Banshees bring W-League to O.C.

One of the world's best take on Banshees in doubleheader on Wednesday

The South Jersey Banshees (an affiliate of the South Jersey Barons Youth Club and Ocean City Barons PDL team) are participating in a double header evening of soccer at Carey Stadium in Ocean City, NJ on July 12th with the W League game kicking off at 5:30pm followed by the PDL men's team at 7:30pm.

The Banshees will be competing against the W-League defending champion and world soccer power New Jersey Wildcats, the Wildcats are stacked with national and international talent that has been attracted to the W League because of the high level of competition in this division. The Wildcats continue to lead a very strong contingent of talent in the Northeast Division including Western Mass, Boston and Long Island. "Although it has been tough going for our women in this division the experience has been invaluable. This division of women's soccer is arguably one of the strongest if not the strongest divisions in the world so when our women line up across from the Wildcats it is like our men's team lining up against Manchester United" stated club president Cliff Simmons. This season the Banshees also had the challenge of competing against former WUSA powerhouse the Washington Freedom which also boasts several national talents.

"We have been inching a little closer competitively to these teams as the season has progressed and gave Boston a real scare last weekend. We hope to continue to build on this and get our young local players to experience world class women's soccer which is invaluable in the development of our young players." The Banshees look to expose several of their younger up and coming players to the W League level in the coming games with the addition of local high school products Colleen MCGroarty (Mainland High School) and Melissa Sanger (Kingsway High School). These U-16 girls are part of a growing group of young talented players that are currently playing in the South Jersey Banshees youth teams and are expected to contribute significantly to the growth of the W League team in the seasons to come.

"We might be taking our lumps right now but a lot of young talent is being developed in our younger age groups that will benefit from exposure to teams like the Wildcats so the lumps are worth it. With the demise of WUSA the W League stepped in and filled that void with exceptional teams and talent and we are happy to be a part of it for the benefit of future generations of South Jersey talent".

The game on the July 12th is a test for the club in connecting the highest level men's and women's programs in the South Jersey/Ocean City Barons organizations in a doubleheader setting. It is also an opportunity to expose the Jersey shore to women's soccer at the very highest level.

About the W League

United Soccer Leagues W-League brings the highest level of international competition in the world to the United States and Canada. The mixing of elite college athletes with premier international and former professional stars produces an environment that maximizes player potential. The W-League is recognized throughout North America for providing affordable family entertainment to fans in nearly forty markets.

Illustrious players, including Brazilian star Formiga (New Jersey Wildcats) and former U.S. National Team standout Tiffany Milbrett (Vancouver Whitecaps F.C.) call the W-League home. The Washington Freedom, formerly of the WUSA, competes as an associate member of the W-League.

The W-League is also a medium for American players to make overseas contacts. Many North American athletes have signed with professional clubs abroad because of rich friendships forged with foreign players.

The 2006 campaign features a 38-team format in three conferences playing 12 or 14 regular season matches throughout the summer. A major advantage of the W-League is the fact that collegiate players may compete while maintaining collegiate eligibility. W-League coaches also hold strong relationships with the National Team staff. This opens a direct line of opportunity for players to meet important contacts

For more information check out http://wleague.uslsoccer.com/

South Jersey Barons Youth Club

Is an integrated developmental youth soccer organization with teams in age groups from U-8 to U18 and at the U-20, PDL and W League levels.
Barons (boys) and Banshees (girls) participate in numerous local, regional and national soccer leagues including Super Y League, Super 20 League, MAPS, JAGS, South Jersey Boys and Girls Soccer leagues and US Club Soccer regionals.

The Club focus is on development players for the next level and has been extremely successful as can be seen by the Alumni of the club noted on the clubs website. The club has the capability of taking a player from U-8 all the way through college and beyond with training and competition of the highest level.

For more information check out www.sjbarons.com

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