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Amanda Courteau

BUFFALO, NY - Eight players have signed National Letters of Intent to attend the University at Buffalo and participate on the women's soccer team, according to head coach Jean-A. Tassy. Amanda Courteau (St. Catharines, Ontario/Denis Morris Secondary), Katie Fage (Delmar, NY/Bethlehem), Courtney MacVie (Tonawanda, NY/Kenmore East), Heidi Griffiths (Clarence, NY/Clarence), Tania Porretta (Brampton, Ontario/St. Maguerite D'youville), Geenamarie Ruggiero (East Amherst, NY/Iroquois), Ashley Turner (Olean, NY/Olean) and Kara Winch (Holland, NY/Holland) will join the Bulls starting in the 2004 season.

Courteau, a 5-8 defender/midfielder from St. Catharine's Ontario, was a Provincial Player and Player of the Year at St. Denis Morris Secondary School. Tassy believes she will help solidify the Bulls' defense. "Amanda will add speed, size and strength to our back line," Tassy said. "She is very technical and physical on the ball and brings a lot of experience and passion to the position."

Katie Fage

Fage, a 5-4 midfielder/defender from Delmar, NY, was an Olympic Development Player at Bethlehem High School. She is a hard-worker that Tassy believes will be a tremendous asset in the midfield. "Katie has great field vision and speed and is a very powerful finisher," Tassy said. "She is extremely intelligent with a tactical mind and never stops working at both ends of the pitch."

Courtney MacVie

MacVie, a 5-8 defender/midfielder from Tonawanda, NY, was an Olympic Development Player at Kenmore East High School. She is a player that Tassy feels is very physical and isn't afraid to mix it up. "Courtney is very physical on the ball and strong in the air," Tassy said. "She is very technical and an accurate passer. She brings leadership experiences and loves the competitive challenges of the position."

Heidi Griffiths

Griffiths, a 5-8 forward/midfielder from Clarence, NY, was an All-State player at Clarence High School. Tassy believes she will add speed to the Bulls. "Heidi has tremendous speed, is creative with the ball and has what it takes to finish," Tassy said. "She will be bringing her passion, her competitive spirit and explosive scoring abilities to UB."

Porretta, a 5-8 midfielder/defender from Brampton, Ontario, was a Provincial Player and National Player at St. Maguerite D'Youville High School. She is a versatile player that Tassy believes can play any position on the pitch. "Tania has tremendous speed, is very agile with both feet and is strong in the air," Tassy said. "She enjoys distributing the ball and finishing and will definitely solidify our unit in the fall."

Geenamarie Ruggiero

Ruggiero, a 5-7 midfielder from East Aurora, NY, was an Olympic Development Player at Iroquois High School. Tassy believes that she will be a leader on the team. "Geenamarie has passion for the position, is extremely intelligent and is technically and tactically sound," Tassy said. "She is creative and unpredictable with the ball and has a great work ethic on both sides of the ball."

Ashley Turner

Turner, a 5-4 midfielder/forward from Olean, NY, was an Olympic Development Player at Olean High School. She is an explosive, attacking player with tremendous speed according to Tassy. "Ashley will create and pose problems to the opponent's defense," Tassy said. "She plays much bigger than she is and she can fly and will be very exciting to watch in the fall."

Kara Winch

Winch, a 5-8 forward/midfielder from Holland, NY, led Holland High School in scoring and assists. "Kara has tremendous speed, has a nose for the ball and loves to finish," Tassy said. "She will add size and strength to our attack and her scoring abilities will be a real asset to our program come fall."

In addition to the eight signees, Samantha Roth (Rochester, NY/Arcadia) and Kylie Eoannou (Kenmore, NY/Kenmore West) will join the team as walk-ons.

Roth, a 5-7 defender, led Arcadia in assists. Eoannou, 5-9, is also a defender. She was named All-Niagara Frontier League.