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OTTAWA FURY SIGN UP W LEAGUE STAR

18th April 2006
League MVP Parker & Canadian International Matheson Return to Fury Fold American, Australian and French Players also signed

The Ottawa Fury have re-signed 2 key members of the 2005 squad with the announcement of the signing of Diana Matheson and Kelly Parker for the 2006 season.

“We are delighted that Diana and Kelly will be returning for 2006. They are both enormously influential players who have a proven record of accomplishment at the very highest levels of the Women’s game” said Fury Coach, Frank Lofranco.

Diana Matheson returns for her third season with the Fury. She has been a permanent fixture in the Canadian National Team since breaking into the squad in March, 2003 against Norway. The 22 year old playmaker from Oakville has already amassed 43 caps for Canada. An ever-present in the National team line-up, Diana played in all five games in the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Tournament, all three games in the 2004 Four Nations Women's Tournament and all six games at the 2003 Women’s World Cup.

More recently, she started in the three games against Mexico and two games against Holland played earlier this year. Matheson had a remarkable freshman year in 2004 as one of the key players of the Princeton squad which became the first ever Ivy League school to reach the NCAA Final Four. Her personal performances and influence on her team earned her a spot on the 2004 All-America team – a remarkable achievement for a rookie. The Fury midfield general played 11 regular season games for the Fury in 2005 scoring 5 goals and was a member of the W-League All-Conference team.

Kelly Parker, now assistant coach of the Women’s program at the University of Texas – El Paso, has been a W-League standout for the past three seasons. Last season, Parker finished second only to fellow Fury player Rhian Wilkinson in the W-League Points standings with 37 points and second in the W-League goals standing with 14 goals in 14 games. Parker has a three-year total of 35 goals and 24 assists. She has helped lead the Fury to three straight semifinal appearances with the club boasting a three-year mark of 37-4-1 in the regular season. She was a member of the W-League All League team for the past three seasons, won the W-League award for most points in 2004 and was also voted the League’s Most Valuable Player in 2004. The 25 year old from Saskatoon earned her only cap for Canada against Brazil in July 2003.

In addition to the two returning players, the Fury have strengthened their squad with the signings of French defender/ midfielder, Zoe Avner, US forward Carrie Kveton and Australian midfielder Stacey Stocco. Avner, Kveton and Stocco are three very experienced players who have each enjoyed significant success internationally and in the W-League.

“We are excited about having Zoe, Stacey and Carrie join the Fury. They are three talented players who will help bolster our roster for 2006” said Fury Coach, Frank Lofranco.

Zoe Avner, 22 year old, has just finished her senior year at Rutgers University where she started in all 63 games over three seasons. She is a native of Paris, and has experience with the U19 and full French international squad. She has played for FCF Juvisy in the French Women's National First Division for three seasons including 2003 when the club won the First Division title. Last season, she played 11 games for the Boston Renegades including Boston’s 1-0 defeat in Ottawa at the hands of the Fury.

Carrie Kveton, a 25 year-old forward, has played her varsity soccer at the University of North Texas. Kveton played in the W-League with the Texas Odyssey (2000) and the North Texas Heat (2001) prior to playing for two seasons with the Boston Renegades (2002, 2003). Kveton had a banner year with Boston in 2003 leading the W-League in goal scoring with 14 goals and being named to the W-League All-Conference Team. In the past two seasons, Kveton has played in the W-League for the Charlotte Lady Eagles (2004) and the Atlanta Silverbacks Women (2005). For the past two European seasons, she has played in England for the Bristol Rovers Academy in the FA Women’s Premier League.

Stacey Stocco, a 22 year old from South Australia, quickly made her mark in the W-League during the 2003 season with the Boston Renegades. She was the winner of the W-League Rookie of the Year award and named to the W-League All-League Team, and the W-League Eastern Conference Team. During the course of her rookie season, Stocco was W-League Player of the Week once, and made the W-League Team of the Week on four additional occasions. The playmaking midfielder was a key member of the young Australian (Matildas) team which placed 5th at the inaugural FIFA U19 Women's World Championship in Canada in 2002. The Australian joins Ottawa after spending three seasons in the W-League with Boston and experience in the Australian Women’s National Soccer League with both the Adelaide Sensation and Canberra Eclipse.

The Fury were runners-up in the 2005 W-League Championship Finals having reached the semi-finals in both 2003 and 2004. The 2005 Regular Season winners (13-1-0) and Eastern Conference champions overcame the Central Conference champions Central Florida Kraze 2-1 in the 2005 semi-finals before losing to the New Jersey Wildcats in the final.

The Fury open their 2006 W-League campaign with two home games on the last weekend of May. On Saturday, May 27th, the Fury host the expansion Hamilton Avalanche at Carleton University’s Keith Harris Stadium at 6:00 p.m. while on Sunday May 28th, the Sudbury Canadians will be in town for a 3:30 PM kick off. For ticket information visit