By: Kajan Thiruthanikasalam
SCARBOROUGH, ONT.- After a regular season in which offence was hard to come by for the Centennial Colts women’s soccer team, Diarmuid O’Connor, Colts Head Coach, realized that he needed to recruit girls who were offensive-minded.
Shianne Carrington, Joia Frank, Nailah Rowe, and Hannah Sealy were officially introduced as the newest members of the women’s soccer team as they signed their letters of intent on April 24 at the Athletic and Wellness Centre.
The photos from the event can be found at the following link: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmxPe4NN
Three of them play the striker position while the other is a forward. Here is a quick peek at each of the athletes:
SHIANNE CARRINGTON
Hometown: Pickering, Ont.
Position: Striker
Program: Video Game Design
Rep Team: FC Durham Academy
High School: Pickering High School
Carrington started playing soccer since she was four years old but took a break during fourth grade before coming back to the sport in sixth grade.
“It was difficult because a lot of things changed and I had to re-learn everything,” Carrington said of coming back. “I had to really push myself to become the player that I am today.”
Carrington tried out for the women’s team after the head coach of her rep team told her that O’Connor was interested in her. But another major factor in her decision to come to Centennial was the video game design program that is offered at Story Arts Centre.
“I really liked the program there and the campus is very good, especially for arts programs,” Carrington said.
Team chemistry will be key for next year’s team and it looks like Carrington is off to a head start in terms of that, as she knew Frank and Rowe through high school and played with them.
“It takes a lot of pressure off a person because usually when you go to a college or university team, you don’t really know anyone,” Carrington said. “So it’s good that I kind of have a support system. If I need help from them, I know I can trust them.”
She might be soft-spoken but Carrington’s game on the pitch will speak volumes.
JOIA FRANK
Position: Striker
Program: Law Clerk (Bridge Program)
Rep Team: Ajax FC
Hometown: Ajax, Ont.
Expected to make a huge impact offensively, Joia Frank, along with the new recruits, looks to reverse the team’s fortunes on the attacking side of the field.
“First of all, it’s close to home. Also, I also heard about the bridge program here so I was setting towards doing the law clerk program,” Frank said about why she chose Centennial.
Frank says she came to the open house to check the school, where she spoke to Daniella Calleri, Colts Assistant Coach, during that time.
“She (Calleri) introduced me to Diarmuid (O’Connor) and we had a meeting back in January,” Frank said on how the recruitment process was like. “And then, from there, he came to the soccer games to see me and Hannah (Sealy).”
Frank played soccer pretty late at the age of nine, noting that most girls start when they are either four or five. She says she was inspired when she saw her brother play.
“When you start playing soccer, you score so many goals right off the bat. That excitement was just always there,” Frank said. “Joining rep built the love of the game from there.”
If there was one thing that Frank wants to work on during the season, it would be her confidence, in terms of finding her voice on the team.
“I will talk on the field but I feel like I won’t talk as much coming into a new team just because I don’t want to say anything to someone that upsets them,” Frank said. “But that’s going to have to improve just like overall confidence.”
When assessing the video from last season team, Frank said, “I think the passing was okay but the pressure and defending wasn’t there too much.”
Frank and Sealy met through soccer and both of them currently play on the same rep team. She thinks that camaraderie will help establish long term success for the Colts on and off the field, despite the team losing numerous players to graduation.
“I’ve been with my team for five years so I’ve never had to join a new team,” Frank said. “So coming in with someone that I’ve known makes it ten times better.”
NAILAH ROWE
Position: Forward
Hometown: Ajax, Ont.
Program: General Arts
High School: Donald A. Wilson Secondary School
Rep Team: FC Durham Academy
Unlike the other three girls who were strikers, Rowe can do a little bit of everything on the field and play numerous positions whenever the situation presents itself.
“I play forward. I could play striker, left wing, or right wing,” Rowe said. “If needed, I can play midfield and at fullback.”
The diminutive forward, from Ajax, Ont., stands tall above her stature, although she does exaggerate her height.
“I tell people I’m five-foot-seven but I’m actually five-foot-two,” Rowe says, laughing. “Tiny but mighty.”
But if there’s one thing that immediately stands out for Rowe, it was her experience with the Guyanese women’s national team.
“It was cool; I got to travel a lot,” Rowe said. “You’re not missing as much as you think with school and stuff, especially with everything online. I get to travel with my friends and not go to class. It’s a free vacation and I get to play.”
Rowe says she started with the national team when she was 16 and confidence was a major issue early on. During that summer, she didn’t have the opportunity to play with them but was able to practice and do scrimmages.
“And then last year this time, I was in Trinidad, playing in the actual women’s league. The experience was crazy; people in the stands and fans coming to support for my country,” Rowe said. “Playing soccer in a different country was crazy.”
Rowe credits her parents for getting her to where she is right now as a player and as a person. She says she’s lost count of how many times her mother has told her that she is proud of her and her father never misses her in action, even acting like a second coach.
“Having my parents’ support is a big deal that not everyone has. Despite some struggles that I had with school, they never threatened to take soccer away from me,” Rowe said, beaming. “It’s a big thing because I’m not really sure where I would be if I wasn’t still playing.”
HANNAH SEALY
Position: Striker
Program: Community and Justice: Social Work
Rep Team: Ajax FC
High School: Donald A. Wilson Secondary School
Hometown: Whitby, Ont.
Sealy and Frank have seen how each of their journeys in their soccer careers have fared thus far given that they have played on the same rep team. Now, they’re teammates on the Centennial Colts.
“I’m so excited to have someone that I know on this team,” Sealy said. “If I didn’t know anyone, I’d freak out. My anxiety would reach another level.”
Sealy’s decision to come to Centennial came down to proximity and also knowing who went to the college.
“That kind of leaned me towards Centennial and I heard the program, for what I want to do, is really good as well,” Sealy said, referring to the social work program.
Sealy’s love for the game, according to her, was because of the adrenaline rush.
“When I’m playing, I don’t think about anything, which is super weird,” Sealy said. “Playing for this long is basically your whole life pretty much.”
She admitted that for a while, she wanted to walk away from the sport because it wasn’t fun for her. But Sealy reassures that the love for the game is back. Although, she mentions that her endurance needs work.
“My endurance, for sure,” Sealy said with conviction. “I can run fast but I just get tired quickly and long distances are an issue.”
Sealy says there will have to be an adjustment process heading into the season with so many new faces but thinks they’ll get acclimated to the environment rather quickly.
“Every coach wants things done a certain way and so we’ll have to figure out how they play which I’m a little nervous for because they’re older than us,” Sealy said. “I know I’m going to mess up from nerves but once I get used to it, I’ll be fine.”
NOTABLE QUESTIONS
The biggest problem with last year’s Centennial team was a lack of scoring. What do you think you can add to this upcoming team?
Shianne: I think I can add a lot of speed. I’m a very physical player so I can bring a different sort of intensity to the game. Add a lot of pressure up top to score more goals and get more wins.
Joia: I know the frustration that happens when a team is not finishing or scoring. As long as we have the mentality of keeping possession and scoring, we’re good.
Nailah: I’m aggressive and I like to score along with creating goal scoring opportunities for myself and my teammates. I don't like to lose. I feel like I bring a certain energy to my team. Like I feel like I bring a positive vibe and it's contagious.
Hannah: If we can play together, I think that would make it strong as well because me (and Joia) already have chemistry.
Expectations for next season.
Shianne: I want to win and always give my 100 per cent effort in the game. I feel like we have a good chance of advancing to provincials since a lot of us know each other and already have chemistry.
Joia/Hannah: I feel like we’re going to be iffy at the beginning but we’ll do better than last year especially since some of us have already played together.
Nailah: I really hope to win every single game. Obviously, that’s not always what happens but I’m hoping to make it to provincials.
Congratulations to Carrington, Frank, Rowe, and Sealy for officially being members of the Centennial Colts women’s soccer team. Can’t wait to see what’s in store for next season!