Adelaide United’s Women’s Team has added another five players to its squad for the second season of the Westfield W-League.
Adelaide United-s Women-s Team has added another five players to its squad for the second season of the Westfield W-League.
Reds W-League Coach Mike Barnett has secured local girls Ashlee Faul and Ruth Wallace to the squad, while he has also signed Queensland based pair Georgia Chapman and Tenneille Boaler.
Faul and Wallace are both products of the South Australian Sports Institute (SASI), and Barnett believes both youngsters have the potential to mix it in the W-League.
“Ashlee is a very strong talented defender who despite being young, shows maturity in her play and has a bright future ahead,” Barnett said.
“Another good talented young player who we think will improve playing at W-league level, Ruth is very adaptable and can play anywhere on the field.”
After finishing at the foot of the W-League ladder last season, Barnett has acquired the services of Queensland pair Chapman and Boaler to help strengthen the squad. Queensland is noted as a strong breeding ground for women footballers, the Sunshine State boasting a host of current Westfield Matildas players, and Barnett hopes Chapman and Boaler, who will travel from Queensland for every match, will help to raise the overall level and competitiveness of United-s W-League team.
“Georgia is a very solid midfielder who reads the game well, she is a great passer of the ball and her experience will definitely benefit the team,” Barnett said.
“Tenneille is an extremely quick wide player who will cause defenders problems with her great ability to dribble and send in dangerous crosses. She also is a prolific goal scorer.”
In other signing news, inaugural squad members, goalkeeper Sian McLaren and midfielder Angela Fimmano, have also re-signed with the Lady Reds for the 2009 season.
McLaren and Fimmano were recently included in a Westfield Young Matildas squad for a host of training camps ahead of the AFC U-19 Women’s Championships 2009 in China in August and they were also part of the squad-s European tour, which saw Fimmano display her talent and potency in attack with a hat trick against Finland.
“We have high hopes Angela will become a regular starting eleven player after an excellent tour away with the Young Matildas,” Barnett said.
“We are also delighted to have Sian as our number one keeper this season. After some outstanding performances for the Young Matildas, Sian has shown her potential to become one of the leading goalkeepers in the league and closer to full Matildas selection soon.”
