Kodiaks add to women’s soccer roster

The Lethbridge College Kodiaks women’s soccer team bolstered its lineup for the 2018 Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference season with the addition of a pair of players from the University of Lethbridge.

Kodiaks head coach Sean Carey announced goalkeeper Paige Gattafoni will join the Kodiaks after playing two seasons with the Pronghorns women’s soccer team, while Mikhaila Lagemaat will make the move across the river after playing with the Pronghorn’s women’s rugby team last season. Both players transferred to Lethbridge College to pursue new educational programs.

Gattafoni, a Trail, B.C. native, came to the college last semester to begin the school’s Correctional Studies program. After playing with the Pronghorns the last two seasons, Carey says she will bring welcome depth to the Kodiaks in net.

“She adds lots of depth and experience for our goaltending situation,” says Carey, who guided the Kodiaks to a silver medal during the indoor season earlier this year, in a news release. “There will be lots of competition with four girls vying for the starting role and the backup role. Knowing that we have some quality keepers takes a lot of pressure off our squad.”

Meanwhile, Lagemaat, a Coalhurst native, is a left fullback who grew up playing soccer in the LFC system, but took a break from the sport for five years while playing rugby for U of L.

Now that she’s transferred to the college, she’s looking forward to once again playing a sport she loves.

“I came to the college last semester to switch programs and soccer suddenly became an exciting opportunity for me,” says Lagemaat. “I’ve made a lot of really good friends on the team already. I love Sean, he’s a great coach. Just coming back into soccer after a bit of a break has been a ton of fun.”

Carey says the intricacies of the game should come back to her quickly, and he’s excited to see Lagemaat push for a starting role once the fall season begins.