Brandão Returns to Sky Blue to Bolster Defense

With Brandão back in the fold, Jersey Sky Blue now returns nearly its entire defensive unit from last year. Along with goalkeeper Jillian Loyden and defenders Fanta Cooper and Bonnie Young, Brandão helped the Sky Blue defense lead the W-League with just six goals allowed in 14 regular season games. Sky Blue kept up its strong defensive ways with a 1-0 victory over the Boston Renegades in the 2008 season opener on Saturday.

Brandão, who played in Sweden and Spain between W-League seasons, will join Jersey Sky Blue when the team heads to New Haven, CT to face expansion side Connecticut Passion on Saturday night at Yale University. Sky Blue will open its 2008 home slate on Saturday, May 31 when it hosts the Boston Renegades at 7:30 pm at Drew University in Madison, NJ.

“Kim used the past year to play in Sweden, Spain, and also with the Portuguese National Team which helped prepare her for the W-League season,” said Jersey Sky Blue Head Coach Denise Reddy. “She’s a tenacious 1-v-1 defender and her speed and strength allow her to be aggressive in a tackle. Kim had a great season with Sky Blue last year and we’re glad to have her back.”

Brandão started all 14 games in the 2007 regular season for Sky Blue leading the team to a 12-2 mark. The Rahway, NJ native also led the team in minutes played with 1174 as Sky Blue posted 10 shutouts. She went the distance in both playoff games as Sky Blue advanced to the semifinals of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Following the 2007 W-League season, Brandão took her game global with stops at Falköping in Sweden’s Damallsvenskan last fall and FC Puebla of Spain’s top women’s league this past spring. Earlier this year, she also played with Portugal leading the team to a 2-2 mark and a 10th place finish at the Algarve Cup. She just returned from Portugal this past week where she played in losses to Denmark and Scotland in UEFA Women’s EURO 2009 qualifying.

Brandão joined Sky Blue after a stellar career at Rutgers, which posted a school record for wins with a 16-3-4 mark in her last season with the Scarlet Knights. Her final season also produced the program’s first-ever trip to the BIG EAST Tournament final and she earned numerous postseason awards including Soccerbuzz All-America Third Team honors and selections to the NSCAA and SoccerBuzz All-Mid Atlantic Region First Team.

The central defender finished her Rutgers career with three goals in 84 appearances. She was named to the All-BIG EAST second team three different times and was also a BIG EAST Academic All-Star. As a freshman, she earned SoccerBuzz Mid-Atlantic Region All-Freshman Team honors and was named to the BIG EAST All-Rookie Team.

Prior to joining Sky Blue, Brandão previously played in the W-League with the New Jersey Wildcats during the 2004 season. She started the final four games of the regular season as the Wildcats capped a perfect 14-0 season and then started all four playoff games as they eventually fell to the Vancouver Whitecaps in a shootout in the W-League Championship match.

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: Kim Brandão

• Hometown: Rahway, NJ
• Born: April 26, 1984
• Played for Jersey Sky Blue in the W-League in 2007 helping the team to a 12-2 mark and a spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs appearing in all 14 regular season games and both playoffs matches
• Led Sky Blue with 1174 minutes played in the regular season
• Member of the Portugal Women’s National Team
• Appeared with Portugal at the 2008 Algarve Cup helping the team to a 2-2 record and a 10th place finish and also in UEFA Women’s EURO 2009 qualifying
• Played for FC Puebla of Spain’s top women’s league from January to April 2008
• Played for Falköping in Sweden’s Damallsvenskan last fall after the W-League season
• Played in the W-League for the New Jersey Wildcats in 2004 starting the final four regular season games and all four playoff matches as the Wildcats posted a 14-0 regular season mark before falling to Vancouver in a shootout in the championship match
• Capped a stellar four-your career at Rutgers in 2006 with 84 career appearances serving as team captain for two years
• As a senior in 2006, led the Scarlet Knights to its best season ever with a school record for wins and a 16-3-4 overall mark that included the program’s first-ever trip to the BIG EAST Tournament final
• Scored two goals in 22 appearances
• Named to the Soccerbuzz All-America Third Team
• Earned NSCAA and SoccerBuzz All-Mid Atlantic Region First Team honors and an All-BIG EAST second team selection
• Redshirted the entire 2005 season after suffering a knee injury in spring training
• As a junior in 2004, started all 20 matches as the Scarlet Knights went 9-10-1
• Helped organize a Rutgers defense that allowed 0.85 goals per match
• Named to the All-BIG EAST Second Team and the SoccerBuzz Mid-Atlantic Region All-Third Team
• Named a BIG EAST Academic All-Star
• As a sophomore in 2003, started every game helping Rutgers to a 10-7-5 mark scoring her only goal in a 1-0 victory over Virginia Tech
• Named to the SoccerBuzz All-Mid Atlantic Region Second Team and the All-BIG EAST Second Team
• As a freshman in 2002, started every game as Rutgers went 10-8-2
• Named to the SoccerBuzz Mid-Atlantic Region All-Freshman Team and the BIG EAST All-Rookie Team
• Missed her entire senior season at Rahway High School due to injury but was named to the NJGSCA All-State team as a junior
• A member of the Region I pool from 1998-2001
• Played for the PDA Splash club team and won state cup titles in 2001, 2002, and 2003