through the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA). UWS is a professionally operated league created for teams that meet high minimum standards. The season runs from May until the end of July, culminating in a National Championship match. The UWS player pool is comprised of college players, aspiring & former professionals and international stars. You can follow UWS on social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Media can contact UWS Director of Communications Jorma Kansanen by e-mail at Press@UWSSoccer.com. You can visit the league’s official website at UWSSoccer.com. EDP serves as UWS administrators and will be facilitating schedules, disciplinary procedures, etc. Interested team applicants can contact League Commissioner Joe Ferrara by e-mail at Joe@UWSSoccer.com.
Tag(s): News | Lancaster Inferno