O'Reilly Signs With Boston Breakers

East Brunswick’s has decided to leave Sky Blue.

The 26-year-old, U.S. National Team Member, Gold Medalist and Women’s Professional Soccer champion has signed with the Boston Breakers after three years with Sky Blue FC.

Leaving the area wasn’t easy for O’Reilly, who said the decision was the right one.

“The move to Boston was a personal one—my husband Dave is currently up in Cambridge at Harvard Business School.  It just made too much sense not to live and play in Boston. To add, Boston is a great team with world-class players.  I am looking forward to my new journey in the 2012 season,” she said.

Breakers Associate General Manager Lee Billiard told www.womensprofessionalsoccer.com that the acquisition was a significant one for the club.

"This will be our biggest offseason signing to-date and a statement to our commitment to bring a WPS Championship to Boston," he said.

O’Reilly spent her early years playing soccer in East Brunswick, eventually going on to attend the University of North Carolina. She made her debut with the U.S. National Team in 2002 and made the U.S. women’s team for the 2004 Athens Olympics when she was 19.  The youngest player on the roster at the time, O’Reilly took a pass from idol Mia Hamm and hit a shot past German goalkeeper Silke Rottenberg in overtime. She has since returned to the area, leading the Women's Professional Soccer team to a championship.

With the U.S. Women’s National Team in 2011, O’Reilly scored three goals and had three assists in 17 starts, logging 1,328 minutes, according to www.womensprofessionalsoccer.com. A two-time Olympic gold medalist (2004, 2008) and veteran of two World Cups (2007, 2011), O’Reilly has 151 appearances with the U.S. and 30 career goals. She ranks fourth in appearances among active players on the U.S. roster. In the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Germany, O’Reilly started five games and had one goal (it came in a 3-0 win over Colombia) and one assist.

During the 2011 World Cup in Germany, she scored 1 goal and had 1 assist during the World Cup in German.

"We are very excited about adding Heather O'Reilly to the Breakers team. She's a world class player, has an incredible engine, and just is an all around winner," Boston Breakers Head Coach Lisa Cole told www.womensprofessionalsoccer.com. "Her experience and work ethic will immediately improve our team. Look forward to her being apart of many goals and wins this season."

Even though she is leaving the area, O’Reilly said that she will always have fond, special memories of her time in the area and for her fans.

“New Jersey soccer and Sky Blue FC are very dear to me.  I have enjoyed the last three seasons very much. Playing so close to my hometown has been a dream, and it has been cool to see screaming Jersey girls at the stadium because I was that girl just some time ago,” she said.