By Caio Miari

Nine games played, 12 goals scored, 12 assists, and two game-winning goals in her team's two triumphs of the season. Nailah Rowe's first year with the Centennial Colts women's soccer team marked a fantastic run, which received much-deserved recognition Thursday afternoon in Ancaster, Ont. at the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) award ceremony. 

Although the Lady Colts weren't able to make the provincials after finishing their schedule with a 2-7 campaign, Rowe's enormous contribution on the field reflected in four individual awards. 

The Ajax, Ont. native, earned a spot in the OCAA Women's Soccer East Division First-Team All-Stars. 

She was also named OCAA Women's Soccer Rookie of the Year and OCAA Women's Soccer East Division Rookie of the Year while topping OCAA Women's Soccer East Division Scoring Champion (tied with Fanshawe College's Jade Kovacevic). 

"The difference between years gone by and this year was she just needs two yards space and she can take off and score against anybody," said head coach Diarmuid O'Connor about his forward after a 3-1 home loss on September 27.

Rowe scored in all but one game for Centennial throughout the season. She also posted eight multiple-point performances, including an outstanding six-point, hat-trick game in the Colts' 5-1 win over Loyalist on September 13. 

"You don't give someone as good as Nailah instructions … You just tell her to go and do her thing," the 13-year coach also said about Rowe early in the year, after one of her three multi-goal games.

Coach O'Connor and his staff can't say they weren't advertise about their first-year star, though. 

Immediately after signing with Centennial, Rowe was asked how she could add to the team following a below-average offensive campaign in 2018. Her answer set up the tone for what was coming.

"I'm aggressive and I like to score along with creating goal scoring opportunities for myself and my teammates," she said on May 1. "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."

Overall, the five-foot-two left-footer scored 12 of her teams' 17 goals. In addition to her four awards, Rowe has set the record for most goals scored in a single season in Centennial women's soccer history. 

Rowe was the only Lady Colt awarded this season, and one of two first-year players selected to the East Division First Team All-Stars. 

For the second straight season, Kovacevic won the OCAA Women's Soccer Player of the Year award, while Sone Makulova, a second-year midfielder/defender from Czech Republic, received the East Division Player of the Year honour.

In addition of Rowe and Makulova (Seneca), the East Division First Team includes Jordan Burke (Seneca), Chelsea Cayer (St. Lawrence) Bailey Colangelo (Durham), Alessia Da Silva (Seneca), Raven Edwards-Dowdall (Seneca), Melissa Gilligan (St. Lawrence), Georgia Iliopoulos (Algonquin), Becky Leese (Algonquin), Brianna Samuels-McLaughlin (George Brown). 

NAILAH ROWE PROFILE

Position: Forward

Hometown: Ajax, Ont.

Program: General Arts

High School: Donald A. Wilson Secondary School

Rep Team: FC Durham Academy