Women's soccer celebrates their 30th season at the University of Toronto in 2014, starting with their home openers this Saturday and Sunday, August 30-31, at Varsity Centre.
The Blues host the Laurentian Voyageurs on Saturday, followed by the Nipissing Lakers Sunday. Game times on both days is 12 p.m. Saturday's season opener can also be seen live on OUA.tv.
Stuart Neely, who was named the eighth head coach in program history in April, is ready to guide the team to the top of the OUA East division this season.
"We want to play an exciting, effective and efficient brand of football; one that the players will hopefully enjoy," said Neely. "Every coach has an idea of what they want, but eventually it is the players that will dictate what we do based on their ability to perform and what brings the best out of them. I believe we have the core of players to build this."
That core begins with team co-captains Lisa English and Olivia Gonsalves. A fifth-year midfielder and defender, English was named an OUA East all-star in 2012 and is back at full strength after an injury-riddled season last year.
A fellow Scarborough, Ont., native, Gonsalves is a fourth-year midfielder, coming off an OUA all-star season in 2013. She was vital to Toronto's second-place standing and fifth-place finish at the CIS championship last season.
Veteran goalkeeper and two-time provincial all-star Sara Petrucci (Bolton, Ont.) returns to backstop the Blues. Petrucci is coming off a phenomenal year, where she notched nine clean sheets in 16 starts. She will be backed up by second-year netminder Sonia Ralston of Surrey, B.C.
Toronto's midfield is packed with depth, including Claudia Piazza, who is coming off an OUA all-star season in her rookie year. She, along with second-year standout Nicki Parkes, will help control U of T's middle with English and Gonsalves. They will benefit from the tutelage of new first assistant coach Laura Machado, who was an OUA all-star midfielder with the Blues from 2007-11.
With the loss of 2013 leading scorer Aisha Lewis, the Blues will turn to sophomores Brenda Murrillo and Christine Zwimpfer to lead a young forward contingent. Zoe Carty (Ottawa) was the leading scorer on the Lycee Claudel high school team for three consecutive seasons, while Chelsea Chung was named the athlete of the year at Holy Trinity School in Stouffville, Ont. U of T also welcomes Ally Rigby of Burlington, Ont., who was a member of the 2011 and 2013 USA Cup championship teams.
Toronto's defensive corps will have to fill the void of 2013 CIS all-Canadian Diana Esteireiro, who remains with the team after graduation as second assistant. Second-year defenders Alyssa Golin, Christine Mulligan, Laura Krkachovski and Emma Ostermeier will comprise a young core, with third-year standouts Kristian Kletke and Sarah Watling providing leadership on Toronto's back line.
For the first time in OUA history, the OUA Soccer Final Fours will be played at a pre-determined site, with both the men's and women's events sharing the same venue on the same weekend. The OUA will take over Tim Hortons Field on Saturday, November 1st, with the women's semifinals going at 10:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.
Championship Sunday will see the women's bronze-medal game at 10 a.m. and gold-medal game at 3 p.m.
In addition to the OUA title, the teams who compete in their respective gold medal games automatically earn a berth into the 2014 Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) national championship events held November 6-9 in Quebec City.
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