Verónica and Conti join Energiya Voronezh

Russian side FC Energiya Voronezh have shown their ambition ahead of their return to European competition with the signings of Spain striker Verónica Boquete and Italy forward Pamela Conti.

Verónica, 24, joins from Philadelphia Independence where she became the first player other than Marta to be named Women's Professional Soccer player of the year as her club lost the championship final on penalties to her former employers, Western New York Flash. She has spent the last three European seasons at RCD Espanyol, scoring 39 goals in 2010/11. A Spain regular, she was in the squad that won the 2004 UEFA European Women's Under-19 Championship.

The 29-year-old Conti, who played with Veronica at Flash and Espanyol in 2009/10, stayed in Spain last season for a second spell at Levante UD having aided Torres CF to two Italian titles between 1999 and 2007 and reached the 2004/05 UEFA Women's Cup quarter-finals.

That was also Energiya's achievement that season in their most recent European campaign, as well as the year before, and they make their UEFA Women's Champions League bow away to Bristol Academy WFC in the round of 32 on 29 September.