San Francisco Nighthawks
and Sacramento Storm
Women's Premier Soccer League match

Tiffany Roberts Field Saturday July 4^th

Kick-Off 4:30pm
Gate Price $5

San Ramon Soccer is hosting the SF Nighthawks for their match against the California Storm of Sacramento July 4^th.  Also, the Bay Area Women's Professional Soccer team - FC Gold Pride - will have Kristen Graczyk, Kandace Wilson and Albertin Montoya at Tiffany Roberts Field from 3:30pm to 5:00 pm to mingle with the crowds.

The Nighthawks and Storm will feature national players as well as regional and local talent. The ‘Hawks usually play their games at Kezar Stadium in San Francisco, but this season they have decided to "Bring the Team to the Kids," so San Ramon Soccer is hosting their July 4^th home game. Check the www.sfnighthawks.com website for upcoming games in your area.

Supporting premier soccer in the Bay Area and helping them thrive will allow Bay Area youth access to the spring board to Pro Soccer the ‘Hawks, Storm and other WPSL teams provide. Gate price is $5. The Nighthawks will have a promotional booth and they will put on a 15-20 minute skills clinic after the game, as well as a meet and greet and autograph signing with the players.

The San Francisco Nighthawks are a top-notch women's soccer team representing San Francisco and the greater Bay Area, regionally, nationally and internationally. They formed in 1995 as a charter member of the W-League, a division of the United System of Inter-regional Soccer Leagues (USISL). In 1998, the Nighthawks became a founding member team of the Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL), a national amateur league for elite women soccer players with over 50 teams and 8 divisions.

Courtesy of the Official WPSL website www.wpsl.info  

SACRAMENTO, CA (06/30/09) - One thing was for certain after this past weekend's matches in the Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL), the on-the-field difficulty for those teams in the midst of their respective playoff hunts could possibly be matched by the off-the-field dilemma pertaining to the selection of the WPSL Team of the Week. Not quite - but it was still the most arduous selection process of this Summer 2009 season.

Therefore, the performances from forward April Perry of the Miami Kickers F.C. and goalkeeper Hailey Brown of Salt Lake City Sparta were true cornerstones to their respective teams' important victories in conference action. The belt has begun to tighten for those sides who are either almost in, almost out or sit precariously on the top of the post-season bubble and this edition of the WPSL TOTW is highlighted by the individual performances in those key contests:

F April Perry (MIAMI KICKERS F.C.) - WPSL Co-Player of the Week
Three goals and an assist (8g, 1a this season) from the "un-stoppable" Perry in the Puerto Rico win has kept Miami at the top of the Sunshine Conference with a 5-0-0 record. Good news for the Kickers is that Head Coach Marc Miceli has said that she "is not even at the top of her game."

F Vicki DiMartino (LONG ISLAND FURY)
The host organization of the 2009 WPSL Final Four are pretty much assured a spot in the East Conference play-offs (where the top 8 teams qualify) with a 7-0-0 record, and that is due to the continuing dominance of this U.S. youth international (4 goals in wins over Millburn and Atlantic City). This is DiMartino's third selection to the WPSL TOTW this season.

F Kasey Kanada (PORTLAND RAIN F.C.)
The soon-to-be freshman at Pepperdine University & second-leading scorer for PRFC scored three goals in Pacific-North wins over F.C. Sacramento Pride and then-2nd place Walnut Creek Power, helping get her side get back close to a .500 record.

MF Norma Mendez (CALIFORNIA STORM)
The California Storm were victorious in two hard-fought Pacific-North matches over the weekend, putting them in second place in the division and the Mexican National Team member was the key factor in wins over San Francisco and Monterey.

MF Jenny Maurer (NEW ENGLAND MUTINY)
It was a case of "Maurer Being Maurer" as the former Boston College star & U.S. international would not let the 2009 season for the 2008 WPSL Final Four participants end this early, as her goal-assist performance in an exciting 3-2 comeback win vs. SoccerPlus CT has kept the New England Mutiny in the WPSL East playoff hunt.

MF Kristy Krohn (LOS ANGELES RAMPAGE)
Once again, Krohn (making her 2nd consecutive appearance on the WPSL TOTW) was instrumental in the Rampage's 6-3 come-from-behind win over the So Cal Rush, tallying two goals and an assist to keep L.A. in the Pacific-South Division race.

MF Meagan Zusi (FLORIDA SURGE)
The hard work, hustle & versatility from the Furman standout was clutch in the team's 3-0 road win over fellow Sunshine contender Palm Beach United. She assisted on the eventual game-winning goal which put Florida in second-place at 4-1-1, with three of their four remaining matches being played at home - but more importantly, against the likes of Miami and PBU.

MF/D Kasey Moore (BOSTON AZTEC)
Making her second appearance on the WPSL TOTW is the Boston Breaker draft pick, as she was the controlling midfield force - on both ends of the field - in the victory over Bay State, keeping Boston undefeated (alongside Long Island) in the WPSL East at 7-0-0.

D Jessica Jarrell (DALLAS PREMIER)
The Dallas Premier captain out of Oklahoma State University scored off a corner kick and played all-around defense in the team's draw and win over Fort Worth last weekend, keeping her team at the top of the Big Sky-South with a 6-1-0 record with three matches left in the season.

D Katie Tullis (FLORIDA SURGE)
The Surge center back has been a solid force at the tender age of 33 for her team, and you wouldn't know it by the captain's fitness level, commitment, and stamina as her on-the-field "smarts" has kept Florida in the playoff hunt.

GK Hailey Brown (SLC SPARTA) - WPSL Co-Player of the Week
After a red-card ejection to 2008 Big Sky Goalkeeper of the Year Emalee Rogers in the 6th minute of the important Big Sky-North match vs. first-place Arizona, Brown came on in goal for Sparta. She would withstand the Rush onslaught on goal (including three saves late in the match) in the 2-1 win, solidifying her team's place in second in a tight division race.

HONORABLE MENTION: MF Kira Sharp (SLC SPARTA) - it was Sharp's inspired rush at goal just minutes into the match that ended up being the eventual game-winner for Sparta in their victory over Arizona; MF Kendall Juett (DALLAS PREMIER) - the rising North Texas senior has two goals and six assists on the season as an outside midfielder for the Big Sky-South leaders, contributing greatly in the draw and win over Fort Worth; F Adriene Dickerson (PSSCV-THE ROOKS) - the second-half goal off an assist from Chelsea Riggins gave her Pacific-South side their first win of the season in a 1-0 verdict over Claremont; F Tessa Lennala (SAN DIEGO WFC SEALIONS) - the next day, the UC-Riverside product had two goals and an assist for the SeaLions in the 4-0 victory over PSSCV at Harry Welch Stadium in Santa Clarita; F Jen Leaverton (BAY STATE SELECTS) - Leaverton makes her third appearance on the WPSL TOTW as she scored a hat trick in a important 4-2 WPSL East win over New York A.C., all coming from outside the 20-yard box with two more of her shots hitting the crossbar.

San Francisco, CA (05/29/09) - If you haven't noticed already, the San Francisco Nighthawks are doing things a little differently this year - playing each of their 6 home games in a different venue. 

"We decided as much as Kezar Stadium is our sentimental home and lovely in every way - if we are not getting our game out in front of the kids then we are not doing our jobs," said 'Hawks GM Jill Lounsbury .

So this year, the 'Hawks have opted to play in more kid friendly "bay areas" during the WPSL summer season. In total, 4 "bays" and 6 different Youth Leagues will host the 'Hawks in hopes that the team can inspire future soccer players from all over the San Francisco bay area. The home games are as following:

1. SUN 5/31/09 2:00 P Monterey Blues @ Burlingame High School
2. SAT 6/20/09 5:00 P FC Sacramento Pride @ Sequoia High School
3. SAT 7/4/09 4:30 P California Storm @ Tiffany Roberts Stadium
4. SUN 7/12/09 1:00 P Walnut Creek Power @  Mission High School
5. SAT 7/18/09 Portland Rain FC @ Justin Siena High School
6. SUN 7/19/09 Seattle Synergy @ Tamalpais High School

The Nighthawks also decided this year to add some international players, both seasoned and raw and local young talent to their solid crew of faithful players.

"This finds us both with great leadership and fresh, fast new legs, which we hope will pay off in our first weekend," noted GM Jill Lounsbury.

The Nighthawks invite soccer enthusiasts young and old to see these talented women in action. Check the schedule for upcoming games in your area.

Buy tickets to see the WPS Gold Pride through the Nighthawks to join us at the games and help raise funds for our 2009 WPSL Summer Season!!

Teams/clubs who sell the most tickets get a chance at being Gold Pride Ball Kids or possibly a halftime game on the field!

Click here to download the flyer !