USL Press Release

July 20, 2010

TAMPA, Fla. – Buffalo Flash midfielder Kelly Parker knew what she had to do entering her team’s final game of the season at Cleveland on Saturday. Despite only appearing in six of Buffalo’s 11 games to that point in the 2010 W-League season, the Canadian International and former WPS star sat three points out of the league scoring lead and two tallies behind the league goal-scoring lead.

Apparently, Parker didn’t want to leave any doubt. The 29-year-old native of Regina, Saskatchewan led the Flash with four goals and an assist in a decisive 8-0 victory against the Internationals. The result put an exclamation point on Buffalo’s 10-0-2 season and Midwest Division title, and in the process Parker earned both the Scoring Champion and Goal Scoring Champion titles for the W-League. Parker finished with an impressive 27 points (11 goals, 5 assists) in seven games played.

Also benefitting from the 8-0 result at Cleveland was Parker’s teammate Veronica Boquete, who tallied an amazing two goals and four assists in the match to finish as the 2010 W-League Assist Leader. Boquete, a forward who has represented Spain at the international level, finished with seven assists to edge out Chicago’s Kara Kabellis and the New York Magic’s Yui Miwa.

Perhaps the most impressive performance in the W-League this season has been the goalkeeping of Alyssa Whitehead of the Charlotte Lady Eagles. While playing almost every minute of her team’s 10 games, Whitehead, who will be a junior at Samford in the fall, allowed only four goals to earn the nod as W-League Goals-Against Average Champion with a mark of 0.410. Whitehead barely edged out the Ottawa Fury’s Jasmine Phillips, who finished at 0.420 after allowing five goals in 11 games.

Parker, Boquete and Whitehead are all expected to be in action with their teams as the 2010 W-League Playoffs kick off this week. The 2010 W-League Championship Presented by Umbro, which will be hosted by the City of Santa Clarita, California runs July 29-31.

The 2010 W-League All-Conference Teams will be announced on Monday, July 26, followed by the All-League Team on Tuesday, July 27. The finalists for Coach of the Year, Defender of the Year, Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player will be announced on Wednesday, July 28, with the awards being presented at the W-League Championship banquet in Santa Clarita on Friday, July 30. Goalkeeper of the Year will also be presented at the banquet.