OUA soccer kicks off
Brock opens regular season at home with doubleheaders today and Sunday afternoon
Rosters for the Brock men’s and women’s soccer teams have been finalized with the regular season kicking off with home games today and Sunday.
First to take the pitch are the Brock women. The Badgers host the Laurier Golden Hawks at 2 p.m., with the Brock men beginning league play at 4:15 p.m., also against Laurier.
Providing the opposition in a doubleheader Sunday — women, 1 p.m.; men, 3:15 p.m. — are the Waterloo Warriors.
The Brock women’s program this year is marking the 10th anniversary of its most-successful season ever, when it settled for the silver medal at the Canadian national championships.
Kevin Trethowan, taking over a program that compiled a 5-10-1 record last year, is expecting big things heading into his first season as the team’s head coach.
“Our minimum aim for the season is playoffs, but with the right personnel, attitude and effort, we believe we can go further,” he said.
“We are turning a corner at Brock University and are really pushing to put Brock women’s soccer back on the map.”
Key players to watch for the Badgers are second-year goalkeeper Marilena Spagnolo, who is coming off a strong freshman season, and Kara Ross, the 2013 rookie of the year, who is back for her fifth season of eligibility after playing three seasons at NCAA DI Bowling Green in Ohio.
Brock has high hopes freshman standout Kinley Wilson can make an immediate impact in the midfield.
“We retained 11 players from last season and, hopefully, we have created the perfect blend of experience and youth to help us move onwards and upwards,” Trethowan said.
The Brock men have their eyes set on rebounding from a 2-10-4 finish last year and making the playoffs.
“We are looking forward to an entertaining season,” second-year head coach Lucio Ianiero said.
“The team has several new exciting freshman that we are hoping can change our fortunes in trying to reach the playoffs.”
Two-sport athlete Eric Bradey, Brock’s 2016-17 male athlete of the year, is expected to lead the Brock men on the pitch this season. Bradey, who skipped the men’s curling team to the bronze medal at the Ontario championships for the second year in a row, is regarded as one of the top sweepers in the Ontario University Athletics’ West Division.
Liam Wilson, Brock’s 2016 rookie of the year; and fellow midfielder Michael Pavela are also returning for another season.
A Canadian in Paris
Brock University wrestler Michelle Fazzari captured a bronze medal in women’s 58-kilogram class at the 2017 Senior World Championships in Paris.
She posted a 3-1 record with wins over 2016 Olympic silver medallist Valeria Koblova Zholobova, Russia; Iryna Netreba, Azerbaijan; and Elin Nilsson (SWE) in the bronze medal match.
Fazzari’s lone loss was in the semifinals against eventual world champion Helen Maroulis of the United States, the gold medal winner at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
“It’s a great start for me in the new quadrennial winning my first medal at the world level,” Fazzari said. “I will use this performance to catapult me to the next level.”
Marty Calder, head wrestling coach at Brock, said he was impressed by Fazzari’s “great performance” in Paris.
“We see great things in the near future for her leading into the 2020 Olympic games in Tokyo,” he said. “It was a great day today for Brock wrestling and Canada wrestling converting yet another Badger into a world medallist.
“It was another team effort by the coaches and athletes at Brock who all contributed to this performance.”
Brock’s Diana Weicker placed 12th after posting a 1-1 record with her lone victory coming against Germany’s Sandra Paruszewski.
Jessica MacDonald, 53 kg; and Olivia Di Bacco, 69kg; both competed Thursday at the world championships and Jevon Balfour, 74; on Saturday.