MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (Jan. 16, 2009) – Former West Virginia University women’s soccer player Lisa Stoia was drafted in the 2009 Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) Draft with the 48th pick overall Friday by the Saint Louis Athletica.

 

“I am very appreciative of the support I have from people at home and from the people at West Virginia,” says Stoia. “This is a tremendous opportunity and one I have to consider because I love the game so much.

 

“But I am also blessed with where I am today, and to be able to continue to be part of West Virginia soccer is something special, too. I am excited about the opportunity but will always remember where I came from and credit the people who allowed my career to develop where it is today.”

 

Stoia is the second Mountaineer to be drafted today, joining Greer Barnes who was taken 24th overall by the Los Angeles Sol.

 

“I also want to say how proud I am of Greer,” says Stoia. “Greer being drafted is something we as a coaching staff are very proud of. It takes a lot of hard work to put yourself in a position to be drafted and Greer has done just that.”

 

Stoia recently completed her second season as an assistant coach at West Virginia, helping the Mountaineers to a pair of BIG EAST American Division titles and two NCAA tournament appearances. She spent the 2005 and 2006 seasons as an assistant coach at Jacksonville.

 

In previous summers, Stoia competed for two seasons as a midfielder with the Boston Renegades in the Women's United Soccer League. In 2006, she led the team and ranked second in the league with 11 assists. She also ranked fifth in the league with 29 points and finished with nine goals on the season.

 

A four-year letterwinner at WVU from 2000-03, Stoia set Mountaineer career records for assists (32) and matches played and started (87). As a senior, she set a program record with 12 assists and was second on the squad with seven goals and 26 points en route to BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year along with NSCAA and Soccer Buzz All-America accolades.

 

Stoia earned NSCAA and Soccer Buzz Second Team All-America honors, BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year and First Team All-BIG EAST accolades as a junior after finishing with eight goals, 10 assists and 26 points. As a sophomore, she earned Soccer Buzz Honorable Mention All-America, Soccer Buzz First Team All-Region, NSCAA/adidas Second Team All-Region and First Team All-BIG EAST accolades after tallying four goals and four assists. Stoia also earned NSCAA/adidas Third Team Mid-Atlantic Region and BIG EAST Co-Rookie of the Year honors as a freshman.

 

Stoia was also a member of the United States Women's U-21 National Team pool in 2003. A native of Shirley, N.Y., Stoia earned her bachelor's degree in sport management from West Virginia in 2003 and her MBA from Jacksonville in 2007.

 

The WPS is the highest level women's professional soccer league in North America. Formed in September 2007, the WPS will begin play in March 2009 amongst seven teams across the country.