No place like home for soccer
St. Catharines’ DiFrancesco commits to playing at Niagara after taking a year off
Niagara College is going for gold in women’s soccer, and Kiana DiFrancesco is being counted on to augment an already impressive Knights team of metal detectors.
Head coach Rob Lalama can see the St. Catharines native making the team that went to back-to-back Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) championships that much stronger when it returns to the pitch, hopefully in the fall.
“She will fit in nicely with our strong core of returning players as we strive to build this soccer program into a provincial champion,” he said.
DiFrancesco, who played soccer at high school for the Sir Winston Churchill Bulldogs and won an Ontario Youth Soccer League (OYSL) championship with the St. Catharines Jets at the club level, first caught Niagara’s attention when she participated in a showcase hosted by the college.
“We’ve been scouting Kiana for a few years now,” Lalama said.
He said the five-foot-four midfielder/defender brings a lot to the table in addition to a “great attitude.”
“A very talented player who possesses great ball skills and aggressiveness, attributes that every coach is looking for,” Lalama said.
“I think what impresses me most about Kiana is her patience and confidence controlling the ball under pressure.”
Niagara was the only name on DiFrancesco’s list when she decided to resume her education after taking a year off.
“Honestly, I just was looking at Niagara. I knew the program that I wanted was at Niagara,” the 19year-old said. “I didn’t really look anywhere else.”
She hopes Niagara’s two-year occupational and physiotherapy assistant program will be a path to a career as a physiotherapist.
DiFrancesco doesn’t think the learning curve adjusting to competition in the OCAA will be overly steep. In the OYSL, she often found herself defending against older players.
“Most of them were players on scholarships at different universities,” she said.
Club commitments with the Western New York Flash in Buffalo limited DiFrancesco to one season of playing time at Churchill.
“I really didn’t have time to play high school soccer because I was in Buffalo every night,” she said.
Her speed and stamina is suited to the midfield position, but she prefers playing on defence.
In March, DiFrancesco had been set to begin practising with the Lincoln Storm, her new club team, when COVID-19 cancelled all sports.
Recruits as well as returning players were encouraged to “use what we can” to keep fit.
“There are not any facilities that we can use to stay in shape,” said DiFrancesco.
She is keeping her soccer skills sharp by kicking a ball against a wall in the basement of the family home in St. Catharines “for about 30 minutes.”
“It’s a pretty good wall. There are no holes in it yet,” she said with a laugh.
DiFrancesco finds the sound of the ball striking the wall anything but satisfying.
She drowns out the constant reminder of where she would rather be with rap music. Drake is among her favourite artists.
“I’d rather be outside practising with teammates, obviously, but I just try to tune it out,” she said. “Let the music play over it.”
DiFrancesco makes a point of getting outside as part of her regular training regimen. She does lunges up a nearby hill before running 30 to 40 minutes to boost her cardio.
“I’ll come back home and maybe do weights if I’m not tired,” she said.
Megan Morgado, Niagara’s second recruit for 2020, played with Mississauga St. Joan of Arc Catholic Secondary School and with the Dixie Soccer Club’s under-21 team.
“I’m excited about Megan. She represents the GTA players, who are tough to attract down here in Niagara,” Lalama said.
The five-foot-two Morgado can play both midfield and defence, something Lalama is thrilled to add to his squad.
“Megan is a high-quality player. She’s got excellent skill, speed and toughness,” he said. “She’s a fullback who loves to join the attack, which is exactly what I am looking for in a fullback.”
Morgado will be enrolled in the broadcasting, radio, television and film program at the region’s community college.
“Niagara has a very well-known broadcasting program,” she said. “The school is very welcoming. I felt comfortable at Niagara after my first visit.”
She is excited about getting started on the “student” portion of being a student-athlete at Niagara.
“I look forward to having success in my program and learning all about the field,” Morgado said.
“I have wanted to take part in this career path since I was very young. I cannot wait for it to finally start,” she added.
Last season, the Knights went 52-2 in league play, placing fourth in the West Division. Niagara advanced to the OCAA championships at Redeemer University in Ancaster where they were eliminated in a 2-0 loss in the quarterfinals to the eventual gold-medallist Fanshawe Falcons.