Villanova University

Feb. 27, 2010

VILLANOVA, Pa. - Women's soccer head coach John Byford announced today that Villanova has signed two scholastic players to National Letters of Intent during the early signing period. The Wildcats have started their 2010 signing class with the addition of midfielder Stephanie Myers (Downingtown, Pa.) and goalkeeper Jami Kranich (Hamden, Conn.). Both players will enroll at Villanova for the fall 2010 semester.

Myers is a highly-touted local player who has scored 60 goals over four years for a strong Downingtown West team that has won two AAA state championships since 2006. This past fall, Myers was named to the NSCAA All-America Team and the ESPN-Rise second team All-America squad in addition to earning All-State honors from the Pennsylvania Soccer Coaches Association. At the club soccer level, Myers plays for and has captained the FC Delco Sting team since 2004. The team, coached by Villanova assistant coach Peye Garcia, had a sensational 2009 season in which it won the ECNL Red Bull Championship and the US Club regional and national championships. She is also a member of EPYSA and Region I ODP teams.

Also a well-accomplished student in the classroom, Myers received NSCAA Scholar All-America honors this past fall and is a member of the National Honor Society and the National Society of High School Scholars. She has maintained a GPA above 4.0 all four years of high school while taking honors and AP level courses.

"Stephanie Myers has had an outstanding high school career, also plays for a club team that won a national championship last year and has been a regular member of the Region 1 ODP Regional Team," Byford said. "Steph has the versatility to play in the midfield or as a forward. She is excellent on the ball, has a tremendous work ethic and is a first class athlete. We are very excited to have Steph joining our program and expect her to push hard for a starting position this year."

Kranich played her third season of soccer for Hamden High School this past fall and has also starred in club soccer with the Connecticut Football Club since 2002. The team has won the Connecticut state cup each year since 2005 to advance to the Region 1 championships. In 2007, the CFC team was a semifinalist at the Region 1 championships and the Disney Showcase. The club also was a US Club national finalist in 2008. Kranich played in 2009 for the CFC Passion in the W-League and also plays for the 2010 team in the WPSL. She has been a member of the Connecticut state and Region 1 ODP teams since 2007.

As a scholastic student-athlete, Kranich has earned high honors every semester in high school. She has been inducted into the Spanish Honor Society and is a Science Scholar. Kranich is also a recipient of her school's Scholar-Athlete award.

"Jami Kranich is, without doubt, the best goalkeeper in the region," Byford said. "She has been very successful at the high school and club levels and has been on the Region 1 ODP Regional Team for many years. Jami is an excellent shot stopper and has a great presence in goal. I am very excited that Jami is joining our program; she will definitely make us a better team."

Villanova is coming off a 2009 season in which it reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2006 and finished the year with an 11-6-5 record. It marked the 13th straight season that the Wildcats finished the year with at least a .500 record and the team's 11th consecutive winning season.