KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Kutztown University will have a strong pulse on the inaugural season of the Lehigh Valley Tempest, the newest club of the Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL).
 
Club owner and former KU assistant women's soccer coach Brittney Ruggieri looks ahead to the first year of her new program, to which she will also serve in a coaching role.
 
In building her roster for the Tempest's inaugural season, Ruggieri recently announced the signing of four former Golden Bear women's soccer players. Dana Wong (West Milford, N.J./West Milford), Cassie Schmidt (Whitehall, Pa./Whitehall), Sam Busillo (Lincoln University, Pa., Avon Grove) and Alaina Curry (York, Pa./Dallastown Area) will all play for Lehigh Valley this coming season.
 
The WPSL is the one of three national women's soccer leagues in the United States.
 
The Women's Premier Soccer League is a 100-plus team national pro-am league and is the largest women's soccer league in the world. The league was formed in 1998 and is sanctioned by the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) as an affiliate of the United States Soccer Federation (USSF). The WPSL's mission is to provide the highest level of soccer in our effort to: bring affordable & quality family entertainment to the community; display positive role models for our youth; while, being a stepping stone for aspiring professional & international-level players.
 
The Lehigh Valley Tempest will play its inaugural season this summer. Kicking off May 20, the Tempest will compete in the Mid-Atlantic Division of the WPSL. For a full league schedule, please see: http://www.wpsl.info/schedule/index.php?home_division=All
 
Ruggieri completed eight seasons as an assistant coach with the Kutztown University women's soccer team from 2008-15. She began with Kutztown as a graduate assistant in 2008, and then returned to the staff after that. She also coached for local clubs, including Lehigh Valley United and Vincent United, as well as at Parkland and Emmaus High Schools. She currently coaches a youth team at Western Lehigh United. 
 
She was a four-year player at Division I Liberty University and spent one year playing for the Northampton Laurels and two years playing for the Buxmont Torch in the WPSL.  After which, she stepped into the head coaching role for the Torch for several years. 
 
Curry was an All-America forward for KU. She played from 2013-16 and along with Wong and Schmidt, helped lead KU to its best season in program history in 2016, the school's first-ever Atlantic Region title and a trip the NCAA Final Four. Curry was a two-time All-Region and All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) selection. She closed her career with 26 goals, nine assists and 61 points.
 
Wong was a team captain in 2016 and played at KU from 2012-16. She played in 69 career games, scoring one goal and notching three assists.
 
Schmidt was named All-Region and All-PSAC in her senior season in 2016. She played from 2013-16, starting in 51-of-63 career games as a defender.
 
Busillo was a defender at KU from 2012-15 and was a two-time All-PSAC and All-Region selection. She was the Team MVP and team captain in her senior year and started in 60-of-74 career games.