X-Women Soccer announces recruits

StFX women’s soccer head coach Trevor Reddick is pleased to announce his recruiting class for the upcoming 2010 season. “I am extremely pleased with this year’s recruiting class,” comments Reddick..
 
“I think that we will be very solid at both ends of the pitch. We have added more speed and size to our squad which will hopefully help in the very physical AUS conference. The returning core of our team will no doubt continue to impress. They have gained valuable experience at the AUS and CIS championships last year so they now know what it takes to win. I am very much looking forward to the fall and getting the 2010 campaign underway.”
 
The 2009 X-Women soccer team captured the AUS championship title, the second ever for StFX and the first since their inaugural season in 1986.
 
Included in the X-Women recruiting class to date are forwards Melanie Sunada (Calgary) and Shannon MacPhee (Halifax); midfielders Alix Bruch (Calgary), Shannon Venedam (Antigonish, NS), and Mallory MacDonnell (Dartmouth, NS); defenders Stephanie Venedam (Antigonish, NS), Victoria Penner (Winnipeg) and Vanessa Smykalski (Thunder Bay, ON) and goalkeeper Maris Miller (St. John’s, NL).  
 
Melanie Sunada is an outside midfielder from Calgary who played at Bishop O’Byrne High School. She was a member of the Calgary Foothills soccer club that won the U18 national championship last summer.

Alix Bruch also hails from Calgary and was a standout with the Callies Major club and with Central Memorial high school in the center midfield position.

A Winnipeg native, Victoria Penner is a center defender who was a starter for the Manitoba Canada Games Team and spent her high school career with St. Mary’s Academy. She also played with the Winnipeg South End United club team.
 
Vanessa Smykalski is a transfer student from Thunder Bay, ON and plays the wing defender position. She was a cornerstone in the defense with the Lakehead Express club team and also at St. Patrick’s High School.

Maris Miller is a goalkeeper from St. John’s, NL. She played at Gonzaga High School and with the St. John’s U18 team. She was called up to play at the Senior Women’s Jubilee national championship this past Thanksgiving in Saskatoon.
 
Four Nova Scotian natives will join the X-Women program including Antigonish natives and sisters Stephanie and Shannon Venedam. Stephanie is a wing defender while Shannon minds the midfield, also as a winger. Both were standouts with the Dr. J. H. Gillis high school team and the U18 Highland Knights Club team.

Shannon MacPhee is a midfield/forward from Halifax who spent her playing time with Halifax County United and also led Sir. John A. MacDonald high school to the Nova Scotia provincial finals.
 
Mallory MacDonnell hails from Dartmouth, NS and is a center midfielder. She played with the Dartmouth United soccer club and at Auburn Drive high school.
 
The X-Women open their fall training camp in late August and begin defense of their AUS championship title when regular season play opens September 11-12.