ST. LOUIS, MO (October 7) – Saint Louis Athletica’s inaugural season may be over but several Athletica players are still in action. Goalkeeper Jillian Loyden and midfielder Kendall Fletcher made their debuts with the Central Coast Mariners of Australia’s W-League on Monday in a 3-1 win over rivals Sydney FC. Loyden and Fletcher are on a three-month loan spell from Saint Louis that will see them play the entire Australian league season. Australia’s W-League plays a condensed three-month season that begins in early October and concludes just before Christmas.

Loyden and Fletcher, along with former Athletica player Lydia Vandenbergh, were in the starting eleven for Monday’s match that saw them pitted against their Athletica teammate, forward Sarah Walsh, who is currently a WPS free agent.

Fletcher played a full 90 minutes and received a yellow card just before halftime. Loyden allowed the only goal and drew the accolades of her head coach Steve Roche.

“It is nice to have a goalkeeper such as Loyden,” said Roche. “Great hands, organizes well, and has a great distribution. Loyden added extra confidence to our defense.”

Sarah Walsh scored for Sydney FC to level the match early in the second half. From that point Fletcher made a critical play to keep the game level and allow Central Coast to take the lead.

Turning her full attention to defense at the 60-minute mark Fletcher came up with a last-ditch tackle taking the ball off Sydney FC striker Leena Khamis’ foot to keep the Mariners on level terms.

Loyden provided a crucial save in the first half. Sydney FC’s Kyah Simon’s clever pass released Sarah Walsh down the right-flank. Walsh crossed but Loyden punched the ball clear denying Simon a header at the back post.

Later in the second half, up 2-1, Loyden denied W-League season one top goal-scorer Leena Khamis an almost certain score with a fine goal line save from the striker’s powerful header.

Loyden and Fletcher will be in action again on Sunday when their Central Coast Mariners take on Adelaide United.

Life in Australia is suiting the two Athletica players thus far. Kendall Fletcher is getting into the mode of being in Australia rather easily.

“Australia is amazing. It is a cross between Europe and America. I love it!” said Fletcher via e-mail. Fletcher also is playing a familiar role on the field.

“I will be playing in the midfield. We will be playing three in the midfield with two low and one high. I guess you could call me one of the defensive two, but we move around and switch through all the positions through out the game,” said Fletcher. “The level of play is good. You can tell the girls understand the game on a tactical level, which isn't something that is always the case when you play on teams in the US. They watch the game much more than we do, so they have a natural ability to understand the game. It is great to play in an environment like that.”

Fletcher is also fitting right into the easy-going Australian culture. “Straight off the plane our coach took us to Bondi Beach and gave us a little tour around downtown Sydney,” stated Fletcher. “My housemates took us to a wildlife zoo. There were kangaroos and wallabies just jumping around where we were walking around. We got to pet a lot of the animals and I also got to feed a kangaroo out of an ice-cream cone. Very exciting. We also have plans to visit a more formal zoo as well as walk on the bridge by the Opera House in downtown Sydney.”

Fletcher, who also enjoys cooking and has done a cooking segment on television in St. Louis, is excited about the cuisine on offer in Australia.

“I am not lacking in the food department as my housemate Jen has had a hot meal prepared for us every night we have come home from training and let me tell you, she is a fantastic cook,” exclaimed Fletcher. “We also have cooked out on the "barbie" in our back yard quite a bit as well. Lots of home cooking going on down under and it is delicious!”

Stayed tuned for more reports from Kendall Fletcher and Jillian Loyden’s loan spell in Australia.

About Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS)
Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) is the premier women’s soccer league in the world and the global standard by which women’s professional sports are measured. The Inaugural Season kicked off in March 2009 with seven WPS teams based in the Bay Area, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New Jersey/New York, St. Louis, and Washington, D.C. The league’s eighth and ninth franchises, Philadelphia and Atlanta, will begin play in the 2010 WPS Season, which kicks off March 2010. For more information and tickets, visit www.womensprosoccer.com.