Sky Blue Signs International Attacking Trio

The trio will be in uniform this Saturday when Jersey Sky Blue opens its second season in the W-League on May 10 on the road against the Boston Renegades. Sky Blue will make its 2008 home debut on Saturday, May 31 when it hosts the Renegades at 7:30 pm at Drew University.

O’Brien is a long-time veteran of the W-League with six seasons and 62 regular season appearances with the Long Island Lady Riders and the Long Island Rough Riders. Mercier previously played with the Vancouver Whitecaps while Molina played the past two years in the WPSL with the Northampton Laurels and the New York Athletic Club.

“We are very happy to have signed these international players and hope their experience will be an asset to our team,” said Jersey Sky Blue Head Coach Denise Reddy. “Each one has unique attacking qualities and we’re hoping they contribute to our goal-scoring success this season.”

Mercier joins Sky Blue after playing the 2007 season with the Whitecaps Women Reserves, who went undefeated in the PCSL with a 14-0 record. The Smithers, British Columbia native led the Whitecaps Women Reserves in scoring and finished second in the PCSL with 13 goals. She played for the Vancouver Whitecaps in the W-League in 2006.

On the college level, Mercier was a 2005 Canadian Interuniversity Sport All-Canadian selection at the University of Victoria where she played five seasons from 2001 to 2005. In her final year, Mercier led the Vikes to their first-ever CIS Women’s Soccer Championship while earning a spot on the CIS National Championship All-Tournament Team after scoring a goal in the 3-0 victory over Ottawa in the final. She led the league in scoring with 12 goals and was named the Canada West Conference Most Valuable Player.

“Amélie comes to us highly recommended as a goal scorer,” Reddy said. “So far, she has proven in training that she can find the back of the net.”

Molina made her debut with the Colombia National Team at the CONMEBOL Women’s Championship in Argentina in November 2006 – the qualifying competition for the 2007 FIFA World Cup and the 2008 Olympics. She played every minute of all four games as Colombia finished fourth in their group with a 1-2-1 record. Molina also scored her first international goal in a 2-2 tie against Ecuador.

On the collegiate level, Molina starred for Lehigh University from 2003 to 2006. As a senior, the Cali, Colombia native led the Mountain Hawks in scoring with six goals and three assists for 15 points in 18 games and was honored with an All-Patriot League first team selection. As a junior, she earned All-Patriot League second team honors after posting five goals and two assists to help Lehigh to a school record for wins with a 14-3-1 mark and its first-ever Patriot League regular season title.

“Dani is a smart and creative player with the ability to beat an opponent,” Reddy said. “She is a versatile player that can play anywhere in the midfield or up front.”

O’Brien comes to Sky Blue after a busy past 12 months including stints with the Long Island Rough Riders of the W-League last summer, QBIK of Sweden’s Damallsvenskan last fall, and Watford of England’s Women’s Premier League through April in addition to her time with the Republic of Ireland. Prior to that she played for the Long Island Lady Riders from 2000-2005 – interrupted by a season with Arsenal in England in 2003 – and posted 25 goals and 13 assists in 52 W-League regular season appearances. O’Brien most recently appeared with Ireland on April 23 scoring a goal 18 seconds from kickoff in a 2-0 victory against Hungary in qualifications for the UEFA Women’s Euro 2009.

The Plainview, NY native put together an accomplished college career at Florida International University from 1998 to 2001. She still stands as the school’s all-time leading scorer with 58 goals and 18 assists for 134 points. She was named the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year in 2000 and 2001 and also earned All-Sun Belt Conference first team and Sun Belt Conference All-Tournament Team honors in both years.

“Michele has extensive W-League and international experience,” Reddy said. “We’re hoping to use that experience to boost Sky Blue's offense this season.”

Individual game tickets, season tickets, and group packages are available now through the Sky Blue Soccer website – www.SkyBlueSoccer.com – for the Jersey Sky Blue 2008 W-League season.

SKY BLUE PROFILE: Amélie Mercier

• Hometown: Smithers, British Columbia
• Born: May 25, 1983
• Played for the Whitecaps Women Reserves in the PCSL in 2007 leading the team to a 14-0 record and a trip to the final
• Finished second in scoring in the PCSL with 13 goals
• Made two W-League appearances for the Vancouver Whitecaps in 2006
• Starred on the collegiate level at the University of Victoria from 2001-2005
• In her final year in 2005, earned CIS All-Canadian first team honors after leading the Vikes to their first-ever CIS Women’s Soccer Championship
• Scored a goal in the 3-0 championship victory over Ottawa and earned a spot on the CIS National Championship All-Tournament Team
• Named the Canada West Conference Most Valuable Player after leading the league in scoring with 12 goals and four assists in 17 games
• From 2002-2004, racked up 21 goals and 16 assists in 43 games for the Vikes

SKY BLUE PROFILE: Daniela Molina

• Hometown: Cali, Colombia
• Born: August 30, 1984
• Member of the Colombia National Team
• Represented Colombia at the CONMEBOL Women’s Championship in Argentina in 2006 - the qualifying competition for the 2007 FIFA World Cup and the 2008 Olympics
• Played every minute of all four games as Colombia finished fourth in their group with a 1-2-1 record
• Scored her first international goal in a 2-2 tie against Ecuador
• Played in the WPSL for the Northampton Laurels in 2006 and the New York Athletic Club in 2007
• Starred on the collegiate level for Lehigh University from 2003 to 2006
• As a senior in 2006, led the team in scoring with six goals and three assists for 15 points in 18 games, all starts
• Earned All-Patriot League first team honors
• Named to the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District II second team and the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll
• As a junior in 2005, tied for second on the team in scoring with five goals and two assists for 12 points in 18 games while helping the Mountain Hawks to a school record for wins with a 14-3-1 mark and their first-ever Patriot League regular season title
• Named to the All-Patriot League second team and the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll
• As a sophomore in 2004, started four of 14 games played with three goals and one assist
• As a freshman in 2003, played in only one game due to a knee injury
• Attended the Colegio Bolivar prior to Lehigh

SKY BLUE PROFILE: Michele O’Brien

• Hometown: Plainview, NY
• Born: June 28, 1980
• Member of the Republic of Ireland National Team since 2003
• Named the FAI Women’s International Player of the Year in 2005
• Played for Watford in England’s Women’s Premier League during the 2007-2008 season
• Played for QBIK in Sweden’s Damallsvenskan in 2007
• Played for the Long Island Rough Riders in the W-League in 2007 scoring two goals in 10 games
• Longtime member of the Long Island Lady Riders of the W-League from 2000-2005 with 25 goals and 13 assists in 52 regular season appearances
• Played for Arsenal England’s Women’s Premier League in 2003
• Served as a volunteer assistant coach at Columbia University in 2005 and 2006
• On the collegiate level, starred at Florida International University from 1998 to 2001 finishing as the school’s all-time leading scorer with 58 goals and 18 assists for 134 points
• Named the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year in 2000 and 2001
• Earned All-Sun Belt Conference first team and Sun Belt Conference All-Tournament Team honors in 2000 and 2001
• Named to the NSCAA All-Southeast Region third team in 2001
• Played on the youth club level with the Northport/Cow Harbor Soccer Club