Rockwood FC U21 ladies workforce wins Ontario Girls’s Soccer League

GUELPH/ERAMOSA – The Rockwood FC U21 women soccer workforce received within the Ontario Girls’s Soccer League on July 25.

Many of the workforce has been collectively for the reason that age of U9 ladies. They had been initially a workforce of Guelph ‘B’ gamers. 

The technical director at Guelph on the time informed present U21 coach Sean Clarke that the women would “by no means be ok to maneuver as much as the ‘A’ workforce.”

The next season the entire gamers and Clarke left and moved to Rockwood FC.

Clarke informed the Advertiser the ladies’s workforce this yr needed to win its means as much as that division. 

It first received the district stage after which the regional stage, which the workforce has completed a couple of years in a row.

After profitable regionally, the workforce then utilized to play within the Ontario Girls’s Soccer League. 

“After which we received that our first yr in it, and now [the team has not] misplaced but,” mentioned Clarke.

Most of the ladies on the workforce informed the Advertiser they’re all like household to one another now.

Emma Mussell has performed soccer since concerning the age of 4 however is among the newer workforce members.

“I haven’t been on this workforce so long as different individuals have been on this workforce,” she mentioned.

“However I do know this group has been collectively for a very very long time. And this group of women works very well collectively.”

She added, “I feel that our teamwork and talent to play as a workforce has actually helped us with this accomplishment.”

Carmen Meijer joined the workforce when she was in Grade 9 after having a extra detrimental expertise along with her earlier workforce.

“Coming right here was so refreshing,” Meijer defined. 

She added she loves soccer and it gives launch for her from day-to-day life.

Autumn Marshall was launched to the Rockwood FC workforce after Clarke got here to one in every of her home league video games. She mentioned she started soccer a bit later than others, however had the chance to play and tryout with the workforce is she now on.

Marshall defined she caught with soccer due to the workforce side, noting she used to take part in gymnastics, which is much more unbiased.

“After which coming collectively as a workforce, assembly a few of my finest buddies now” – Marshall paused earlier than including  she enjoys the game and its “good enjoyable and train.”

Tessa Arulampalam has been a part of the Rockwood workforce because it started in Guelph. She mentioned lots of the ladies on the workforce have surrounded her for such a very long time.

Arulampalam mentioned profitable the Ontario Girls’s Soccer League stuffed her with “a really proud feeling.”

“Coming into such a difficult week, we got here out very profitable,” she acknowledged.

Clarke mentioned Rockwood FC has a robust program with ex-professional coaches who prepare groups and gamers.

The U21 workforce, earlier than they had been U21, had a couple of years the place they struggled shifting over. Clarke mentioned they continued to work exhausting together with necessary coaching applications. 

The workforce went on to win the district league in 2017, three years after shifting to Rockwood FC. 

That is when Clarke mentioned their journey actually started shifting as much as the regional league — which he added is among the strongest leagues for soccer within the space.

That yr the workforce received the regional league and now has effectively over 20 trophies and 6 league championships. In addition they received the regional league in 2022 as an under-18 workforce taking part in within the under-21 division.

This yr the workforce moved as much as the Ontario Girls’s Soccer League and when the workforce spoke to the Advertiser, they’d already secured the league with two video games remaining and didn’t lose a match – to not point out solely having six targets towards all yr.

“I used to be shocked after they received the U21 division in 2022 that they might all come again to play [this year] with summer time jobs and boyfriends,” mentioned Clarke.

He added the workforce has since welcomed 4 new gamers and they’re now over-rostered with 21 gamers.

“This workforce has constructed itself an excellent popularity that a whole lot of gamers through the years have tried out for and need to be with the workforce,” Clarke acknowledged.

The U21 at present trains with technical director Gareth Davies and coaches Cynthia McQueen, Giorgio Pozzobon and Clarke. 

In addition they prepare with the U15 ladies frequently, mentoring them all through their soccer journey as effectively.