KOVACEVIC REPEATS AS OCAA WOMEN'S SOCCER PLAYER OF THE YEAR

ANCASTER, Ont. - For the second straight season, Fanshawe College's Jade Kovacevic (Acton) is the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) Women's Soccer Player of the Year. She received the award in a ceremony held in Ancaster, Ont., on Thursday afternoon.

The OCAA Scoring Champion scored 24 goals in nine regular season matches and established a new OCAA career record of 103. The fifth-year forward is the first player to break the century mark in career goals, breaking the old record of 83 set by Tiffany Johnson of Cambrian. Kovacevic received several other honours, including West Division Player of the Year, West Division Scoring Champion, West Division First-Team All-Star and Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) All-Canadian.

The East Division Player of the Year is Sona Makulova (Czech Republic) of Seneca. The second-year midfielder/defender was the co-East Division Scoring Champion scoring a dozen goals in nine matches. Makulova is also an East Division First-Team All-Star and CCAA All-Canadian.

The Overall Rookie of the Year is Nailah Rowe (Ajax, Ont.) of Centennial. The forward was the co-East Division Scoring Champion equalling Makulova's 12 goals in nine matches. The East Division Rookie of the Year is also an East Division First-Team All-Star.

The West Division Rookie of the Year is Julieanne Buist (Canfield, Ont.) of Niagara. The midfielder shared the team lead in goals scored with seven in eight matches. Buist is also a West Division Second-Team All-Star.

Seneca's Luca Sirianni is the OCAA Coach of the Year and a nominee for CCAA Coach of the Year. The East Division Coach of the Year led Seneca to an unblemished 9-0-0 regular season record to clinch the East Division championship.

Rob Lalama of Niagara is the West Division Coach of the Year. Niagara went 5-2-2 during the regular season, but came up with some big performances against teams ahead of it in the standings, including a 3-2 upset over Humber, and a 2-2 tie against Sheridan.

The East Division Defensive Player of the Year is Bailey Colangelo (Pickering) of Durham. The third-year defender played in nine matches as Durham averaged 1.11 goals against, including three shutouts. Colangelo is also an East Division First-Team All-Star.

The West Division Defensive Player of the Year is Nevada Feasby (Georgetown) of Sheridan. The first-year defender played in nine matches as Sheridan averaged an even one goal against, including four shutouts. Feasby is also a West Division First-Team All-Star.

Fittingly, the regular season division champions were also named Best Defensive Teams. Seneca allowed only five goals against in nine regular season games in the East Division, while Fanshawe equaled this mark in the West Division.

Several OCAA All-Stars were also recognized. In addition to Kovacevic and Feasby, West Division First-Team All-Stars include Fanshawe's Nicole Nielsen (London, Ont.), Selena Roberts (London, Ont.) and Chelsea Zavitz (St. Thomas, Ont.); Humber's Dominka Philip (Mississauga, Ont.) and Giulia Zanardi (Tottenham, Ont.); Mohawk's Sabrina Mariani (Guelph, Ont.); Niagara's Terin Hultink (Fenwick, Ont.) and Ceilidh Richardson (Welland, Ont.); and Sheridan's Victoria Rodrigues (Mississauga, Ont.).

In addition of Makulova, Rowe and Colangelo, East Division First-Team All-Stars include Algonquin's Georgia Iliopoulos (Ottawa) and Becky Leese (Ottawa); George Brown's Brianna Samuels-McLaughlin (Scarborough, Ont.); St. Lawrence's Chelsea Cayer (Williamstown, Ont.) and Melissa Gilligan (Cornwall, Ont.); and Seneca's Jordan Burke (Ajax, Ont.), Alessia Da Silva (Vaughan, Ont.) and Raven Edwards-Dowdall (Toronto, Ont.).

Joining Buist on the West Division Second-Team All-Stars are Fanshawe's Natasha Agbaba (London, Ont.), Amber-Lea Hodgins (London, Ont.) and Daniella Strano (London, Ont.); Humber's Catarina Medeiros (Brampton, Ont.) and Claudia Piazza (Brampton, Ont.); Niagara's Taylor Major (Stoney Creek, Ont.) and Katelyn Mix (Gilford, Ont.); St. Clair's Ryan Morneau (Windsor, Ont.) and Cassie Nicholas (Windsor, Ont.); and Sheridan's Megan Foster (Burlington, Ont.).

Algonquin's Tejumola Abubakar Bakare (Nigeria), Francesca Bellai (Chesley, Ont.) and Mariah Harper (Metcalfe, Ont.); Durham's Cory Lapointe (Whitby, Ont.) and Makayla Rudder (Scarborough, Ont.); Fleming's Zoe Harrington (Peterborough, Ont.); George Brown's Kristina Anderson (Brampton, Ont.); Loyalist's Amy Vieira (Belleville, Ont.); St. Lawrence's Madison Poole (Inverary, Ont.); and Seneca's Shantae Johnson (Port Perry, Ont.) and Korina Lyte (Scarborough, Ont.) make up the East Division Second-Team All-Stars.

2019 OCAA WOMEN'S SOCCER AWARDS

OCAA Women's Soccer Player of the Year
Jade Kovacevic, Fanshawe

CCAA Women's Soccer Coach of the Year Nominee/OCAA Coach of the Year
Luca Sirianni, Seneca

OCAA Women's Soccer League Scoring Champion
Jade Kovacevic, Fanshawe

OCAA Women's Soccer Rookie of the Year
Nailah Rowe, Centennial

OCAA Women's Soccer Regular Season Champions
East - Seneca Sting
West - Fanshawe Falcons

OCAA Women's Soccer East Division Coach of the Year
Luca Sirianni, Seneca

OCAA Women's Soccer West Division Coach of the Year
Rob Lalama, Niagara

OCAA Women's Soccer East Division Rookie of the Year
Nailah Rowe, Centennial

OCAA Women's Soccer West Division Rookie of the Year
Julieanne Buist, Niagara

OCAA Women's Soccer East Division Player of the Year
Sona Makulova, Seneca

OCAA Women's Soccer West Division Player of the Year
Jade Kovacevic, Fanshawe

OCAA Women's Soccer East Division Defensive Player of the Year
Bailey Colangelo, Durham

OCAA Women's Soccer West Division Defensive Player of the Year
Nevada Feasby, Sheridan

OCAA Women's Soccer East Division Scoring Champions
Sona Mukalova, Seneca
Nailah Rowe, Centennial

OCAA Women's Soccer West Division Scoring Champion
Jade Kovacevic, Fanshawe

OCAA Women's Soccer East Division Best Defensive Team
Seneca Sting

OCAA Women's Soccer West Division Best Defensive Team
Fanshawe Falcons

OCAA Women's Soccer East Division First-Team All-Stars
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
Sona Makulova, Seneca
Nailah Rowe, Centennial
Brianna Samuels-McLaughlin, George Brown

OCAA Women's Soccer West Division First-Team All-Stars
Nevada Feasby, Sheridan
Terin Hultink, Niagara
Jade Kovacevic, Fanshawe
Sabrina Mariani, Mohawk
Nicole Nielsen, Fanshawe
Dominka Philip, Humber
Ceilidh Richardson, Niagara
Selena Roberts, Fanshawe
Victoria Rodrigues, Sheridan
Giulia Zanardi, Humber
Chelsea Zavitz, Fanshawe

OCAA Women's Soccer East Division Second-Team All-Stars
Tejumola Abubakar Bakare, Algonquin
Kristina Anderson, George Brown
Francesca Bellai, Algonquin
Mariah Harper, Algonquin
Zoe Harrington, Fleming
Shantae Johnson, Seneca
Cory Lapointe, Durham
Korina Lyte, Seneca
Madison Poole, St. Lawrence
Makayla Rudder, Durham
Amy Vieira, Loyalist

OCAA Women's Soccer West Division Second-Team All-Stars
Natasha Agbaba, Fanshawe
Julieanne Buist, Niagara
Megan Foster, Sheridan
Amber-Lea Hodgins, Fanshawe
Taylor Major, Niagara
Catarina Medeiros, Humber
Katelyn Mix, Niagara
Ryan Morneau, St. Clair
Cassie Nicholas, St. Clair
Claudia Piazza, Humber
Daniella Strano, Fanshawe

Photo Credit: Matt Hiscox

- OCAA -

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