WHITECAPS WOMEN INK FOUR AMERICANS

May 9, 2007 - The Vancouver Whitecaps FC announced today that goalkeeper Cori Alexander, defender Holly Gault, midfielder Jill Oakes, and forward Ella Masar have signed with the club.

Alexander, 22-years-old from Martinez, California, joins the Whitecaps after a very successful career at the University of Portland. A freshman starter in 2003, Alexander became the Pilots all-time leader in shutouts, with 39, and saves, with 263. Her 0.58 goals-against-average (GAA) ranked her tied for third all-time among Portland goalkeepers. Last year, Alexander started all 24 games and posted a 17-4-3 record. In 2005, she was named the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) College Cup Defensive Most Valuable Player and was a member of the NCAA College Cup All-Tournament Team after blanking University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) 4-0 in the championship game. In 2004, the five-foot-ten keeper earned All-West Coast Conference (WCC) honourable mention and named WCC October Player of the Month after leading the Pilots to an 8-1-0 record.

Last month, Alexander played for the U.S. U-21 national team at the Futbol Internacional Tournament in Alabama earning a 2-0 win over China.

Gault, 22, comes to Vancouver after a one year stint with the United Soccer Leagues (USL) W-League Central Conference Minnesota Lightning. In her first year in the W-League, the five-foot-six native of Spring Hill, Kansas, collected five goals, two assists in 12 games. The rookie defender finished fourth in team scoring with 12 points and was second in minutes played with 1,025.

Following her season with the Lightning, Gault played her final year at the University of Kansas. From 2003 to 2006, Gault accumulated 15 goals and 19 assists in 102 games for the Jayhawks. In her senior year, Gault contributed offensively with five goals and seven assists; tied for second in team scoring. In her junior year, she earned her second straight First Team All-Big 12 honour, was named to the First Team Academic All-Big 12 and was one of only two then-active players named to the All-Big 12 10th Anniversary Team. In 2004, she was selected to the NSCAA First Team All-American and All-Central Region and in 2003 she was named to the Big 12 All-Newcomer Team.

Gault has also spent time with the U.S. U-21 team from 2005 to 2006.

Oakes, 22, joins the Whitecaps after spending last season with the W-League regular season champion, New Jersey Wildcats. The West Hills, California native played in nine games with the Wildcats and was a key member of their defence that only surrendered three regular-season goals.

Prior to joining the Wildcats, Oakes played in 89 games, scored 10 goals and added 14 assists at UCLA from 2002 to 2005. In her senior year she scored three goals, six assists and was named First Team National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-American, for the second straight year she was selected to the First Team All-Pac-10 and was a member of the All-Tournament Team at the NCAA College Cup. As a junior Oakes was named First Team All Pac-10 and Second Team NSCAA All-American as she guided the Bruins to the NCAA Final Four tournament. In 2003, Oakes earned a Second Team All-Pac-10 selection and All-Pac-10 Academic honourable mention.

The five-foot-seven midfielder has also been a member of the U.S. national team pool earning a senior cap in 2005 at the Portugal-hosted Algarve Cup against Denmark. Also in 2005, she helped the U.S. U-21 national team capture their seventh straight Nordic Cup in Sweden. Oakes has also played 20 games for the U.S. U-19 team and scored five goals.

Masar, 21, comes to Vancouver as a member of the University of Illinois. The native of Urbana, Illinois, who still has one more year of eligibility left, has already amassed 15 goals, 17 assists in 70 games with the Fighting Illini. Last year, the five-foot-five forward lead the team in scoring with nine goals, nine assists for 27 points. In 2004, she assisted on two key, game-clinching goals over Top-10 opponents including a 1-0 shutout over Gault’s eight seeded Jayhawks.

Masar has recently received a lot of interest from the U.S. U-21 women’s national team. In March, she joined the team for three matches against English club teams: Blackburn, Everton and Leeds, and last month she was selected to for the Futbol Internacional Tournament in Alabama.

The Whitecaps women’s regular season kicks off on Sunday, May 20 at Swangard Stadium versus the Seattle Crossfire Sounders at 4:00 p.m. Women's Power Packs are now on sale and include all four women's regular season games at Swangard Stadium, women's regular season games at Exhibition Stadium in Chilliwack and UBC’s Thunderbird Stadium and all home playoff games. For more information please call 604.669.WAVE (9283).

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