WEST HARTFORD, CT - The University of Hartford women's soccer program will add 11 student-athletes for the 2005 season, as announced by head coach John Natale on Tuesday.

Natale's first recruiting class includes six players who have signed National Letters of Intent: Ashley Carreira (Glastonbury, CT), Chiara Caen (Islip Terrace, NY), Brittany Black (East Meadow, NY), Kacey Busque (Manchester, CT), Kellie Leyland (England) and Melissa Pelletier (Sutton, MA). The Hawks will also add five other players to the lineup next season, including Erika Forkos (Oceanside, NY), Lindsay Guidoboni (Hooksett, NH), Keri Petrone (North Brunswick, NJ), Callie Tatro (Orange, CT) and Danielle Dietrich (Lee, NH).

Leyland was a captain of the U-19 Northern Ireland national team and played with the full national team during the Algarve Cup against England, Portugal and Mexico. Busque, in addition to being a Connecticut ODP player and member of the Oakwook Soccer Club, is an all-state and all-New England player at Manchester High School. Carreira, an all-state player at Glastonbury High School, is also a Connecticut ODP Player and member of the club team Yankee United.

Black and Pelletier are also ODP players, the former for Eastern New York and the latter for Massachusetts. Black plays club soccer for the Albertson Express, a team that ranked in the top 10 in the country last year. Pelletier is a member of the Charles River United Blackwatch. Caen plays her club soccer with the Albertson Fury.

"I am extremely excited about our first recruiting class," said Natale. "Each and every one of these players has the opportunity to make us better next season. I'm looking forward to getting them in here at the end of the summer for preseason."

Hartford will lose three seniors from the 2004 squad that went 5-12-2 and advanced to the first round of the America East Championship.