July 25, 2002
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The NCAA champion Santa Clara University women's soccer program has added transfer Megan Kakadelas to this year's roster, head coach Jerry Smith announced recently. Kakadelas, the Pacific-10's Freshman of the Year in 2001 while playing for USC, is a 5-9 forward who will be eligible to compete immediately.
Kakadelas will miss the preseason and home opener while competing with the U.S. U19 National Team and will join the team in mid-September. Along with SCU teammates Jessica Ballweg and Leslie Osborne, Kakadelas is trying to help her country win the first ever FIFA Under-19 Women's World Championship. She has played in nine full international matches and helped the U.S. capture a berth in the Championship earlier this spring with five goals in four contests.
"Megan is a terrific forward but it will take a little while for to assimilate into what we're doing due to her time away from us while with the U.S. U19 team," Smith said. "I have every confidence that during the season, she will establish herself as one of the most dangerous attacking players on our team."
As a freshman for the Women of Troy last season, Kakadelas started in 16 of 18 matches and scored three goals on the season, including two game-winners. She posted the game-winner in an Oct. 14 contest against Arizona and added a long goal in a 1-0 victory on Nov. 2 against Washington State. She recorded her first collegiate goal on Sept. 9 vs. fourth-ranked Nebraska.
Kakadelas prepped at La Costa Canyon High School in Carlsbad, Calif., and led her team to two CIF Division I Championships while earning all-America honors. She spent eight years playing with the San Diego Surf Club, winning seven state and one national title, and was named the club's MVP during its national championship season in 2000.
The Broncos open the 2002 season in just 36 days, against Bay Area rival Stanford on Friday, August 30. The match will take place at Buck Shaw Stadium at 7:30 p.m.
