After a two-year hiatus, San Diego Parceiro Ladies announced they are returning for the 2022 Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL) season and will open up against the defending Plymouth Division champion San Diego Strikers on Saturday, May 21 at Mission Bay High School Stadium.
The team last played in the 2019 season with its final game being a 4-3 win over ASC SD as the league suspended play for 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“The team could have been gone but we’ve decided to do a restart,” said San Diego Parceiro Ladies manager Futa Seki. “That is because we have a mission to give players an opportunity to play at a high level. We aim to give them the experience and learning opportunities for their career.”
The team also recently announced its first signings, which include New Zealand international Gorgi Van Lienen who plays defender for Post University in Connecticut, Southwestern College midfielder Damaris Aguila, Colorado State goalkeeper Shayna Ross, Grambling State defender Klarysa O’Hara, Japanese internationals Suzu Narusawa, Minori Saze, and Moka Ishii, Stetson University defender Sabrina Comana, George Washington University goalkeeper Tia Harrison, Missouri Valley College goalkeeper Rina Kinami, former University of San Diego and ONS Oulu forward Summer Mason, along with midfielder Amber Huff who will be playing her third season with the team.
“We support the women’s soccer community from San Diego to the world,” Seki added. “We have connections to Japan and we are bringing five Japanese players to San Diego. I hope those players, the local San Diego players, and other international players produce the chemistry to make a positive impact for San Diego women’s soccer.”
Among the most noteworthy former San Diego Parceiro Ladies players is defender Samantha Staab who played for the team in 2018 before moving on to be drafted with the fourth overall pick by the Washington Spirit of the National Women’s Soccer League in 2019 and winning the championship last season.
San Diego Parceiro Ladies will play eight regular-season games with its first home match on June 11 at Madison High School against So Cal Union FC along with holding open tryouts sometime in early May. The WPSL is the top amateur and largest women’s soccer league in the world with over 130 active teams.