St. John's University Athletics
Women's Soccer Welcomes Four For 2009
7/21/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
July 21, 2009
QUEENS, N.Y. - St. John's head women's soccer coach Ian Stone has announced that four players will be joining the Red Storm for the highly anticipated 2009 campaign. Patrice Casimir, Christina Chai-Chang, Meredith Kenyon and Runa Sif Stefansdottir will start their college careers with St. John's in the fall of 2009.
"I am very excited about the incoming freshmen," Stone said. "They all bring different talents and characteristics to the program and will add a different dimension to the team. With a veteran roster returning, the underclassmen will have a chance to grow and learn from a class that has advanced to three straight BIG EAST Tournaments."
Patrice Casimir • F/D
A forward/defender out of Kellenberg Memorial, Casimir was a two-sport athlete, playing soccer and participating in track. The Rockville Center, N.Y., native played club ball for the RVC Tornadoes for 10 years and led her club to three Eastern New York State Cup final appearances. She has played for the Eastern New York South ODP for five years, and was selected to the Region I ODP pool for four years where she played in two international tournaments in Costa Rica and Russia. Casimir has been selected to participate in an inter-regional event with the U-19 team in December 2009.
"Patrice is a very versatile player that we are really looking forward to joining our program," Stone said. "She will play forward her freshman year, then we may play her as a defensive player in the future. She possesses a great deal of athleticism and physical strength, and she will fit in nicely with the BIG EAST style of play."
Christina Chai-Chang • M
Hailing from Pembroke Pines, Fla., Chai-Chang comes to St. John's from soccer powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Playing defensive center midfield and defense, she was a three-year letterwinner and captain of the team her senior campaign. She recorded 21 assists during her career, and led her team to the state finals in 2007 and to the regional finals 2007-09. Chai-Chang was a Miami Herald first team all-county selection 2008-09 and a second team selection 2007-08. She played club ball for Team Boca and helped the team advance to the state championship finals in 2009.
"I am really looking forward to seeing Christina develop within our program," Stone said. "She has the right type of personality and her technical style of play will allow her to be successful with our team."
Meredith Kenyon • GK
A goalkeeper from Scottsdale, Ariz., Kenyon joins the Red Storm from Chaparral High. She played club soccer for the highly-regarded Sereno Golden Eagles '91 and led her club to Arizona State Championship titles from 2004-09. Also excelling off the field, Kenyon graduated in the top five percent of her class (15 out of 453), was a member of the Latin Club and National Latin Honor Society and is highly involved in community service projects. She received the Presidential Scholarship from St. John's University
"Meredith is a very mature goalkeeper for her age," Stone said. "She is a physical presence and possesses a great deal of leadership abilities. We expect her to come in and challenge for a starting position right away."
Runa Sif Stefansdottir • F/D
Stefansdottir is a forward/defender that comes to the Red Storm from Reykjavik, Iceland. She played soccer for her local team, Fjolnir, for 14 years, before advancing to play with Fylkir of the Premier League since 2008. In 87 games played, she scored 29 goals. Stefansdottir has played in 22 games for Iceland's U-17 and U-19 squads.
"Runa comes to St. John's as a freshman who is 20 years old, which makes a big difference since she brings a wealth of maturity and international experience to the program," Stone said. "She is a versatile player who is very good with her left foot. She can pretty much play left midfield or left forward. We are excited to have her on the team."
