BURLINGTON, Vt. – The University of Vermont women's soccer program will add six newcomers for the 2011 season. Zoe Boyd (South Salem, N.Y.), Alexandra Dezenzo (Randolph, N.J.), Kerry Glynn (Old Bridge, N.J.), Emily Lane (Porter, Maine), Amanda Moschella (Staten Island, N.Y.) and Diana Panish (Brentwood, Calif.) will all continue their careers with the Catamounts. Head coach Kristi Lefebvre introduced her first recruiting class this afternoon.

Boyd comes to Vermont from John Jay High School and South Salem, N.Y. Boyd, a 5-9 defender, she scored 21 goals and added 21 assists from her center back position in her four-year career. Boyd was a four-time all-state and all-league selection at John Jay and was named the conference player of the year as a senior.

Boyd is a member of the Irish National Team program, having played for the U17 and U19 squads in 2009 and 2010. She played for Ireland at the 2010 FIFA U17 Women's World Cup.

“Zoe immediately raises our level of play and brings a big presence to our backline. She has a great head for the game, is strong physically, and good in the air. She brings quality experience on the international stage, and we will look to her for her leadership and organizational skills on the field," said Lefebvre.

Alexandra Dezenzo comes to Vermont after a successful career at Randolph High School in Randolph, N.J. A midfielder/forward, she tallied 20 goals and 12 assists as a junior. Dezenzo was also a New Jersey Olympic Development player and competed with the Montclair Tunderbolts.

“Alexandra is a true two-way player who we will see throughout the midfield and forward lines. She has the ability to go 18-to-18, and is a strong technical player who loves to get into the attack. The combination of her speed and tenacity in defending will help us dispossess opponents quickly," commented Lefebvre.

Glynn comes to Vermont from Old Bridge, N.J. A 5-1 midfielder/defender, she was a four-time first-team all-county selection at Old Bridge High School. She also earned all-division honors all four years and served as a team captain as a senior.

Glynn was a teammate of Boyd's on the U17 Irish National Team that competed in the 2010 FIFA U17 Women's World Cup.

Glynn also played for the New Jersey Olympic Development Program from 2006-2009 and was named to the Region 1 player pool in 2007, in addition to winning the state cup title in 2009.

“Kerry is another player with international experience that we will look to immediately. She is extremely versatile and can help us in virtually any position. She brings a true passion for the game and is a very creative player, and full of personality. We fully expect her to have an impact on both sides of the ball,” said Lefebvre.

Emily Lane comes to Vermont from Porter, Maine and Sacopee Valley High School. She led Sacopee to the high school state championship as a senior and finished her career with 79 goals and 34 assists, both school records. Lane was a team captain as a senior and was named the Class C Player of the Year, as well as the Portland Press Herald MVP. She also garnered All-New England honors in 2010.

Lane was named the team MVP three straight years and earned both all-state and all-conference honors from 2007-2010. She also played club soccer for the Seacoast United team.

“We are very excited about Emily. Her speed will be an invaluable asset in the attacking third as she has the ability to unbalance defenders very quickly. She is clever in her choice of runs in the box and gets herself in good spots to score goals. We will look to her as a finisher,” said Lefebvre.

Moschella is a defender/midfielder from Staten Island, N.Y. She played scholastically at Staten Island Academy and holds the school record for most goals in a single season. Overall, she scored 33 goals in her career and tallied 19 goals and 16 assists as a senior.

Moschella was a three-year captain at Staten Island Academy and earned New York Post All-City honors as a senior. She was also named to the State Island Advance All-Star team three times. Moschella helped Staten Island win the PSAA and ACIS League Championships in 2008 and 2010 and was named to the both all-league teams multiple times. In 2010, she was named the PSAA Tournament MVP.

Moschella played her club soccer with the Albertson Fury in the ECNL. She was also in the New York Olympic Development program for five years.

“Amanda brings skill, intelligence and consistency to our program and we will look to her right away in both the backline and defensive central midfield. She is simple, tough, and gets the job done. Her high level club experience has prepared her for the next level, and we expect big things from her,” said Lefebvre.

Panish comes to Vermont from Brentwood, California and Brentwood School. A midfielder, Panish scored 24 goals and handed out 20 assists as a junior. A four-year starter on the varsity team at Brentwood, she helped the team win four straight league championships and advance to the CIF and state tournaments. She served as a team captain and was a first-team all-league performer. She played her club soccer for Team South Bay Force.

“Diana is a very smooth player that we expect to see in the central midfield. She is composed, escapes pressure well, and can switch the point, which will fit in well with our style of play. She has good height, so we also expect her to be an impact on set pieces and restarts both offensively and defensively,” said Lefebvre.

Lefebvre (pronounced lah-fave) was promoted to the head coaching position at Vermont on November 10 after serving as an assistant with the Catamounts for the past three seasons.

Vermont finished the 2010 season with a record of 2-16 and went 1-7 in America East action. The Catamounts lose six seniors to graduation and return 19 letterwinners to the team in 2011.

NOTE: Both Zoe Boyd and Amanda Moschella are ranked as top players to watch in the New York Region according to TopDrawerSoccer.com