Nighthawks Building for the 2007 WPSL Campaign
September 8, 2006

San Francisco, CA - San Francisco Nighthawks General Manager, Jill Lounsbury, announced a major commitment by the organization to make the Nighthawks dramatically more competitive when they compete in the Western Division of the Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL) in 2007. The WPSL is the top ranked women’s soccer league in the U.S. and the third ranked women’s league in the world following Damallsvenskan of Sweden and Frauen Bundesliga of Germany with Toppserien of Norway ranked fourth.

The Nighthawks, who compete in the fall and spring in the Golden Gate Women’s Soccer League (GGWSL), are 3-time reigning champions of GGWSL’s Premier Division having won the title in the spring 2006, fall 2005, and spring 2005. The Hawks are led by captains Shannon Strong (University of New Hampshire) and Elana De Santis (San Francisco State). Cristina Quintero, who has led the GGWSL’s Premier Division in scoring for four consecutive seasons, is also a WPSL Western Division All Star and the all-time scoring leader at San Francisco State, male or female. The Hawks benefit from additional leadership in their two keepers; Sarah Walker (Yale) and Petra Kowalski (Claremont McKenna College) and defensive specialist, Cat Cain (UC Berkeley).

Lounsbury said that the Nighthawks have already begun recruiting players for next summer’s WPSL season. The team is seeking elite D1 NCAA current and former players, all-star players from other GGWSL Premier Division teams as well as elite players from other local clubs who would like to compete with the Nighthawks during the summer in the WPSL.

According to Lounsbury, the Nighthawks would like to put themselves in a position to contend for the WPSL Western Division crown and the WPSL championship. Lounsbury noted, “To contend, we are seeking players who truly love the game – and have the capacity to increase our team speed and overall level of play. We felt, this last season, that we were a little too slow and a few players short of being able to compete against the best teams in our division and the WPSL. We are committed to building a united team that can compete every time it takes the field.”

The Nighthawks completed the 2006 WPSL season in 6th place (3-9-2, WPSL) while playing in the Western Divison, arguably, the WPSL’s toughest division. The division was won by Ajax Women of America (Los Angeles) and was followed, a half game back, by the WFC SeaLions (San Diego); both teams participated in the WPSL’s Final Four championship series which took place in Utah this year. The Sacramento Storm, who feature Brazilian superstar, Sissi, and U.S. superstar, Brandi Chastain, took third place in the Western Division in 2006. The Storm was runner-up in the championship game in 2005 and won the WPSL’s National Championship in 2004.

Lounsbury believes that the key to improving the Hawks WPSL success is to maintain the Nighthawks personality and commitment to the individual while recruiting a handful of elite players to go with the outstanding group of Nighthawks who are committed to returning and moving the team to the next level. According to Lounsbury, “If we are going to challenge for the Western Division crown and a WPSL championship, we need a few more players who can compete at an elite level. We need more team speed. We need a couple more creative players up top. We need a couple of speed demons on the wings who like to attack and are committed to competing at both ends of the field. And we need a couple more hard-nosed, tenacious defenders to go with our outstanding corps of goalkeepers.”

The quality and speed of play in the WPSL reflects the 100-plus players who played in the WUSA (when it was in operation), the growing number of elite D1 NCAA college players, and the scores of national team players from the U.S. and around the world who call the WPSL home when not playing for their national teams. A vast majority of WPSL players either are playing or did play D1 college soccer for such schools as UCLA, Stanford, Georgetown, Yale, University of Hawaii, University of San Diego, Cal Berkeley, University San Francisco, Notre Dame, Florida State, Santa Clara University, San Francisco State, UC Davis, Maryland and more.

BACKGROUND
San Francisco Nighthawks – http://sfnighthawks.com/
The San Francisco Nighthawks, formed in 1995 as charter members of the W-League, are an elite women’s soccer team representing San Francisco and the greater Bay Area, regionally, nationally and internationally.
The Nighthawks are resolutely diverse and highly representative of the Bay Area. Soccer, played at its highest level with passion and skill, and a willingness to give back to the community unites all Hawks’ players and provides them with a common bond. The Nighthawks, as a team, are exceedingly close and remarkably supportive of one another, the team, and the community.
The San Francisco Nighthawks are committed community partners with a rich history of giving back. The Nighthawks provide free annual soccer clinics for low income youth players, conduct fundraising events for inner city youth soccer teams and leagues (providing teams with uniforms, balls, nets and more), and fundraising events for such national and international emergencies as Katrina and the Tsunami.

Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL) – http://www.wpsl.info/
The WPSL is a 37 team, 6 division independent national women’s soccer league with teams located around the country. The WPSL is currently ranked the most competitive women’s soccer league in the U.S. and the third most competitive women’s soccer league in the world by Women's World Football Rankings. The WPSL season runs from May through July. The WPSL was formed in 1998 and is sanctioned by the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) as an affiliate of the United States Soccer Federation (USSF), the ruling body of soccer in the United States and FIFA the world's ruling body for soccer. The San Francisco Nighthawks are charter members of the WPSL and compete in the 8 team Western Division.

Golden Gate Women’s Soccer League (GGWSL) – http://www.ggwsl.org/
The GGWSL is a 54 team, 8 division regional league based in San Francisco with relegation and promotion. The Premier Division includes many women who have played D1 NCAA soccer and want to continue competing at a premier level. The GGWSL plays two seasons: a fall season (which runs September to December) and a spring season (which runs March to June). Each season consists of ten games. The GGWSL is a USSF and CSAN affiliated league. The San Francisco Nighthawks, for the third consecutive season, are champions of GGWSL’s Premier Division, having won the title in the spring 2006, fall 2005, and spring 2005.

CONTACT INFO :
General Manager: Jill Lounsbury 415 661-1942, jillhawk@earthlink.net
Communications Director: Harley Christensen 415 453-6576

San Francisco Nighthawks
1708 Waller Street, San Francisco, CA 94117
www.sfnighthawks.com